Field Placement: Family
Planning Association of Islamic Republic of Iran (FPA/IRA)
Location: Tehran, Iran
Preceptor: Dr. Moossavi, CEO of the FPA
Student Name: Taraneh R. Salke
Year: 2002
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Summer Internship at Family Planning Association of Islamic Republic of Iran
During summer of 2002 I worked at the Family Planning Association of Islamic Republic of Iran (FPA/IRA). FPA is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that contributes to the promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Iran and is a full member of International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). FPA's office is located in the capital city of Tehran. Over one thousand volunteer members from different provinces make up the main human resource of the association. FPA's main operational funding is provided by the IPPF. In addition FPA receives grants from various international organizations for specific projects such as a large grant form the UNFPA in 2001 for Sexual and Reproductive Health education among the Afghan refugees in Iran.
Iran has gone through a population growth transition in which it moved form a period of high growth rate of 3.2% in 1986 to a low growth rate period of 1.3% in 2001. Many different factors have been involved in this rapid transition. A thriving Primary Health Care system in which family planning services are provided, increased level of education especially among women, government's strong support of the programs and free access to services are among the contributing factors. The current public health policies in Iran promote reproductive health and provide family planning services to the public free of charge. Family planning and reproductive health challenges and issues in Iran are addressed by different sources with different approaches and perspectives. The government, universities, private sector and the newly formed NGO's are each involved in improvement of reproductive health and family planning services to different degrees with the government being the main force behind most programs.
FPA is an active NGO and is involved in number of educational, advocacy and expansion projects. The educational projects include SRHR education for the youth, Afghan refugees and prisoners. The advocacy projects include educational sessions for the school officials and meetings with the government officials and members of the parliament. The expansion projects include expanding the volunteer basis of FPA, strengthening the governance of FPA, and strengthening the institutional capacity of FPA. I worked closely with my preceptor, Dr. Moossavi the CEO of the FPA, during my internship. My activities included writing of various health intervention project proposals for submission to international funding sources, participation in evaluation of the FPA's self analysis reports to the IPPF which pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of the Association, preparation of presentations for international conferences which discussed Iran's current family planning and reproductive health status and FPA's achievements, participation in the FPA's ongoing projects such as the evaluation of the Afghan immigrant education project and visiting government projects on family planning and reproductive health in rural and urban centers.
The internship at the Family Planning Association of Islamic Republic of Iran provided me with an opportunity to be exposed to the different approaches and perspectives in reproductive health in Iran and learn about the driving forces and factors behind its success. I consider my internship as a very positive experience that could be valuable in my future career in international health.
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