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Although Jharkhand is among the less urbanized states of India, the state has been witnessing rapid growth of urban population in recent decades. As per the 2001 Census, 60 lakh persons comprising 22.25 per cent of the state's population were residing in towns and cities. It is estimated that the urban population of Jharkhand will grow rapidly to reach 93 lakh by 2026. Along with rapid urbanization, there is a rapid growth of the urban poor population in Jharkhand. As per estimates of the National Sample Survey Organization, 13.2 lakh persons comprising 20.2 per cent of the state's urban population is living below poverty line. However, estimates of the Jharkhand government put the slum population at around 40 per cent of the total urban population. The urban poor rarely benefit from the facilities in urban areas and are as deprived as those in rural areas. The health of the urban poor is considerably worse off than the non poor and is comparable to the rural figures. This wall chart presents health of the urban poor in Jharkhand compared with other population groups based on an analysis of the Third National Family Health Survey conducted in 2005-06. A wealth index has been developed based on 33 assets and household characteristics. The bottom quartile in urban areas is taken as the representative of the urban poor.

This paper addresses high population growth rates, high fertility rates and low contraceptive coverage. It was presented at the international symposium 'Population Change in Asia and the Pacific: Implications for Development Policy', Australian National University. The pacific region still has high population growth rates, high fertility rates and low contraceptive coverage. Getting the basics right, means that more training is required for senior supervisory levels and front line health staff.

'Forty percent of the world's population lives on less than $2 per day, according to the World Bank. Yet even in the midst of the current economic meltdown, there is reason for new optimism in the fight to reduce global poverty. The optimism starts with the evolution of microfinance, which has proved not only that the poor are credit-worthy, but that banking institutions serving the poor are investment-worthy.'

'The effects of the recent financial crisis are only beginning to be felt in many developing countries, but economic activity is declining rapidly with far reaching impacts. This crisis comes at a time when most countries are still struggling with the impacts of rising food and fuel prices. Though global food and fuel prices have softened somewhat in recent months from the highs earlier in 2008, there has been much volatility and they are anticipated to remain high over the medium term. It is estimated that the high food and fuel prices alone have increased the number of extremely poor in the world by at least 100 million. While impacts of the crises affect both urban and rural populations, the urban poor have been hit hardest in this recent food and fuel crisis, and in previous financial crisis, given their heavy reliance on the cash economy, no agricultural production to fall back on, and wage reductions and employment losses at urban based industries.'

'Because of deep-rooted gender inequalities, and because of the large population of South Asia, the region has the highest number of out-of-school girls in the world. This paper outlines some of the issues confronting practitioners, policy makers, and researchers in girls' education in South Asia, and explores what they can do to move towards high-quality and gender-equitable education for all.'

'The effects of the recent financial crisis are only beginning to be felt in many developing countries, but economic activity is declining rapidly with far reaching impacts. It is estimated that the high food and fuel prices alone have increased the number of extremely poor in the world by at least 100 million. While impacts of the crises affect both urban and rural populations, the urban poor have been hit hardest in this recent food and fuel crisis, and in previous financial crises, given their heavy reliance on the cash economy, no agricultural production to fall back on, and wage reductions and employment losses at urban based industries. This has resulted in social unrest in a number of cities earlier in 2008 all over the developing world.

'This paper describes the dramatic changes in the size of the world's urban population and of its largest cities over the last 100 years. This includes the almost tenfold increase in the average size of the world's 100 largest cities between 1900 and 2000. It also describes the changing distribution of cities between regions.'

This report presents-for the first time-country specific plans for achieving U.S. goals and objectives along with measurable indicators to track progress and report results. The report also highlights the work of U S agencies and departments to build partnerships, improve science and technology capacity, and increase political will among developing and donor countries to address water and sanitation challenges. Finally, this report builds on the USAID/DOS Joint Framework for Action by giving special consideration to three key emerging challenges: increasing access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and promoting hygiene for the poorest populations; responding to climate change; and increasing food productivity.

A steep decline in the number of girls as compared to boys born in India highlights a deepening crisis in the country. Due to a strong cultural preference for sons and the easy availability of technology to determine the sex of a fetus, sex selective abortions have increased radically. Statistics show that in the last hundred years, 35 million females are missing from the population. The 2001 census showed that there are 927 girls for every 1000 boys in the 0-6 age group, nationally. In an effort to combat sex selective abortions, the Government of India promulgated the Prenatal Diagnostic Technique Act in 1994, which has been amended to include pre conception techniques. Now the Act is called the Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act (PCPNDT Act) 1994. However it has not been effectively implemented.

The Extending Service Delivery (ESD) Project is pleased to announce the publication of a new tool to support the Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy (HTSP) for postpartum women.The manual is designed for health trainers, nurses, health supervisors, and community health workers who already have basic understanding and experience with RH/FP. It provides information and guidance on how to conduct a two-day training to provide postpartum family planning counseling and services and offers the necessary technical information to strengthen health care workers' knowledge and skills around postpartum family planning and HTSP, within the context of FP counseling and service provision.

A key point in the paper is that many poor people are forced to move on a regular and chronic basis and that this movement has both negative and positive consequences for their health and nutritional status. The paper is concerned with the high levels of infant and child illness and death amongst poor urban slum communities in Rajasthan, a state with one of the highest infant mortality rates in India. The paper examines the consequences of internal migration for women's reproductive experiences and for their children's health and is based on work between 2002-2004 carried out by Unnithan-Kumar in two urban slums (basti) in Jaipur city, the capital of Rajasthan in NW India.

Millions of women have no access to reproductive health services; many more have little or no control in choosing whether to become pregnant. As a result, every year, some 19 million women have no other choice than to have an unsafe abortion. Many of these women will die as a result; many more are permanently injured. Nearly all the women who die or are injured are poor and live in poor countries. Preventing these deaths and injuries will not be achieved without stopping unsafe abortions which cause around 13 per cent of all maternal deaths. Virtually all the deaths of women from unsafe abortion are in fact preventable. . Full document in PDF format (695kb); Number of pages: 20p; Source(s):

Building on a legacy spanning three decades, UNFPA Country Offices in the Asia-Pacific region and their faith-based partners came together for a two-day consultation to assess the nature and impact of these partnerships in the areas of maternal health, gender equality, migration and youth welfare. This report documents the experiences and lessons learned from the varied initiatives of faith-based organizations, as well as the best practices emanating from these strategic alliances around the region. The discussions, recommendations for action and the many voices of critical faith-based actors, are all documented in this report.

The Countdown 2008 Report is based primarily on data drawn from national surveys and global databases. It measures coverage of basic health services proven to reduce maternal and child mortality. It also assesses the strength of health systems, the status of policies related to maternal, newborn and child health and how equitably health services are distributed. KEY MESSAGES FROM THE 2008 REPORT *Many countries have made rapid progress in preventing childhood illness, but vital clinical care for women and children lags behind. *A functioning continuum of care can ensure no one falls through the cracks. *Investment in life-saving services during the period before pregnancy and through two years of age is critical to maternal, newborn and child survival. *Governments and partners must urgently address undernutrition. *To reduce inequalities, health services must be targeted to the poorest. *Investment and political commitment translate directly into lives saved. *If maternal, newborn, and child survival is the destination, we need reliable data to guide our action.

Improving the reproductive health of young women in developing countries requires access to safe and effective methods of fertility control, but most rely on traditional rather than modern contraceptives such as condoms or oral/injectable hormonal methods. We conducted a systematic review of qualitative research to examine the limits to modern contraceptive use identified by young women in developing countries. Focusing on qualitative research allows the assessment of complex processes often missed in quantitative analyses.

This briefing introduces the contribution of the right to the highest attainable standard of health to reducing maternal mortality. This briefing indicates key contributions that the right to health can make in the context of policy making and through the human rights community's traditional techniques, such as letter writing campaigns, taking court cases and advocacy. It also indicates key actions that may be required by policy makers and the human rights community.