Innovative Fairs

SIFPSA participated in Grameeno Ke Beech, a one-day fair, organized at village level, New Delhi. The fairs have a range of participants, mostly with commercial interests. Special offers on consumer products, games with prizes to win and adequate pre-publicity, act as a crowd-puller for these fairs.

For SIFPSA the fairs offered a unique opportunity to reach out to a captive audience with messages on reproductive health and provide immunization services, all in a cost-effective manner. A project for participation in fairs to be organized in 442 villages in 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh was hence commissioned to RC&M.

A team of professionals trained for the activity, organize and manage these fairs. The team travels from village to village as per a pre-determined schedule carrying the wherewithal for stall construction and other activities within the fairs.

A special team is assigned the work of pre-publicity for the fairs. The team visits three villages including the event village, a day in advance, in painted vans equipped with a sound system.

SIFPSA has been participating in these fairs with a large stall, brightly displayed with the reproductive health campaign logo of Tota Maina advocating people to talk about family planning. A series of illustrated panels convey messages on all aspects of reproductive health. A wheel of fortune game is an added attraction within the stall. The viewers read through or are helped in reading the messages written on the wheel while playing the game.

Immunization services are provided in the stall to women and children by the ANM of the area. The ANM also counsels the visitors on family planning and distributes condoms and oral pills.

Additionally, there are common games like 'Matka Phod' (breaking a pot blindfolded), lucky dip and wheel of fortune. Products or branded gifts are given as prizes in these games.

Attractions in the fair also include four magic shows during the day where-in messages are intermingled with entertainment. There are special activities for the female visitors under the 'Mahila Mandal'. Embroidery competitions, briefing on health issues and quiz competitions on reproductive health are held in the Mahila Mandal.

After the day-long fair, a Hindi blockbuster movie is shown on a large 180" screen. Spots of all sponsors are shown in between the film.

Based on the success of these, 120 exclusive health fairs "Chetna" with increased services and messages were piloted in Gonda & Shahjahanpur districts during January – March, 2003. During January – February, 2004, SIFPSA again participated in a syndicated activity of cost-sharing fairs "Chal Chal Haat" along with other 5 corporate groups. Through these fairs, a total number of 110 villages and haats were covered in nine districts.