CHETNA

CHETNA uses the following strategies to empower people in disadvantaged communities to gain control over the health of themselves, their families, and their communities:

• Services: The Ben Lilavati Lalbhai Pravruti Kendra-LLPK is situated in Late Lilavati Ben's Bungalow in Shahibagh, Ahmedabad and is managed by CHETNA with partial financial assitance from the Ben Lilavati Trust. As a part of LLPK, a Holistic Health Clinic is in operation twice a week where women and children of the Shahibagh slum areas receive curative and preventive health services and counselling. LLPK also imparts health awareness to slum communities through campaigns, meetings, exposure visits and exhibitions. Other services include: interactive educational development activities for children, empowerment programmes for adolescents, and employment-skills training for women.
• Training: CHETNA conducts action research that begins with local identification and then is followed by training that is designed to build perspective, information, and skills within particular communities. A refresher course is supplemented by integrating the learning at the community level. In addition, CHETNA offers short- and long-terms capacity-building training for practitioners like health educators and teachers. All training sessions stress the importance of empowerment, participation, and gender sensitivity.
• Documentation and dissemination of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials: Through its two resource centres Chaitanyaa (Womens health & Development) and CHEITAN (Child Resource Centre), CHETNA tests and develops methods of imparting health education and nutrition awareness. These efforts are documented and integrated in booklets and pamphlets (designed for development workers, academicians, and policy makers) and flash cards, manuals, and audio-visual materials (designed for illiterate people). CHETNA's Information and Documentation Centre (IDC) provides information to organisations or individuals working with children or women.
• Networking: CHETNA collaborates and partners with several strategic alliances and networks at regional, national, and international levels. CHETNA regularly publishes a quarterly newsletter and organises and participates in issue-based events.
• Advocacy: Activities include contributing to policy documents of the Government of India or in country papers to be presented at national and international forums. CHETNA also provides input in appraisal and evaluation proceedings of health, education and development programmes.

Reproductive health, Children, Youth, Women, Gender, Participation, Rights, Family Planning.

Discussion about sex and sexuality continues to be taboo in India. CHETNA seeks to break that taboo. While CHETNA's training programme makes use of video and printed materials, organisers found that printed material and traditional scrolls are most effective at the grassroots level. Action research forms the basis for communicating health issues to the community and for developing educational modules and material. Material is developed to meet the specific needs of different target audiences.