1.1 Introduction to FPAB

Family Planning Association of Bangladesh is a national non- government organization having affiliation with IPPF. It was established in 1953 under the leadership of Dr. Humaira Sayeed, a professor of Dhaka Medical College. Since then the Association has been working with commitment to address the needs of un-served, under-served and marginalized poorest of the poor through primary and reproductive health care. It introduced an innovative approach of direct house to house motivation through full time field workers which was later adopted and replicated as a ‘model’, by the government.

FPAB emerged as the leading NGO in the field of reproductive health and family planning sector in Bangladesh. By the year 2000 total number of service recipients of the Association reached 1.5 million of which 63% was family Planning users and 37% received other sexual and reproductive health service. Currently FPAB has branches in 20 greater districts with special work units in 11 new districts. It is running 38 static clinics. In order to bring the services to the door steps of the clients FPAB runs several hundred mobile service unit through out the country.

In response to the needs and demands due to the shift in program paradigm, deprived from dimension set in International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW), globally and in Health and Population Sector Strategy, nationally FPAB developed its 5 year Strategic Plan in 2000 covering 200 1-2005.

In its strategic plan 2001-2005 FPAB commits to meet the major challenges of IPPF and also to address the priority areas and issues identified in HNPSP, the five year health and nutrition program launched by Bangladesh Government.