PARVATIYA JAN KALYAN SANSTHAN, An ISO-2000 NGO

Reproductive and Child Health

Several studies have established that in the hills women are highly overworked. They work upto 16 hours a day performing physically demanding tasks such as fetching fuelwood and fodder from distant forests and collecting drinking water. This is compounded by the fact that they live on a low calorie diet. As if this was not enough, they give birth to more than 3 children on an average and have limited access to hospitals during pregnancy and for delivery. All these have serious implications on the health of the mothers as well as on their children. The women become anaemic leading to more incidences of diseases (National Family Health Survey of 1999 has revealed that more than 48% of the women in Uttarakhand are anaemic). Maternal Mortality Rates (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rates (IMR) are also high. On the economic front large size of the family means that the family earnings are barely sufficient only for a meager living. The children are malnourished, deprived of proper formal education and are forced to work from an early age (child labour)

In this context reproductive and child health programmes assume great importance in Uttarakhand. There is a great need to provide adequate medical support to the women, not only during pregnancy but otherwise as well. Generate awareness on the need to restrict the family size by the promotion of family planning methods. Promote safe delivery practices and take up regular immunization of the mother and child.

PJKS has been implementing women and child health and population control programmes in the Bhilangana Block. The main objectives of its programme are:

§ To provide information on reproductive health to the eligible couples and adolescents

§ To educate eligible couples to choose family planning methods best suited to their requirements

§ To generate awareness amongst rural women about the optimum age for child bearing, healthy motherhood and childhood.

It has implemented SIFSA sponsored programme in 64 villages covering 24,646 people. Under this programme 4189 eligible couples have been benefited. Encouragement was given to switch over from spacing to terminal methods.

Rather that concentrating only on service delivery aspects PJKS has been adopting a process-oriented approach for its RCH programme. Its efforts are to increase the level of awareness amongst the rural communities about the need for family planning and then facilitate linkages between the communities and government health department.

Apart from directly implementing RCH programmes, even under other programmes PJKS is directly or indirectly contributing towards women’s health. Its watershed programmes have a focus on improved health for women. Through the revival of traditional systems of medicines, PJKS is promoting improved health facilities for women. Similarly, the plantation of citrus species under the horticulture development programme, results in better nutrition for women and curbing of Vitamin C & D deficiencies.
Parvatiya Jan Kalyan Sansthan is committed to promotion of good health among people of Uttarakhand as a means to empower them with health seeking behavior as a right, the organization has launched several programs focused on health & hygiene awareness in past including various training & workshops for the Health Service Providers in the rural areas. The whole Programme has been designed and implemented with the support of SIMAVI, Netherlands.

SIMAVI has supported the organization to take up several community awareness and health programs like RCH, immunization, family planning, Child Health & Hygiene, diarrhea management, nutrition, balanced diet etc. Awareness has been created among the community regarding the importance of potable water, water testing, proper chlorination of pre �? existing & newly constructed water supply schemes.

With the SIMAVI’s Support, PJKS has organized the following programs during 2006 �?2007.

Training to ANMs/ MPWs : The objective for such activity is primarily focused on skill sharing & up gradation in delivering services to the community. The ANMs/ MPWs have been educated by various means of communication with practical and live demonstrations. Regular Medical Practitioners & a Gynecologist have been invited to impart Education and motivated them to serve better and discussions on the complexities of deliveries apart from EmOC. (Emergency Obstetric Care Services). The training itself come up with a fruitful discussion, and resulted moral promises by them and the Health Services providers to the community.

Training to SHGs on Cultivation of Medicinal Plants The objective for such activity is primarily focused on awareness & promotion of the Traditional Medicine System and Practices along with the sustainable environmental & economic balance and skill sharing of the Traditional Medicinal Practitioners. The SHGs has been educated by various means of communication with practical and live demonstrations. Audio �?Visual techniques has also been adopted to let them understand the importance & benefits of Cultivation Medicinal Plants in terms of Sustainable Income Generation, Ecological Balance, and Our Traditional Medicine System. Regular Practitioners of the Traditional Medicinal Plants & Herbs has been invited to impart Education and motivated them to cultivate such herbs & plant.

Training Proposed for SHGs on Health Rights & Lobbying. The objective is primarily focused on Utilization of Government Health Services and sensitize the community especially women for Health Seeking Behavior The SHGs has been educated by various means of communication with practical and live demonstrations. Audio �?Visual techniques has also been adopted to let them understand the importance & benefits of Cultivation Medicinal Plants in terms of Sustainable Income Generation, Ecological Balance, and Our Traditional Medicine System. Regular Practitioners of the Traditional Medicinal Plants & Herbs has been invited to impart Education and motivated them to cultivate such herbs & plants.

Training for Adolescent girls on Puberty, Menstruation & Reproductive Organs. The prime objective for such training & education is to give understandings to the adolescent girls towards their growing physical & mental status and aware for their health & hygiene for the future health seeking behavior Involving Adolescent Girls in monitoring activities within their household and neighborhood regarding Health, Hygiene and Sanitation of the children, antenatal check up of women and sanitation aspects like hand washing, usages of toilets etc.. The concept of training have been based on an obviously too simple but by many all too conveniently ignored rather misconceived, principle of ‘shared learning�?between the concerned three - the child, the teacher and the community

Training for “Dais�?�?Traditional Birth Attendants. The Prime objective was to buildup their capacity to conduct safe delivery and identify the emergency situation well in advance, with promoting Institutional Delivery.
Kits distribution for “Dais�?�?/font> Traditional Birth Attendants The prime objective was to well equip the Traditional Birth Attendant “Dais�? “Dais�?plays a key role in the rural hills where most of the Sub-centres are lacking Trained Skilled Health worker �?ANMs, she has a social reputation and close relation with the villagers being resident of the same or nearby villages, Traditionally till the date the villagers has more faith in the Dai’s rather then any outsider Health Service Provider.

It was an essential step to train and well equip, in order to reduce MMR & IMR by resulting more and more safer deliveries.

General Health Camp & Specialized Health Camp on RCH & RTI. The prime objective for such camp has always been an action to improve the health status in a frequent manner or a supplement to the unavailable health services. There was one more great aim for such activity like enhancing faith towards the organization.

Strengthening of W/SHGs. The W/SHGs must learn to record every thing on black & white and in future they must have records of every issue intervened. For the Strengthening of SHGs, Stationeries and Registers are being provided so as to practice record & books keeping, and recording the minutes of the meeting and the training and further discussions/ agenda. A small training cum meeting session has been called for distribution and understanding the importance of the documentations. They have been given live demonstration for preparing the formats and filling up the registers for the activities.

Community Mobilization & Awareness Community Mobilization & Awareness has always been a crucial factor for the success of any program in the rural hills due to their regular field work and lack of health seeking behavior. PJKS has designed and pasted many posters & Wall paintings for all the activities which need community mobilization like RCH, RTI Camps, General Health Camps, Health & Hygiene, Health Rights and Preventive Health Care. (Attached with Hard copy of Report) All the wall paintings, Posters and Banners have specially been designed in the local language.

Training Programs

Programme