Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH)
FALAH aims to increase the use of family planning and birth spacing in Pakistan by removing barriers to family planning services and improving knowledge.
Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) is a USAID-funded project, the aim of which is to help protect the health and well-being of mothers, newborns, and children through the adoption of birth spacing by eligible couples in Pakistan. The project is being implemented in 20 districts of all four provinces of Pakistan; some activities are being implemented nationally. The Population Council/Pakistan is the lead partner with a consortium of national and international implementing and technical partners.
The project's mission is to improve the health and well-being of mothers and their children through birth spacing and preventing pregnancies that are too early or too late in women’s lives. Specifically, FALAH strives to bring about an increase in the adoption of the WHO-recommended birth-spacing interval of 24 months from birth to next pregnancy and to raise awareness of pregnancy-related risks among women under the age of 18 and older than 35 years. In addition, the project aims to improve the quality of service delivery in both the public and private sectors and expand access to contraceptives through social marketing and the commercial sector.
Under FALAH the Council is contributing to several different activities that will help increase the overall family planning (FP) market. These include: community mobilization; capacity-building of health providers, in both in public and private sectors; FP service delivery; implementation of innovative models (e.g., workplace interventions, community-based volunteers, and the Standard Days Method); and support for the commercial sector in contraceptive marketing and distribution.
Offsite link: Family Advancement for Life & Health Web site
The project is structured to help achieve four main results. Since FALAH’s inception until December 2009, the following has been achieved:
- Increased demand for birth spacing. As of December 2009, FALAH has produced a number of information, education, and communication (IEC) materials including pictorials, contraceptive brochures, and audio cassettes, all of which address the common myths and misconceptions regarding FP and contraceptive methods. All communication materials were adapted in four regional languages. Over 13,000 posters that provide comprehensive information on various contraceptive methods were produced and distributed to service-delivery outlets at district and provincial levels. In addition to the IEC materials, FALAH produced four television and two radio commercials to raise awareness and promote the health benefits of birth spacing. Over 536,000 married women of reproductive age and men were exposed to FALAH messages on birth spacing through lady health workers (LHWs), who have been trained by the Council, as well as mobilization activities carried out by FALAH partners. Pre- and post-analysis show a significant improvement in participants' knowledge and attitudes about birth spacing.
- Revitalization of high-quality birth spacing and FP services in the public health and population sector. FALAH helped organize a national conference, "Birth Spacing Saves Lives: Delivery of Family Planning Services by Health Care Providers," to define an operational plan of action in each province. Pakistan's Ministry of Health has now clearly endorsed birth spacing as one key health intervention and plans to enhance FP services. FALAH also prepared a background paper, "Strategy for improving delivery of birth-spacing services by the public health system," that outlines steps for the health sector to undertake for providing FP/birth-spacing services within the health system. Training manuals were developed for client-centered FP services to insure that care providers are aware of and sensitive to client needs. As of December 2009, 406 social mobilizers, 1,652 LHWs/Lady Health Supervisors, and 2,580 doctors/paramedics have been trained.
- Reinforcement of high-quality FP and birth-spacing services in the private health sector. As of December 2009, FALAH has helped its partner, Greenstar, expand its franchised network by adding 275 new providers, many in rural areas. FALAH also supported 294 follow-up visits for trained providers and 349 clinic sahoolats (mobile clinics) to complete clinical training of newly trained providers and to improve the skills of existing providers. Nearly 50,937 women of reproductive age were given free consultations on FP at 2,483 mobile clinics.
- Social marketing of FP commodities. A total of 4.385 million couple years of protection (CYPs) have been achieved as of December 2009 in the private sector, compared to a goal of 12.540 million for five years (35% of the planned goal). Over 3.2 million people were exposed to the message through Greenstar’s Touch Campaign. FALAH has also made agreements to support selective commercial private-sector partners to help expand their contribution in contraceptive marketing, thus enhancing the overall contraceptive security situation in the country.
Priorities for the future
- Support the delivery of FP services through health sector service-delivery outlets.
- Explore strategies to link services with community mobilization activities.
- Expand the skills of LHWs on client-centered FP services.
- Strengthen advocacy programs, particularly with religious groups.
- Complete pilot testing of emergency contraceptives and the Standard Days Method.
Offsite link: Family Advancement for Life & Health Web site
Assessment of management information system [MIS] of national program for family planning and primary health care [LHW Program] (PDF)
Mahmood,Arshad; Naz,Syeda Saman
Publication date: 2012
Contraceptive use dynamics in Pakistan 2008-09 (PDF)
Mahmood,Arshad; Naz,Syeda Saman
Publication date: 2012
Introduction of emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) through lady health workers (LHWs) program in Pakistan: Findings of an evaluation study (PDF)
Mahmood,Arshad; Bin Nisar,Yasir
Publication date: 2012
Acquiring skills in family planning service delivery for medical students: Trainer's notebook (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Birth spacing and family planning in Pakistan: Lady health visitor student's handbook (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Birth spacing and family planning in Pakistan: Lady health visitor tutor's guide (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Birth spacing and family planning in Pakistan: Midwifery student's handbook (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Birth spacing and family planning in Pakistan: Midwifery tutor's guide (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Birth spacing and family planning in Pakistan: Nursing student's handbook (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Birth spacing and family planning in Pakistan: Nursing tutor's guide (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Client centered family planning services (Advanced): Trainers manual (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Client centered family planning services (Basic): Participants manual (HTML)
CCFPS Overview Workshop: Notebook for Participants
Publication date: 2011
Client centered family planning services (Basic): Trainers manual (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Competency based clinical skills for IUCD: Participants manual (HTML)
IUCD Course Handbook for Pakistan
Publication date: 2011
Competency based clinical skills for IUCD: Trainer's notebook (HTML)
IUCD Course Handbook for Pakistan
Publication date: 2011
Counseling an FP client/Safe injection practices/Overview of minilap procedure: Students notebook (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Developing problem solving in family planning service provision: Students notebook (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
FalahNama newsletter, January-March 2011 (PDF)
Publication date: 2011
FalahNama newsletter, July-September 2011
Publication date: 2011
Introduction of e-learning module/Practical skills of IUCD insertion/removal/Instruments Processing: Students notebook (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Manual of national standards for family planning services (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Module for community medicine department: Students notebook
Publication date: 2011
Module on normal physiology of menstrual cycle: Students notebook (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Overview of contraceptive methods/Basic infection prevention practices (hand washing): Students notebook (HTML)
Publication date: 2011
Social mobilization strategy
Publication date: 2011
FalahNama newsletter, October-December 2010 (PDF)
Publication date: 2010
Baseline household survey reports (HTML)
Population Council
Series of reports from the FALAH project on 27 districts in Pakistan
Publication date: 2009
Communication, advocacy and mobilization strategy for birth spacing
Publication date: 2009
Mapping of health and reproductive health services: Survey of service delivery points (HTML)
Population Council
Series of reports from the FALAH project on 10 districts in Pakistan
Publication date: 2009
Tapping unmet need for family planning: Opportunity for contraceptive uptake (PDF)
Presentation at the National Conference on Delivery of Family Planning Services by Health Care Providers, Islamabad, 15 December
Sathar,Zeba A.
Publication date: 2009
Project Stats
Location: Pakistan (20 districts in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and North-West Frontier provinces)
Program(s):
Reproductive Health
Topic(s):
Family planning services
Maternal and newborn health
Duration: 6/2007 - 5/2012
Population Council researchers:
Arshad Mahmood
Ali M. Mir
Zeba Sathar
Non-Council collaborators:
Greenstar Social Marketing
Health and Nutrition Development Society
Jhpiego, Johns Hopkins University
Mercy Corps
Rural Support Programmes Network
Save the Children
United Distributors Ltd
ZAFA Pharmaceuticals
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