Introduction

Family Planning Association of Nepal (FPAN) envisages a world where every women, men and young person has right and access to sexuality and reproductive health information and services in which SRH choices are fully respected, stigma and discrimination have no place, and all people have better quality of life. It is committed to improve the quality of lives of individuals through SRH information and services especially for poor, marginalize and vulnerable people in underserved areas. It defends to the right of all young people to enjoy their sexual lives free from ill health, unwanted pregnancy, violence and discrimination, to empower women to exercise their SRH rights to terminate unwanted pregnancies legally and safely at affordable cost, and to eliminate STIs and to eradicate HIV and AIDS.  FPAN is a leading national NGO in the field of sexual and reproductive health and it contributes about 25-30% in national family planning programs. FPAN's current programs are focused on 5As including, adolescent, abortion, HIV/AIDS, advocacy and access. Gender is a cross cutting issue in all 5As. Annually it provides FP services to 210,000 persons, MCH education and services to 1.4 million, AYSRH information and services to 80,000, STI and HIV counseling, diagnosis and treatment services to about 100,000 and safe abortion counseling and services to more than 50,000 women.  

Established before 50 years in 1959, it became an associate member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in 1960 and full-fledged member in 1969. Prior to establishment of the Association, the concept of family planning was quite new was considered against religion, tradition and socio-cultural values in Nepal. FPAN, in consonance with the social system, focused on information and education as a means of advocating a small family as a norm among the rural masses. The family planning program in the government sector gained momentum only after the establishment of the Maternal and Child Health Division at the Ministry of Health in 1965 and the launching of the National Family Planning and Maternal and Child Health Project in 1969. Since then FPAN started complementing and supplementing the national health and population programs. Its target populations at present are the poor, marginalized, underserved people including adolescent, sex workers, IDU, LGBTI, PLHIV, GBV survivors, trafficked returnees etc. 

The Association began educating people through print and electronic media since 1960s. Since the only electronic media reaching the general public was radio, therefore FPAN initiated a weekly radio program on family planning in 1968. FPAN started more target-oriented and focused programs in the 1970s. A Family Planning Welfare Project was implemented in ten wards of Kathmandu valley in 1972, which started providing sterilization services on request and assistance of USAID. Since these projects required fulltime workers, staff and volunteers were recruited to provide the services. FPAN started publishing family planning magazine and other IEC materials for the target population in the 1970s. Similarly, FPAN programs were expanded from three districts in the 1960s to 15 districts in the 1970s and 34 districts in 2009.
The program focus of FPAN has been changing gradually to adjust its program thrust and activities with contemporary demand for family planning services by the people. In the 1960s and 1970s, it adopted an integrated approach of amalgamating community development and family planning programs. Consequently, an emphasis was given to disseminating FP messages and delivering services to the needy people in the 1990s in compliance with the changes in behaviour and attitudes of the people. In this endeavour, it has been giving greater emphasis to service delivery since 1992 to meet the unmet demand for family planning and reproductive health services. Community development programs were curtailed substantially and new programs, including STI and HIV prevention and management services, sexual and reproductive health education and services to adolescent and youths, maternity services and strong advocacy for liberalization of safe abortion services were added in the 1990s.

Following the changes in people's behaviour and sexual and reproductive health programs at national and international levels, FPAN shifted its emphasis from mere family planning to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health programs since ICPD 1994. Onward 2005 FPAN's program thrusts are on five major areas including Adolescents sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS prevention, safe abortion, access of SRH information and services to marginalize and under-served groups and advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights.
FPAN has long experience in implementation of sexual and reproductive health programs in Nepal. It has service delivery network in 32 districts and works with 9 million populations for increasing access of SRH information and services. It provides SRH information and services to the poor and marginalized people through its 651 service delivery points, 450 full time professional staff, 1000 community counselors, 4000 peer educators and 11,000 grassroots volunteers. Currently FPAN, programs are supported by IPPF, PPFA, UNFPA/Nepal, Finland Government, KfW Germany, Japanese Trust Fund, Helwlett Foundation, Danida, Price Foundation, DFID Civil Society Challenge Fund, UNICEF/Nepal, Action-Aid, JOICFP, JOVC, JICA, KOIKA, Population Council, the Global Fund, Ford Foundation etc. and other anonymous donors. In the past FPAN's program were also supported by USAID, Netherlands Trust Fund, Jersey Fund, EU/UNFPA, Engender Health, AVSC International, FHI, PATH, CEDPA USA, Population Concern, World Neighbor, Disvi International, Milenda and Gates Foundation, Management Science for Health, JSI, Path Finder and   other private foundations in Europe and USA. FPAN receives technical assistance from IPPF central office based in London and Regional Office based in New Delhi India in quality of care, capacity building and management. Besides, technical assistance is received from other donor agencies in relevant area. 

FPAN implements its program in partnership with large number of NGO, CBO and line agencies of the government. FPAN is partnering with 278 CBO for implementation of sexual and reproductive health program in the community. FPAN has largest adolescent SRH program in Nepal and it provides SRH counseling and services to adolescent and youth through 88 Youth Information Centers, 53 Youth Friendly Service Centers and 4000 peer educators in Nepal. Besides, FPAN is one of the largest organizations in NGO sector in Nepal involved in STI and HIV prevention and management. HIV VCT services are fully integrated in major SRH clinics. STI diagnosis and treatment services, MCH and family planning services are provided through all 651 clinics located in 34 districts. Some innovative works done by FPAN during last 50 years were: introduced temporary family planning methods for the first time in Nepal in 1960s; introduced family planning educational program in Nepal through  electronic and print media in 1968; FPAN started advocacy for liberalization of abortion policy in Nepal since 1971, it had registered a Pregnancy Protection Bill in the parliament in 1996 and continued advocacy till 2002 unless the abortion law was liberalized; it introduced school health program in Kathmandu valley in early 1970s;  introduced outreach clinic for family planning and MCH education and services in the community in 1980s; introduced adolescent sexual and reproductive health educational program targeting out of school adolescent and youth in early 1990s establishing Youth Information Center in the Community; started coordination of central level NGO/INGO involved in sexual and reproductive health through Non-governmental Organization Coordination Council since early 1990s; started gender based violence (GBV) screening in clinical set up in Nepal in 2004 combining with psychological, emotional, legal, medical, financial support to GBV survivors; formed GBV survivor support groups and community advocacy groups to work against gender based violence; FPAN facilitated in the formation of National Coalition against Gender based Violence in collaboration and partnership with Ministry of Women Children and  Social Welfare in 2006.