FPAN now works in 44 districts in Nepal, delivering sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services through 1,232 service delivery points, including fixed facilities, outreach, and mobile clinics. Nearly half of FPAN clients receive services through community-based distribution teams. Inclusivity is at the core of FPAN’s work, with over 88% of clients representing poor, marginalized, socially excluded, and underserved populations. In addition, women make up more than 50% of FPAN board members; staff and the governance structure include youth representatives from all seven provinces.
Given this history of reaching and serving marginalized and under-represented populations, including people with disabilities, those in remote areas, people living with HIV (PLHIV), trafficked returnees, migrant workers, LGBTQI people, sex workers, and others, we asked FPAN to outline its key components for equity and inclusion.
Key Practices to Strengthen Equity and Inclusion
Use Data and Evidence
Evidence-based planning and implementation are crucial for FPAN as it continues to expand its reach to address marginalized and vulnerable populations. Evidence is used to monitor reach, evaluate effectiveness, and plan new activities; therefore, lessons learned are continuously incorporated. As part of its evidence-based, data-driven focus, FPAN has mapped out its catchment areas through household surveys, aided by community workers with extensive knowledge of their areas. Deprivation ranking is used to further understand the socioeconomic status of each catchment area to better reach underserved clients. FPAN captures its service statistics using its poor, marginalized, socially excluded, and underserved indicator, using the evidence to inform program implementation.
Engage Diverse Communities
FPAN supports marginalized communities in claiming their rights to SRH through educational programs tailored to meet their information and service needs. For example, FPAN has produced information, education, and communication (IEC) materials in braille, videos featuring sign language interpretation, and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) sessions targeting hard-to-reach populations. These CSE sessions are delivered in school as part of extracurricular activities, or outside the school setting by peer educators.