Women Centered Health Project (Society for Health Alternatives) Publications

Content Description

This accession consists of material created and published by SAHAJ - Society for Health Alternatives: a) seven manuals/booklets and one policy briefing report on women's sexual health and reproductive care published by SAHAJ in collaboration with the Royal Tropical Institute and Bombay Municipal Corporation between 2004 and 2005. The publications range from training manuals for health care workers to reports on projects implemented by the Women-Centered Health Project (WCHP). b) one book published by SAHAJ for Women and Health (WAH!) on the Women's Health Programmes and Policy in 2002. SAHAJ (Society for Health Alternatives) empowers communities to claim their entitlements in the health and education sectors through direct community action, research, and policy advocacy. The Woman Centred Health Project is a collaboration between the Public Health Department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), SAHAJ, and the Royal Tropical Institute. The action research project was initiated in 1996 with the goal of providing women essential reproductive and sexual health services closer to their homes through the BMC's existing health facilities. As part of this project, capacity-building workshops and training manuals were introduced to update the clinical knowledge of healthcare providers and administrators at BMC’s primary health posts and dispensaries, centering women's health issues by integrating gender and social perspectives in the process of administering treatment and communicating with patients. WAH! or the Women and Health initiative emerged in 1992 as a multi-regional programme for promoting comprehensive gender-sensitive and sustainable primary healthcare that addressed, in particular, the needs of women, girl children and other disadvantaged persons. It was monitored on a national level and engaged at the level of policy. On the other hand, implemented its programmes and training workshops at local levels in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, etc. The initiative was conceptualized through a national-level consultation on women's health, drawing from the contributions of women's groups, health trainers, academicians, NGO representatives, and others working in women's health.

Condition Description

All the publications are in good condition, with no visible signs of damage or abnormal wear and tear.

Accession Date

2025-06-06

Disposition

This accession will be transferred to a new collection, 'Society for Health Alternatives Papers' with three series titled - 'Women’s Health’ containing one sub-series titled 'Women Centred Health Project'; 'Holistic Health'; and 'Gujarati Publications.' All material was retained for the archive. These records detail the efforts that led up to policy innovations, capturing the processes that often do not feature in public or official discourses. Archiving initiatives such as the Society for Health Alternatives papers help preserve the the learnings and resources from local-level interventions in primary health care facilities aimed towards addressing women's health issues. They reflect the efforts at both grassroots as well as national policy level by NGOs, doctors and activists to bridge the gap in providing comprehensive and gender-sensitive health services through the public healthcare infrastructure.

Acquisition Type

Loan

Provenance

This material was received on 6 June 2025 from the Society for Health Alternatives office in Vadodara through courier. The contents of the accession were stored in the Society for Health Alternatives office prior to the transfer to Partners for Law in Development's office in Delhi.

Retention Rule

The publications contained within this accession offer a view into the efforts made by activists, NGOs and healthcare professionals to create resources that enable community action in rectifying the lack of adequate gender-sensitive care in India's health care infrastructure.They provide evidence of how community-based interventions have shaped health policies, reform clinical practices, and ultimately redefine what constitutes effective treatment - especially for populations historically underserved and underrepresented by mainstream medical systems. Partners for Law in Development has been granted full authority in handling the material during the period of processing the items. Going forward, and subject to willingness of the Society for Health Alternatives (SAHAJ), a gift deed will be made by SAHAJ to transfer the items to the archives at NCBS.

Language of Description

English

Script of Description

Latin

Restrictions Apply

Yes

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for access unless mentioned in specific folders of the finding aid.

Use Restrictions

Copyright may not have been assigned to Archives at NCBS. Permission for reproduction or distribution must be obtained in writing from the Archives at NCBS (archives@ncbs.res.in). See access guidelines for more information (https://archives.ncbs.res.in/access). The Archives at NCBS makes no representation that it is the copyright owner in all of its collections. The user must obtain all necessary rights and clearances before use of material and material may only be reproduced for academic and non-commercial use.