FALAH Newsletter: April-June, 2011

Initial assessments identified limited access to family planning services and a lack of awareness about the benefits of healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy (HTSP) as major challenges. The program aimed to address these issues through various interventions. Implementation focused on three key areas: training and sensitization of religious leaders, development of educational materials, and community mobilization. Over 1,500 religious leaders in 15 districts were trained on the benefits of HTSP in the context of Islamic teachings. The training sessions were followed by visits to assess the impact of the sensitization efforts, which showed that the religious leaders had started discussing HTSP in their sermons and community interactions. FALAH developed a "Basic Minimum Family Planning Contents Package" to improve pre-service medical education. The package included evidence-based technical information on contraceptive technology and was endorsed by the University of Health Sciences in Lahore and Khyber Medical University in Peshawar. The package was introduced to public sector medical colleges affiliated with Khyber Medical University at a workshop inaugurated by the Vice Chancellor of the university. Community mobilization activities were conducted through the Community Based Volunteers (CBVs) model, which reached over 70,000 men and women in areas not covered by the Government of Pakistan's Lady Health Workers (LHWs). The CBVs provided information on HTSP and contraceptive choices, addressed misconceptions and fears, and promoted the benefits of healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy. FALAH collaborated with the National Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Program (NMNCH) to train master trainers on HTSP and provided them with relevant information, education, and communication (IEC) materials. The federal and provincial MNCH Programs endorsed the HTSP messages developed by FALAH, which promote the benefits of healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy for improving the health of mothers and children. FALAH provided a comprehensive briefing to District Managers in 14 intervention districts on the importance and utility of geo-reference maps showing the distribution of public and private sector health facilities and outlets in the districts. The maps were developed by FALAH and can be customized to individual districts' needs and priorities. The results of an evaluation of trainings for LHWs on the Client Centered Approach (CCA) were shared at a dissemination workshop. The evaluation showed that in areas where the LHWs had been trained on the CCA, the contraceptive prevalence rate was significantly higher compared to the control areas. The clients of the trained LHWs were also more informed about HTSP messages and more satisfied with the services provided to them. FALAH participated in an early American Independence Day celebration at the residence of the U.S. Consul General in Lahore, where they displayed IEC materials and training manuals. The event provided an opportunity for the USAID funded projects to share experiences and learn from each other.