Events

Despite the fact that the family welfare programme affects large numbers and its success will have a major impact on the quality of life of people in our state, the media has mostly been silent on this important issue. Only when some curious journalist stumbles upon a sensational story, the family planning programme hits the headlines. This is also because family planning is considered a private matter and people are, by and large, reluctant to discuss it. To add to this, programme managers have not put in adequate efforts to educate the media to enable it to provide accurate, informative news coverage.

The District Information Officer (DIO) is the pivotal functionary of the Information department at the district level who is responsible for liaison with the local press on behalf of the district administration. He enjoys immense influence with the district –level press and journalists and can play a key role in building good relations with the media to ensure publicity for the family planning programme. Also since most publicity done by DIOs is in the form of news stories, it is more credible, acceptable and cost-effective. Effective news media management has many benefits that can complement other communication efforts. It can help disseminate information and the credibility of the media is useful for dispelling rumours, responding to criticism and defusing controversies. It can also serve as a powerful tool for advocacy among policy makers and for promoting service providers and sites. Realizing the potential of this powerful alliance, SIFPSA has embarked upon a partnership with the department of information and publicity at the district level.

To involve DIOs in family planning activities, an orientation workshop was organized on 25 August, 2003 for the DIOs posted in the 38 SIFPSA districts.. The workshop aimed to familiarize the DIOs with the RCH programme, structure, activities and achievements of SIFPSA and also to establish linkages between the DIOs and Project Managers of SIFPSA in the districts. Attended by the top brass of the Information department and SIFPSA, the interactive workshop charted out possible areas of collaboration. DIOs would collect news worthy stories from PMUs, write features on innovative interventions, give press releases on important activities like RCH camps, arrange field visits for correspondents and encourage them to write articles on service delivery initiatives and highlight the experience of satisfied clients. Use of folk troupes registered with the Information department by SIFPSA, was identified as another area of cooperation. This workshop which was the first of a series of interactions planned, is expected to go a long way in fostering a spirit of partnership between SIFPSA and the Information department and pave the way for the involvement of DIOs in the RCH programme.

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11. The day reminds us of the growing challenge of increasing population and the urgency of doing something about it. SIFPSA, being a key stakeholder in the field of reproductive and child health in UP, used this occasion for advocacy on population related issues at different fora. While all district units of SIFPSA (the DIFPSAs) organized a variety of functions, the state capital was buzzing with a number of activities. SIFPSA in partnership with CARE supported the state health department in organizing a rally of school children, NSS cadets, NYK and NGO volunteers, which was flagged off by the Minister of Family Welfare, Govt. of UP. A number of seminars, workshops and competitions were organized on the occasion to discuss issues related to population stabilization.