Voluntary Health Association of India
Year(s) : 2008, 2007
Grant Recipient Type : NGO / Nonprofit
Grantor : International Union Against Tobacco and Lung Disease (The Union)/WLF
Project goal : To build a strong and participatory campaign for tobacco control in four Indian states in coordination with other BI-funded organizations in India.
Direct Grant : No
The Union
Key achievement to date: Through the consistent efforts of the anti-tobacco lobby, the government developed an amended bill to make pictorial warnings mandatory on all tobacco products as of December 2007.
Objective 1: This grant supports MPOWER letter goals P and W, to Protect people for tobacco smoke, and to Warn about the dangers of tobacco.
Major
accomplishments to date:
- National resource center established in Delhi and state-level resource centers established in Assam, Orissa, Kerala, and Rajasthan with district-level committees; new materials added to resource centers on a regular basis, including journals, magazines, international case studies, international litigation documents and public health manuals.
- State level networking meetings organized in all participating states.
- NGO Guidebook on Tobacco Control prepared in English and translated into Oriya, Asomiya, Hindi and Malayalam.
- Key spokespersons identified.
- Poster campaigns conducted and media advocacy undertaken.
- Tobacco control toolkit developed and disseminated.
- Smoke-free initiatives launched in Kerala for public transport, restaurants, bars, public offices and cinemas/theaters.
- 200 volunteers trained in Kerala; more than 50 NGO partners trained in Rajasthan.
- Capacity building workshops organized.
- Public opinion survey in Kerala demonstrated that 91% of respondents supported smoke-free public spaces.
- Directorate of Health Services, self-help groups and panchayats, 21 hotels and restaurants, five government offices and 12 Banks in Orissa declared smoke-free; seven hotels declared smoke-free in Rajasthan.
- Students from eight educational institutes in Orissa participated in tobacco-control training program; tobacco monitoring groups initiated in Kerala schools.
- Meetings held with key government officials in participating states.
- Press releases issued and news articles written.
- Signature campaigns, rally, and street plays organized in seven educational institutes in Orissa.
- Twenty anti-tobacco exhibitions conducted in Kerala; 200 banners displayed in Rajasthan.
- IEC materials developed and distributed in participating states.
- Program telecasted on TV Channel that cater primarily to parliamentarians and senior government bureaucrats.
- Research survey completed in Assam to map paan shops (kiosks) selling tobacco products around educational institutions.
- Five-day training workshop organized for State Program Managers.
- Joint NGO-government memorandum developed for making State Transport Services tobacco free in Rajasthan.
- Tobacco control laws translated; tobacco law violations documented and publicized.
- Information materials developed and disseminated; website developed and updated semi-weekly.
- Media monitoring tool kit developed and media sensitization undertaken.
- Tobacco control network established, and includes networking activities and meetings undertaken on a regular basis.
- Participatory program review and monitoring
missions undertaken.