There’s bound to be a lot of discussion of the UN Population Fund, which so-called “pro-life” Republicans in the US House of Representatives have just voted to defund. It might be useful to review what it is the Population Fund, also known as UNFPA, does.
Here’s just a handful of recent headlines:
KABUL, Afghanistan: July 17 (PNS) – The U.N. Population Fund and the government of Italy has inaugurated a rebuilt hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, that will provide pregnant women clean and safe conditions for childbirth in a country where there are 1,700 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births — one of the world’s highest rates.
“We are losing in Pakistan something like 30 to 35 pregnant women a day – every day – because of complications either of pregnancy or delivery. These complications are preventable most of the time,” the UN official said. […] The UNFPA’s figures show that deaths from postpartum haemorrhage (bleeding after giving birth) can be reduced from 160 per 100,000 live births to 95 when the mother has access to emergency obstetric care. […] UNFPA aims to increase the number of women having antenatal consultations and medically assisted births. The organisation is also directing its funds to rural districts where health and family planning services are more rare.
A hidden horror afflicting millions of African women was dragged into the light of media scrutiny a few weeks ago. I’m betting that anyone who read Nicholas Kristof’s New York Times column on obstetric fistula, reproduced in the Star on May 25, has not forgotten it. […] The Population Fund is an important organizer of programs to prevent and to treat fistulas. (The highly successful surgery that repairs fistulas costs between $100 and $400.) The fund recently co-operated with EngenderHealth, a U.S.-based international women’s health organization, to assess the needs of women affected by fistula in nine African countries. Their report is a landmark, and already the two organizations have launched an aggressive global campaign to prevent and treat fistula.
And from the “China Mission Report” (warning: PDF file) co-written by three British members of Parliament – including the right-wing MP Edward Leigh, who before his trip to China was the British government’s strongest opponent of funding UNFPA. Seeing with his own eyes what UNFPA does in China changed his mind:
It is helping China move away from an administrative family-planning approach to a client-oriented, quality-of-care approach, where women are given a choice over their own lives.
The UK MP delegation was convinced that the UNFPA programme is a force for good, in moving China away from abuses such as forced-family planning, sterilization and abortions. […]
Recommendations:
It is vitally important that the UNFPA remains actively involved in China, with continued financial support from the UK and other Western Governments.
Keep in mind that the excuse the “pro” life Republicans give for defunding UNFPA is that they want to help women in China who are oppressed by China’s coercive reproductive planning policies. How, exactly, does defunding one of the strongest forces for positive reform in China help Chinese women?.
The article portrays the House action as the defeat of an attempt to add funds for UNFPA. How does the funding process work for this organization? Is it otherwise funded from general UN funds, with this $50 million being a separate appropriation of additional funds, or is it funded solely through these particular appropriations, such that the House action represents an actual cut of $50 million, as opposed to a refusal to add funds?
The US isn’t the sole funding source, but we’re a major funding source. We’ve been funding UNFPA for years, but the Bush administration & the republicans – after intially saying they’d continue funding UNFPA – reversed themselves and cut off the US’s funding. This bill would have reversed that reversal, and continued the US’s funding.
So it’s not the end of UNFPA, thank goodness – but it is a severe blow to their budget (I don’t have exact figures onhand, sorry), and will therefore impact the scope of their activities.
CONCEPT PAPER
FROM GRACE FOUNDATION, TRICHY, TAMIL NADU, INDIA
INTRODUCTION
NAME OF THE PROJECT
MOTIVATION PROGRAM FOR 45000 YOUNG WOMEN ABOUT FAMILY PLANNING
AND POPULATION CONCERN IN 30 VILLAGES IN ALATHUR BLOCK, PERMBALUR DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU, INDIA.
APPLICANT
GENERAL SECRETARY,
GRACE FOUNDATION
18-A, JEEVA STREET,
INDIRA COLONY,
SAMAYAPURAM – 621 112,
TRICHY DISTRICT.
PH: 0431-2670939
IMPLEMENTING ORGANISAION
GRACE FOUNDATION
18-A, JEEVA STREET,
INDIRA COLONY,
SAMAYAPURAM – 621 112,
TRICHY DISTRICT.
GRACE FOUNDATION was registered under the Societies Registration Act of the Government of India in 1996.
The Registration Number is 54/96
GRACE FOUNDATION is also registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs Government of Indian under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
The FCRA Number is 076040258.
GRACE FOUNDATION is involved in various Socio-Economic development programs for the uplift of the disadvantaged people especially the Young Women, the Disabled and the Children in Trichy, Perambalur and Karur Revenue Districts in the State of Tamil Nadu, South India.
The Problem which the Project aims to address:
Population explosion is the most serious problem is India. Presently India is the second largest population in the world with 1 Billion people. By 2020, India is expected to upstage China to become the most populace Country in the world.
Sadly 44% of the population in India is reeling under the Clutches of poverty with lack of food lack of shelter, lack of clothing, lack of education and lack of health care.
Majority of women suffer due to anemic India is having the highest number of malnourished children in the world according to statement made by social analysts attached to the World Health Organization.
For the small population at the Independence in 1947, India had the resources for managing to provide quality of life. As the population increased, majority of people could not get adequate food and other basic necessities in life. The main reason for the misery of life for the majority in India is because of the lack of knowledge about male-female relationship, the reproductive system in human life and the safe birth control methods; If only, young women were offered sex education in the schools and in the villages, they will be able to adapt safe and health birth control methods for preventing the population explosion.
It is a myth that move children means more income. For, there are no jobs even for one third of the population now. For, increase in population leads to increase in poverty. Unable to find employment for regular income generation, the children often become anti social elements and indulge in violence, theft and illegal active.
Hence, the only solution for India today is to immediately arrest the population increase by motivating Young Women to adapt safe birth control methods and pave way for the enhancement in the quality of life for all the people especially women and children.
Intended Achievements
The purpose of this projects is to increase the level of knowledge among young women about male – female relationship, reproductive system and the danger involved in begetting children indiscriminately without adapting birth control methods.
The objectives are:
To enable 45000 Young Women to become aware of the need for birth
control for combating the rampant poverty created by the present level
population explosion.
To facilitate orientation programs about birth control for enhancing
quality of life in 30 Target villages in Perambalur District in the State
of Tamil Nadu, South India.
To enable 1,00,000 families in 30 Target Villages to extend
cooperation for very immediately minimizing population explosion by
and through birth control methods for the safety of the present
generation as well as for the benefit of the future generation.
Positive changes this project will bring out are the following:
45000 Young Women will be made aware that they are not child
bearing machines but equal partners with their husbands with whom
they can sit and discus and decide to have and child (or more children)
depending upon their income levels for providing qualitative life to all
in the family.
45000 Young Women will use the Project for regularly checking their
health status during the Monthly Health Clinics conducted in their
respective village and strengthen their health by either postponing
pregnancy or accepting to bear only one child.
45000 Young Women will have more time to look after their health and
that up their child because their work load will be less instead of toiling
hard for caring for more children.
The main beneficiaries while be 45000 young women in 30 villages
between the age group of 12 and 35 when normally women are used as
child bearing machines by this male dominated societal structure.
Intended Output
GRACE FOUNDATION will implement the following activities under this project:
1 Day Orientation Program on Sex, Reproductive System and Birth Control
in each of the 30 Villages for proving the young women that more
population means more misery to the already poverty stricken families
they life in.
Monthly Mobile Health Clinics will be conducted in each of the 30 Target
Villages for providing Pre Natal and Post Natal care and concern for
45000 Young Women under the medical guidance of a qualified Doctor
and 2 Nurses.
The Coordinator of the Project will provide educational inputs, medical
care and follow up counseling to 45000 Young Women about population
control with sociological concern and physical welfare of women and
children.
Intended Activities:
a) 1 Day Village level Orientation on Health to all the Village people about the dangers of population explosion.
b) Monthly Mobile Health Clinic to check 45000 Young Women for providing pre natal and post natal care.
c) Coordinated efforts to follow-up the birth control methods adapted by 45000 women along with counseling on family planning.
Origins of the initiative:
GRACE FOUNDATION was worried about the deteriorating situation in the life of the majority of people due to increase in poverty and understood clearly that Population Control alone can be the right and timely solution.
GRACE FOUNDATION met the Young Women in the villages and come to know from them that they are not also happy to be considered as child bearing machines and that they are willing to stop bearing more children through safe birth control methods. For, these Young Women are the direct sufferers due to family poverty.
Relationship with POPULATION CONCERN:
This is a New Project
There is no previous relationship
Lessons Applied
The earlier projects of GRACE FOUNDATION which were mostly on Women Empowerment, made us realize that Women should be allowed free time to think about innovative methods to work for qualitative life for themselves and for their families. This can be done only if Young Women stop without child and start. Creating richness of life as Co-Creators with God, Husbands and communities.
Proposed Length of Initiative
This Project is of 3 years duration i.e. from January 2001 to December 2003.
SPECIAL NOTES:
GRACE FOUNDATION will evaluate the Project internally once in six
months and send the Half Yearly Progress Reports to YOUR
ORGANIZATION.
GRACE FOUNDATION will audit the accounts once a year and send the
Audited Statements of Accounts duly certified by a Chartered Accountant
to YOUR ORGANIZATION.
GRACE FOUNDATION will evaluate the project during the 2 year by an
External Evaluation Team as decided upon jointly with YOUR
ORGANIZATION.
GRACE FOUNDATION invites to YOUR ORGANIZATION.
visit the Project Villages for supporting this very important Social Action
Initiative.
Though sufficient Orientation will be provided to the Young Women in the
target villages about male – female relationship, reproductive system and
birth control during the 1 Year, still there needs to be effective follow-up
for achieving the project activities through establishing betterment in life
of the Young Women as well as their families towards enhancement of the
quality of life.
GRACE FOUNDATION will appoint a Full – Time Coordinator for the
Project who will involve in necessary activities such as preparing the base
line data of every Young Woman associated with this project, organizing
frequent interactions with the target women, mobilizing health awareness
and health care follow-up activities, providing counseling both to the pre –
natal/post-natal woman in the family and the husband / elders in the family
about the urgent need to stop begetting more children which spoils the
health of the young mother and causes enormous problems to the families
and the community on economic and social spheres of life.
Total Project Cost
For Year I
i) For conducting Orientation Health camps in
each of the 30 Target Villages at the Cost of
Rs.5000/- per village = Rs. 1,50,000.00
ii) For conducting Monthly Health Clinics in
each of the 30 Target Villages at the Cost of
Rs.2000/-per village per month x 10 months = Rs. 6,00,000.00
iii) For purchasing a 4 Wheeler Vehicle(Ambulance
Type) for conducting health check ups for
45000 young women on pre-natal and post
natal care = Rs. 6,50,000.00
iv) For Vehicle maintenance at Rs.2500/- per
month x 12 months = Rs. 30,000.00
v) For purchasing Clinical instruments, Weighing
Machines and Medical Appliances = Rs. 2,00,000.00
vi) For purchasing Charts, Education Materials
and Audio – Video Equipment = Rs. 3,00,000.00
vii) For minimum establishment charges at
Rs.1000/-per month x 12 months = Rs. 12,000.00
viii)For Staff Salaries:
a) 1 Project Coordinator art Rs.6000/- per month = Rs. 72,000.00
b) 1 Full Time Doctor at Rs.10000/- per month = Rs. 1,20,000.00
c) 2 Nurses at Rs.5000/- per person per month = Rs. 1,20,000.00
d) 6 Health Animators at Rs.3000/- per person
per month = Rs. 2,16,000.00
e) 1 Driver at Rs.2500/- per month = Rs. 30,000.00