Women's health and rights advocacy partnership South Asia.

Who are we?

The Women's Health and Rights Advocacy Partnership (WHRAP) South Asia comprises of eight partners, including six national level partners from four countries in South Asia.

SAHAYOG

SAHAYOG is a non-profit voluntary organization working in India with the mission statement of promoting gender equality and women's health from a human rights framework by strengthening partnership-based advocacy. SAHAYOG was set up in 1992 and has seeded a number of community-based organizations as well as a national resource organization. It has a head office at Lucknow and a project office at New Delhi.

Currently SAHAYOG's work is focused on the following areas:

* Women's rights to maternal health services

* Young people's reproductive and sexual rights and health

* Work with men on gender equality, masculinity and ending gender based violence.

SAHAYOG facilitates issue-based partnerships, provides capacity-building and field support, carries out studies and documentation, as well as information dissemination activities. Through its networking, SAHAYOG also works for policy advocacy, anchors campaigns and engages with the media. In order to increase the participation of communities in decisions that affect their lives and the exercise of their rights, SAHAYOG has been facilitating across 14 districts of Uttar Pradesh state, the grassroots women's organization Women's Health Rights Forum, and the youth group Youth for Change.

Within Uttar Pradesh SAHAYOG has close partnership with NGOs in fourteen districts, supports HUMSAFAR a support centre for women, and is the secretariat for the organization MASVAW- Men's Action for Stopping Violence Against Women which involves university youth, media persons and civil society across 25 districts. At the national level, SAHAYOG is anchoring a partnership on maternal health across nine states, and collaborates in the national partnership Forum for Engaging Men. SAHAYOG is also part of the International Initiative for Maternal Mortality and Human Rights, and the global network Men Engage.

Shirkat Gah

Shirkat Gah--Women's Resource Centre was formed in 1975 with a purpose of integrating consciousness raising with a development perspective and initiating projects that translate advocacy into action. SG adopts a participatory approach in its internal functioning and all its activities. It works in all four provinces of Pakistan through its three offices based in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. It also has an ECOSOC status at the United Nations.

Shirkat Gah's mission is:

* To hold the state accountable and develop a culture of peace, ensuring sustainable and equitable use of resources and full inclusion of rights of all people

* To advocate and mobilize for positive changes in policies and practices from the community to the international arena

* To build capacity, provide support and solidarity enabling women and their communities to make informed decisions and create new choices

Shirkat Gah works at the grassroots, national, regional and international levels. It has an integrated approach to development and women's rights that combines advocacy and capacity building based on research, networking and publications. Bridging the gap between the reality of women's lives and national and international policy, SG:

* Catalyses the empowerment of women through a participatory process, in which NGOs and CBOs are a primary channel for reaching women in their communities;

* Actively advocates at both national, regional and international levels; and

* Undertakes innovative research, documentation and dissemination of information.

At the macro policy level SG works with the UN and donor system as well as with relevant national and provincial government institutions focused upon policy changes. At the meso level it focuses on connecting women's groups, networks, and CBO's with other civil society organizations, District to Union Council Government institutions and non state actors. At the micro level SG works with CBO partners to mobilize communities to collectively assert their rights and make duty bearers accountable.

Shirkat Gah aims to promote women's empowerment through a rights based approach that ensures women have access to the rights and services they are entitled to. The SRHR component of SG addresses the linkages between maternal mortality, unsafe abortion, HIV & AIDS and the interface with violence against women by

* building awareness of SRHR at the grassroots as well as policy levels

* working to change policies and practices

* making duty bearers more responsive

Shirkat Gah (SG) has a multidimensional approach which views rights and development as inherently linked, interventions that translate advocacy into actions, and an excellent track record of engaging equally with international themes as with local issues. Moreover it has extensive experience of working collectively with other organizations and networks, has been the Secretariat of Pakistan Reproductive Health Network (PRHN) since 1999, and has served as the secretariat for various other thematic networks.

SG serves or benefits a range of groups as mentioned below:

* Women in communities, addressing their practical needs

* Women facing legal problems and whose rights are denied or violated in Pakistan (and abroad)

* An average of 50 CBOs and CSOs (in 35 districts of Pakistan) who are helped by SG in their advocacy interventions

* Women in Pakistan linked with those in Muslim countries and beyond

* State institutions

* Interns who join SG for short term experience

* About 550 other people who benefit annually from SG's resource centres and publications i.e. students, scholars, media, civil servants etc.

Bangladesh Women's Health Coalition (BWHC)

Bangladesh Women's Health Coalition (BWHC), a national NGO, was established in 1980 with the vision of "Equality of Women in a Just and Civil Society". The organisation is a pioneer in establishing a health service delivery model, where community women can access a wide range of health services for themselves and their children with informed voice and choice.

Currently, the organisation runs three major programmes and five pilot projects, through 40 reproductive health centers, which cover five administrative divisions in rural and urban locations. Each health center follows a two prong service delivery approach covering both clinic and community based activities. The underlying motto of this approach is to expose community people with a wide array of information and services that ultimately complement women development initiatives. BWHC's overall programme has several distinct components to address major issues such as safe motherhood, child survival, family planning, management of unwanted pregnancies, prevention and control of STI/HIV/AIDS, counselling, community based awareness raising leading to behavior change communication, adolescent family life education, development and maintenance of volunteer cadre for sustaining the community development programme. All these programmes are being supported by decentralised functional management information system.

The organisation is known for introducing innovative methods. The organisation's values are based on team feeling and adherence to quality of care for people's welfare.

Naripokkho

Naripokkho is a membership-based, women's activist organization working for the advancement of women's rights and entitlements and building resistance against violence, discrimination and injustice. Since it's founding in 1983, Naripokkho has met nearly every Tuesday to discuss problems, issues and strategies related to these concerns. These discussions form the basis for Naripokkho's programmes and activities, which include campaigns, cultural events, training, research, lobbying and advocacy, and the maintenance of a regular participatory discussion forum. Occasionally this leads to a specific project, which is carried out with grant funding. However, most of Naripokkho's activities are voluntary and financed through resources that are earned by the membership. Naripokkho's work is focused on the following five inter-related thematic areas:

* Equality and the Political Empowerment of Women

* Violence Against Women and Women's Human Rights

* Women's Health and Reproductive Rights

* Gender Issues in Environment and Development

* Cultural Politics and the Representation of Women

Naripokkho has extensive experience in developing sustainable networks and alliances as well as in conducting workshops, seminars, training and national level conferences. In 1991 Naripokkho initiated the International Women's Day Committee composed of women's organisations and development NGOs working for women's advancement. This Committee coordinates and organises the celebration of 8th March in different parts of the country on the basis of a common theme every year. In 1999 Naripokkho led the initiative to form Shonghoti, an alliance of women's organisations, human rights organisations and development NGOs, in order to defend the human rights of sex workers in the face of a violent and illegal eviction of brothels in Narayanganj by the Government of Bangladesh. Shonghoti works in solidarity with sex workers' organisations in demanding recognition of their rights as citizens. Although Naripokkho continues to provide the bulk of secretarial support and political leadership in both cases, it has successfully passed on the convenorship of the International Women's Day Committee as well as Shonghoti.

Naripokkho has also initiated a national network of women's organisations named Doorbar which means "indomitable". Today, a total of 530 local level women's organisations from all over the country are part of this network which has decided to work together on issues of violence against women and women's political empowerment.

Beyond Beijing Committee (BBC)

Despite significant progress in the status of Nepali women, following the political changes in 1990, equality remains elusive. In fact, the current conflict has worsened their situation. Although some constitutional and administrative provisions have been adopted to ensure women's equality, discrimination persists in practice. Statistics revel a grim picture: Nepali women are worse off than most other women in the world. In a global comparison of the status and women, based on indicators of health, marriage and children, education, employment, social equality and political participation Nepal received one of the lowest scores.

BBC started to work as a forerunner to advance a civil society collective campaign in preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing 1995 and it spearheaded various activities to carry on the torch of Women's Human Rights. BBC is dedicated towards a nationwide campaign to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women through research, training, education and monitoring the implementation of various national and international instruments relating to women's human rights. It has been continuously monitoring the implementation of the Beijing Platform For Action since 1995. Similarly it was involved with ICPD and participated in ICPD 5 and ICPD 10 preparations. For BBC, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights is one of the principal issues of empowerment for women. BBC has initiated a nationwide campaign to put pressure on the Government for implementation of SRHR and to monitor progress. BBC also brings up women's issues from the grassroots to the national and the international levels.

BBC was a pioneer in starting to consult beyond Kathmandu in order to be inclusive of its multicultural heritage, minorities and rural populations, as was set by the parent committee for the preparatory process of the UN Fourth World Conference on women, NGO National Preparatory Committee/ INHURED International, with five developmental regions and at the national level. The main aim of the coalition is to effectively implement the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) through a diverse array of activities and programmes at grassroots, national and international levels.

BBC has established both formal and non-formal networks and affiliates throughout Nepal . It works with multilateral agencies and bilateral donors, as well as with national, regional and international organisations on women's rights and social justice issues. BBC has also been doing lots of work strengthening and empowering women political leaders from the grassroots to the Constitutional Assembly.

CHETNA

CHETNA is a unique resource agency which advocates & mainstreams. an approach that embraces the life cycle, gender equality and equity and human rights. It considers the totality of the cultural, economic and social factors that shape the environment, particularly those, which affect people's ability to control and improve their own health and nutrition status. CHETNA advocates for comprehensive, gender sensitive policies and programmes at the state, national, South Asia region and international levels and Networks and forges strategic partnerships, globally.

CHETNA believes that information is critical for awareness. To facilitate development of people centred policies and programmes, people need to be made aware of their rights and entitlements. Programme implementers, policy makers, donor agencies need to be aware of the field level realties. When people participate, they gain control over the problems that they face and can gain sight of solutions. Next they need to develop their own space within the given power structure to actualise their rights to development and fulfilment.

Gender discrimination is a crucial reason impacting the poor health of women and girls. Therefore, addressing gender relations and the role of men in communities is central to CHETNA" s efforts in enhancing health and development. Indigenous health and holistic healing practices empower and promote health and wellbeing. Women and communities are reservoirs of ancient knowledge of health and healing practices. These practices are intricately woven into people's lives and are based on local resources and context. Promotion of sound practices enhances self-reliance, health and well being.

Currently CHETNA focuses on

* Valuing the girl child- Improving Child Sex Ratio in favour of girls

* Enhancing early childhood health and development

* Addressing health and development of School Age Children

* Promoting Young People's health & development.

* Improving maternal health (Death, Disease and Disabilities due to pregnancy and childbirth.)

* Enhancing nutrition and food security in the life cycle.

* CHETNA initiated its activities in 1980, as an activity of Nehru Foundation for Development registered as a public charitable trust under the Bombay Trust Act 1950

CHETNA designs and implements need based participatory training programmes for community leaders, service providers, trainers, programme coordinators and managers on health and development issues of children, young people and women. Regular follow up support is provided to ensure capacity enhancement.

Innovative and appropriate models for community empowerment are documented and widely disseminated to ensure replication in NGOs and mainstream them in Government programmes. An Information and Documentation Centre has been established to address the information needs of GO/NGOs, researchers and academicians.

Need based, innovative behavioural change communication (BCC) material is developed for specific clientele. These illustrative and attractive materials are developed in simple language. They are field tested with the potential users before mass production and extensively disseminated at the State/National /Regional and International levels.

CHETNA networks with several NGOs, GOs, CBOs, Media and individuals at the State, National, Regional and international levels to learn collectively, share information, ideas, experiences and resources.

CHETNA engages and dialogues with the policy makers, planners and programme implementers using evidences generated through research and analysis; contributes in preparation of State, National and Global policy documents; demonstrates innovative and appropriate programme implementation models. Regular engagement and dialogue with media is one of the key advocacy strategies.

Field interventions of CHETNA are primarily focussed in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. At the national level CHETNA focuses on policy formulation and programme planning especially effective implementation of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), a flagship programme of the Government of India.

Government of India recognised CHETNA as Regional Resource Centre (CRRC) under the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme for the state of Gujarat and union territories of Dadra Nagar Haveli and Diu. The CRRC provides capacity building and mentoring support to 90 civil society organisations in all the 25 districts of Gujarat state. The main objective is to mobilise communities to enhance access to health services from the public health system for disadvantaged communities that are unserved by health services and other public facilities.

Danish Family Planning Association (DFPA)

Every sexual action should be free from coersion and disease, every pregnancy wanted, and every birth healthy --in Denmark and in the rest of the World. This has been at heart of the work of the Danish Family Planning Association throughout the past 50 years.We work to create greater awareness on issues concerning sexuality, pregnancy, contraceptive methods and sexually transmitted diseases. We are committed to ensure that health and sex education are recognized worldwide as human rights, irrespective of age, gender, religion, marital or social status.

The Danish Family Planning Association also helps raising health standards and ensure easy access to affordable and safe contraceptive methods to improve people's sexual well-being.

Creating a world in which everybody can enjoy or excercise their full sexual and reproductive health and rights is vital for our work. This requires openness and knowledge about sexuality, and therefore we are advocates for free dialogue, tolerance and education. We believe that women should have the right to freely decide whether or when to have children. This entails access to safe contraceptive methods, knowledge and good counselling elements that form natural part of all of the work strategies of the Danish Family Planning Association.

The Danish Family Planning Association is a private, non-governmental organisation (NGO) without religious or political affiliations. We work with associations and organisations within the sphere of sexual and reproductive health and rights. The Danish Family Planning Association is member of the world's leading family planning organsation, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, IPPF.

Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW)

ARROW is committed to advocating and protecting women's health needs and rights, particularly in the area of women's sexual and reproductive health. We believe that good health and wellbeing and access to comprehensive and affordable gender-sensitive health services are fundamental human rights.

ARROW's work will be done when:

* Health, reproductive health and population policies and programmes are re-oriented to become more accessible, affordable and comprehensive, and include a gender and rights approach;

* The women's movement and civil society become stronger and more effective in holding governments accountable to international commitments, influencing policy agendas on women's health and rights, and gaining sustained representation in decision-making structures; and

* Women's health outcomes and women's lives improve, especially for poor and marginalised women and girls, particularly in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and violence against women (VAW).

ARROW is a regional non-profit women's NGO founded in 1993 by Rita Raj and Rashidah Abdullah. Its office is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

* ARROW's affairs are handled by the Management Team, led by the Executive Director and assisted by an Administration Manager and two Programme Managers.

* ARROW is governed by a Board of Directors, made up of five committed and experienced voluntary members and the Executive Director.

* The Programme Advisory Committee (PAC), composed of skilled and knowledgeable activists from the region, provides programme advice and direction.

* ARROW's programmes and activities are implemented by paid staff. There were 12 full-time staff positions at the end of 2006.

* ARROW also retained a number of consultants who contributed to specific projects and activities in 2006.

As part of our crosscutting strategy for success, ARROW relies on effective partnerships and collaborations. Our partners are seen as integral to our structure, and capacity building with them--and of ARROW itself--is seen as an important mechanism to facilitate effective participation. We believe in a united effort to make a difference in women's lives, including their sexual and reproductive health. ARROW's programme strategies are:

* Production and dissemination of innovative materials for advocacy, policy and programme implementation;

* Policy advocacy with governments and other key stakeholders backed by research-based monitoring of implementation of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development and the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women; and

* Capacity building of women's NGOs and strengthening the women's movement.