Health for rural dwellers.

PIP: Profamilia in Colombia was the 1st institution in a Latin American country to start an Integrated Project on Family Planning and Parasite Control (IP). The objective of the project is to improve and strengthen family planning prevalence in the area. The incorporation of parasite control into the community-based distribution network has been a useful and healthy strategy to deliver 2 primary health components. In 1979, Tolima North was chosen as an IP pilot area. An IEC program was established to inform and educate the community on its health problems and the needed solutions. The campaign was designed in stages. The combination of IEC activities plays an important role to create credibility and discard misinterpretation of a given action which has been adopted. During the reinforcement stage, the use of different media, or a combination of media, and methodology approaches have to be analyzed carefully to keep these IEC activities dynamic. Implementation of the IEC program is carried out on the field by Profamilia personnel and instructors (field workers). Each instructor is assigned an area where she organizes meetings for local groups such as farmers and cattle raisers. The field worker does the following activities: establishes contacts with key persons of organizations to arrange group discussions; meets with these groups to deliver health and family planning lectures; visits the distributors to train and give refresher courses; and identifies new distributors. Audiovisual aids and printed materials assist field workers in their presentations. In addition, radio campaigns provide effective means to disseminate information. Profamilia's program underwent 3 stages: preliminary, pilot area development and expansion and self-reliance.^ieng