Involvement of community in Family Welfare Programme through orientation training camps (OTCs)
Sawhney, N.
Popcen News Letter. Population Centre 5(5): 1-6
1979
PMID: 12157748 Document Number: 349443
Though India has had a governmentally subsidized, National Family Planning Program since 1952, gaps still exist in the implementation of family planning education, counseling and distribution efforts. In 1977, emphasis was placed on disseminating greater information about the welfare aspects of the program and its services to the many rural populations which were still relatively untouched by Program efforts. It was during this year that the National Population Policy (NPP) was formulated. Its ultimate objective was to make the Family Planning Program truly a "people's program," with greater networks for outreach and more efficient orientation regarding available services. This service became available through Orientation Training Camps (OTC's) which aimed at developing a group of favorable opinion leaders to interface with local inhabitants who either lacked information or were hesitant to accept family planning services. The OTC's were successful in starting dialogues and group discussion sessions with communities where the family planning program had previously not been readily accepted; utilizing the opinion leaders as motivators in removing misconceptions and prejudices amongst the communities; providing more thorough information services which focus the family planning program as an integral part of family welfare; and enlisting the support of village and local community leaders in promoting Program efforts. The report concludes that OTC's can become even more efficient in their role by considering more careful selection of speakers, the inclusion of satisfied service acceptors as positive testimonial to encourage enthusiasm, and the design of a standard "guide book" for organizing camps which should be made available as reference for camp planners. Literature should also be made available to literate participants, with audio-visual services being distributed only to illiterate populations for greater cost efficiency.