Improving Family Health in Barmer, India

Feb. 22, 2010—Ektam, a 30-year old mother from Barmer district in India, felt that she and her children were cursed. Her family blamed Ektam’s bad fate for the numerous illnesses that plagued her children, and she was wrought with worry during her latest pregnancy over the health of her new baby.

Ektam comes from a region where awareness, access and usage of health care is minimal. The situation is exacerbated by limited access to education, especially for girls, early marriage, and early and frequent pregnancy.

Then Ektam met Pura Ram, a male community health volunteer from CEDPA/India’s Child, Maternal and Reproductive Health Awareness Initiative. He explained that simple health interventions, including vaccinations, would reduce the children’s illnesses. And, he met with Ektam’s husband and mother-in-law to educate them about the importance of regular antenatal care and other preventative measures to improve family health.

Today, Ektam is getting regular health check-ups for her children, with the blessing of her husband and mother-in-law. And, she expresses confidence that her fifth child will be healthy because of her regular visits to the maternal health clinic.

She is just one example of how increasing health awareness has led to healthier outcomes for families under the CEDPA/India initiative. Implemented from 2007 to 2009, CEDPA worked with Panchayat leaders (local governing bodies), community organizations and health workers to improve the reproductive health of adults, adolescents and transient workers and truckers in 32 villages throughout Barmer state. The program was funded by the International Finance Corporation and Cairn, an Edinburgh-based oil and gas company.

Numerous capacity building workshops were held to strengthen reproductive health service delivery in the Balmer district.

The Child, Maternal and Reproductive Health Awareness Initiative deployed several strategies to reach adults and youth. Health volunteers throughout the 32 communities reached out to more than 7,500 adults with information on reproductive health, including maternal and child health, and provided referrals to clinics that provided care. An additional 17,500 people were reached through melas or health fairs.

To reach transient workers and truckers, who have contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS in the region due to high-risk sexual behavior, CEDPA’s program trained peer educators who counseled more than 7,400 individuals at truck stops. Condoms were distributed in these locations as well. The project resulted in a notable increase in condom usage and a decrease in incidences of sexually transmitted infections.

To reach adolescents, CEDPA worked with 13 schools to incorporate life skills training and reproductive health information into the educational curriculum. Out-of-school children were reached by youth facilitators who used CEDPA’s Better Life Options curriculum to train 900 additional adolescents.

CEDPA also trained auxiliary nurse midwives on best practices to ensure safe deliveries, and worked with Panchayat leaders so they understood what health care services are mandated by Indian law.

“People do not know about government [programs]. If they don’t know, how will they avail themselves of government services?” said Joga Ram, a Panchayat member from the village of Chokhla. “I learned about the government schemes from the CEDPA training,” he said.

One of the many positive results of the initiative was the increase in awareness among community members reached with health information, and improved access to health services.

As one village male elder said, “Earlier, it was considered very shameful if a man took his wife to the hospital. Now, times are changing and husbands are now taking their wives to the hospital,” he said. Today, “if they don’t take their wives to the hospital it is considered shameful,” he said.

Learn more about CEDPA’s reproductive health programs.

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