VICALP - Value Integrated Comprehensive Abortion Linked Project
The Mexico City Policy, critically referred to as the Global Gag Rule, is a United States Government policy which prohibits any organisation which receives US global health funds from providing abortion-related services, including information, counselling, advocacy and referrals.
The Mexico City Policy is an extension of the USA’s standing policy of 1973 under the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits foreign assistance to be used for performing abortions as a method of family planning or to motivate any person to practice abortion. First implemented in 1984, the Mexico City Policy was rescinded twice and reinstated twice so far. Once limited to family planning programmes, the expanded policy by the Trump administration in 2017 applies even to organisations that wish to use US funds for their non-abortion related health services while using non US funds, through other sources, for abortion-related services.
With the belief that every woman and girl has the right to choose and to live free from sexual and reproductive coercion, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) generated financial resources to bridge the gap created due to funding loss for abortion and sexual reproductive health (SRH) services — the Global Gag Rule Emergency Fund (GGR).
At FPA India, the GGR fund project was named ‘VICALP’, which in multiple languages denotes ‘an alternative’. VICALP also stands as an acronym for Value Integrated Comprehensive Abortion Linked Project.
VICALP has instituted three cost-effective and sustainable models of SRH service delivery — Models of Programming — for poor and vulnerable communities in resource-limited areas of select urban slums and rural outreach served by FPA India.
Leveraging these models of service delivery to minimise potential funding loss and ensuring sustained SRH services through a strategic communication campaign is also an important objective of the project.
The VICALP-GGR emergency fund project is currently being implemented in six states of India and in New Delhi, through eight dedicated implementing teams of FPA India.
Models of Programming for Sexual and Reproductive Health Care developed under VICALP
Scroll downModels of Programming for Sexual and Reproductive Health Care developed under VICALP
One: Strengthening static
clinics to deliver SRH services +
One: Strengthening static
clinics to deliver SRH services +
One: Strengthening static
clinics to deliver SRH services +
It is envisaged that a wide range of family planning and SRH care, including comprehensive abortion care, sterilisation services, and dedicated SRH service sessions for adolescents and men, in addition to IPPF's Integrated Package of Essential Services, will be delivered through model of programming one. The delivery vehicles will be three well-equipped static clinics of FPA India known as Reproductive and Family Planning Centres. New Delhi, Singhbhum and Yamunanagar branches are chosen to implement this model.
In order to enhance the quality of SRH care, the model of programming two, which is functional through outreach, tries to reach out to remote areas to make SRH care available for the most needy. Like model of programming one, model of programming two also focuses on improving care through offering a wide range of family planning and SRH initiatives, including comprehensive abortion care and sterilisation services.
The model is being implemented through dedicated SRH service sessions for adolescents, women as well as men. To enable men to access SRH services, the sessions for men and boys are organised in the evening or at a convenient time suggested by the group.
A mobile outreach team identifies high-need areas in rural outreach as well slum pockets for fixed day and special service sessions at community premises. Through the flexible service delivery points, the team not only offers SRH services but also disseminates information, sensitises the community to create a demand for services and mobilises referrals. Model of programming two is implemented at Mohali, Solapur, Bidar, Nilgiris and Madurai branches.
FPA India is venturing into social franchising under VICALP at the branches implementing model of programming two, which caters to outreach-based services. The organisation has previous experience in implementing social franchising models, however, it was a short stint. FPA India is trying to initiate cross-sector partnerships to expand the reach of family planning services through VICALP social franchising. The idea is to reach out to the population and areas with low contraceptive usage and overall improve the quality of SRH services being provided by private medical service providers.
SRHR messaging, campaigns and media engagement
The communication around SRHR, through campaigns, media engagement and messaging, is a cross-cutting methodology to capture the impact of the models of programming one, two and three. It also aims to develop sustainability communication around SRHR and scale up by advocating FPA India’s work around SRHR.
