Project Aakar
Objective
The Mobius project, “Aakar,” focused on building awareness and influencing attitudes related to contraceptive measures among the target group. This project aimed at strengthening government initiatives, changing the mindset of couples and the community toward family planning measures, and providing easy access to reliable institutions. It was implemented in partnership with the local NGO, Kartavya Shila Mahila Avam Bal Vikas Sanstha.
Special attention was given to Project Aakar in synergy with the Ministry of Health & Family Planning guidelines and State policies. It also supported the Parivar Vikas Mission of the Govt. of India.
On-ground activities of this project were planned as per the National Health Mission guidelines. Contraceptive distribution, counselling, a celebration of Khushal Parivar Diwas, and World Population Day were the major activities conducted in the last three years.
PHASE 1
Starting in February 2018, Phase 1 of the project continued till December 2018. It covered 200 villages in the 2 highly populated districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bahraich and Barabanki, and focused on building awareness and influencing attitudes toward Family Planning using various contraceptive measures.
Mr. Pradip Burman (Founder of Mobius Foundation) launched Phase 1 in the presence of dignitaries:
- Dr. Savita Chauhan, DGM (IEC) SIFPSA
- Ms. Priyanka Singh Rawat, MP, Barabanki
- Mr. Narendra Agarwal, Chief Medical Officer, Lucknow
Door-to-door Counselling was offered to newly married couples, couples with 1 child, couples with 2 children, and male group counselling.
STEPS TAKEN BY MOBIUS FOUNDATION TO STABILIZE POPULATION
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- On-ground interventions under the Family Planning Program
- Ensuring proper Family Planning counselling
- Emphasis on Minilap Tubectomy services because of its logistical simplicity and requirement of only MBBS doctors, not post-graduate gynaecologists/surgeons
- Emphasis on “Antara” because of its long-term, effective and reversible method of contraception
- Ensuring male participation
- Celebration of World Population Day (July 11)
- Demand generation activities in the form of display of posters, billboards, and other audio and video materials in various facilities
- Mobius Foundation launched this strategy to help raise the age of girls’ marriage, delay in the first child, and spacing in the second child. The couple who adopts this strategy is awarded suitably. This helps to change the mindsets of the community.
- Mobius Foundation also runs a call center for providing free advice on reproductive health, family planning, maternal health and child health, etc.
Toll-free No.: 1800 843 9843
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- Mobius Foundation, as a part of its awareness and advocacy efforts in population stabilization, has established networks and partnerships with other ministries, development partners, private sectors, and corporate and professional bodies for spreading its activities through electronic media, print media, workshop, walkathon, and other multi-level activities, etc. at the district and block level.
PHASE 2
On June 26, 2019, in Lucknow, India, Mobius Foundation announced the launch of Project Aakar Phase 2, in line with the Government of India’s commitment to promoting population stabilization. Project ‘AAKAR’ Phase 2 focused on the health counselling of married couples and school students falling in the marriageable group of 17–20 years with the help of the Community Health Centre (CHC) and Primary Health Centre (PHC).
On occasion, Mr. Pradip Burman (Founder of Mobius Foundation) addressed the gathering, and Mr. Siddharth Nath Singh, Medical & Health Minister of UP, flagged off the promotional mobile van.
STEPS TAKEN BY MOBIUS FOUNDATION UNDER PHASE 2
- Counselling at CHCs and PHCs
- Distribution of Contraceptive Kits
- Male Counselling
- Specific Girl Child Counselling
On-ground activity commenced on 4th June 2021, with a supervisor monitoring the process in each district. We also organized the simultaneous distribution of contraceptives as part of our relief work.
We also distributed 300 table fans and 600 hygiene kits in the Barabanki and Bahraich districts of Uttar Pradesh. One hygiene kit contained 2 Hand Sanitizers, 3 Small Soaps, 3 Face Masks, and 1 Hand Wash.
All these items were delivered in cotton carry bags for each individual, along with cartons of condoms and Mala-D as contraceptives to ASHA workers.
AWARENESS DRIVE: WALL PAINTINGS
Under Project Aakar, we commenced another activity to spread awareness about family planning. The Wall Painting Drive started amidst the lockdown with the help of accomplished local painters in both districts. To date, our team has painted over 500 walls with the consent of ASHA workers and native people. Out of 200, we shortlisted 100 villages for this awareness drive. All the concerning information related to family planning lies in these wall paintings.
INITIATIVES DURING COVID-19
Even during the pandemic and post-lockdown, Project Aakar remained active in the rural communities of Bahraich and Barabanki districts. An additional registration drive was conducted as part of ASHA’s in-our-focus intervention villages, resulting in 400 ASHA workers as opposed to 200 previously. The project served 5000 unique young couples in rural communities monthly, addressing their needs. The field staff gathered contraceptive demands from ASHA workers in their community and delivered monthly contraceptive needs. The team focused on new groups of families, particularly newlyweds, and registered them for counselling by community counsellors via teleconferences and WhatsApp.
In the face of Covid-19, Project Aakar extended its assistance to the Department of Health, UP. The team wasted no time in springing into action. They presented the Lucknow Covid Care Command Office with 500 PPE kits and 3000 masks. 200 PPE kits and 2000 masks were donated to the District Hospitals of Barabanki and Bahraich, third-level Covid Centres. At the community level, the team distributed rations to the most marginalised families in 16 villages.
On the level of awareness and engagement, an interactive digital campaign through SMS/WhatsApp was curated and implemented among our beneficiaries. The campaign used a combination of Corona awareness programmes and messages to remind people about family planning.
Female counsellors who held village-level meetings kept in touch with the beneficiaries via phone calls. After the lockdown was lifted in June, male project volunteers handed contraceptives to ASHA workers, who distributed them to the beneficiaries.
No-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) Pakhwada 2021
The 15-day initiative to control the population through Male Vasectomy began on November 22, 2021, and was carried on until December 4, 2021, which was extended to December 11, 2021. This fortnight’s theme, “Puroshon ne Parivar niyojan apnaya, Sukhi Parivar ka aadhar banaya,” was to motivate males to opt for family planning methods.
Mobius Foundation, through its Project Aakar, participated in 13 villages each from District Bahraich and Barabanki with a set of activities like awareness through Nukkad Natak, display of short films through LED vans, male/female counselling, contraceptive distribution, and facilitation to motivated males during all stages starting from registration, consent form documentation, pre-clinical investigation, pre-cleaning before NSV procedures to post-procedure follow-ups.
Awards
On 23rd October 2020, the ‘Dampati No. 1’ campaign won a Bronze Award for ‘Best Social Development Campaign of the Year’ at the RMAI’s Flame Awards Asia 2020.
Dampati No. 1 was started by Mobius Foundation under its Project Aakar to promote equal participation of men and women in Family Planning. Through the social campaign, awareness about various temporary and permanent contraceptive methods, the role of women in family planning, and the need for child pacing were emphasized.
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