Family planning in Dharavi

Vasectomy surgery is the end of “manhood”. A Copper-T can prick the body, rust inside the body, or ride up to the chest. Condoms give no “satisfaction”. Oral contraceptive pills can cause weight gain.

These are the notions and misconceptions that the SNEHA team working on the Family Planning program has to deal with and dispel effectively. The Family Planning unit of SNEHA has been working hard in Rajiv Gandhi Nagar,

Dharavi to dispel these misconceptions and notions since 2011 and has induced behavioral changes in many women and men in the area. As per SNEHA estimates, as much as 46% of the population has an unmet need for family planning.

For instance, Karishma, 30, (name changed) was reluctant to use any form of contraception, till she conceived again. She already had two children. She then approached a SNEHA community organiser who helped her get an abortion at the Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) at nominal rates. The incident motivated her to get Copper-T fixed to avoid pregnancy for five years.

Social exclusion and lack of information limit access to maternal and child health services, including family planning, which are crucial for reducing unwanted pregnancies, saving lives, reducing poverty, and slowing population growth.

A woman's ability to control her fertility directly impacts the quality of her life and that of her children. Access to family planning can reduce the number of maternal deaths and child deaths, and improve maternal and child health outcomes.

“Instead of sermonising to the community to have less children, we have adopted a different approach. We tell them that having fewer children, it is easier to feed and educate them. We tell them that their families can be better and healthier,”said the programme coordinator, Family Planning, SNEHA.

SNEHA has adopted the Peer-educator model, whereby women from the community have been roped in to educate the other members and also provide contraceptives such as condoms, oral contraceptive pills, and other services at the doorstep. This model has been effective in increasing access to family planning services for women and girls in marginalized communities, and improving maternal and child health outcomes.

Some of our peer educators have made good choices and have fewer children. They help demonstrate the benefits of family planning in the community,” said Bapat.

SNEHA also gives the community information about safe abortion practices, post-partum family planning, spacing between two children, and using methods of contraception by choice and mutual decision-making. It has also strengthened the referral system to service providers such as municipal hospitals, and FPAI..
Some of our peer educators have made good choices and have fewer children. They help demonstrate the benefits of family planning in the community,” said Bapat.

There is also intervention by way of events and campaigns, group meetings, and home visits. Women who avail of
SNEHA services and referrals to FPA agree to speak in group meetings that help motivate other members of the community.

SNEHA also involves men in the project, a neglected target group of most family planning
interventions. Men are essential to target because they usually make all the decisions regarding family planning.

To effectively deal with men in the area, SNEHA hired a male community organizer who conducts group meetings with men and can engage with men in the area well.

For instance, SNEHA personnel were counseling a man who was in a live-in relationship with a woman. When the girlfriend recently got pregnant, SNEHA personnel helped her get an abortion and also helped the man understand the importance of using contraception to avoid such unwanted pregnancies.

“It is important not to judge such people and provide intervention whenever necessary,” said the program coordinator.

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