PRB The Population Reference Bureau informs people around the world about population, health, and the environment, and empowers them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations. PRB works to ensure that policymakers in developing countries and in US on population, health, and environmental policies. It focus around themes like Aging, Children and Families, Family Planning and Reproductive Health, Gender, Global Health, Inequality and Poverty,Migration and Urbanization, Population and the Environment, and Youth.
Recently in Mumbai, a Seminar on Women’s Edition/Asia 2016 was held during November 14 to 18 at JW Marriot in Juhu. In the seminar 15 women from all over the Asia including women from countries India (Mumbai, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Delhi, UP, West Bengal, NE and J&K), Nepal and Bangladesh.
On the opening day objects and expectations from delegates were discussed.
During the seminar there were sessions from Speakers and popular lectures by during November 14 and 15 in Mumbai.
Theme of Lecture Speaker
- Numbers in the Newsroom: What journalists should know —Deborah Mesce,PRB
- Children by Choice: The Basics of Contraception —Dr. Suchitra Dalvie, MD, ObGyn
- Population Dynamics —Dr. Sandhya Rani, Tata Institute of
Social Sciences
- Family Planning and the Sustainable Development Goals —Lauren Wolkoff, FP2020
- Social Media (use of YouTube to make your video viral etc)
- What do men have to do with it? —Charlotte Feldman-Jacobs, PRB
There was a visit to a local site on November 16 of Dharavi, Mumbai in a slum area arranged by ARMMAN an NGO. ARMMAN works to reduce maternal, neonatal and child mortality and morbidity in poor urban and rural communities of India. ARMMAN works for providing awareness using mMitra mobile network right from pregnancy till delivery of child to poor women from slum area from Dharavi locality. Dharavi slum has s population of about 300,000 to about a million. It spreads over 200 hectares (500 acres) with dwellers of different caste and creed.
On November 17 there was a visit to Pune city, some 118 kms away from Mumbai. In Pune Equal Community Foundation key staff arranged for community visit and briefed on raising boys/men to prevent violence and discrimination against girls/women.
On November 18,in the end of seminar, there was a Wrap up editorial session where all delegates expressed their views on the seminar by PRB.
Lectures from all the speakers were very informative and will help us better represent the issues concerning women’s health, pregnancy, nutritional care, family planning and contraceptives related topics. We will be highlight issues and statistics in our media pertaining to the topics covered at seminar in a better way as our understanding has also grown. We will seek support , guidance and statistical inputs on region wise demographics from PRB and our women delegates across Asia in our future Endeavour.
