Poonam Muttreja retweetledi
#Exclusive: Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India (PFI), has spent over three decades at the intersection of population, public health, and gender. She advocates shifting from population control to rights-based, informed choice for women across India.
👉🏼 Policies Built Without People
Muttreja argues programs fail by assuming women's full autonomy, ignoring family dynamics, social norms, and economic dependence. 'A program may assume a woman can decide when to seek care or use contraception,' she says, 'but those decisions are shaped by family dynamics, social norms, and economic dependence.' PFI's goal is to 'bring public into public health,' ensuring communities shape services.
👉🏼 Stories, Research, and Ground-Level Action
PFI works across policy, societal, and individual levels, anchored by research. Its transmedia show 'Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon' reached millions, showing storytelling shifts gender norms where policies cannot. Muttreja distinguishes agency (ability to choose) from empowerment (ability to act). PFI's motto: 'Desh badlega jab mard badlega.'
👉🏼 The Work That Remains
Despite challenges, Muttreja stays hopeful: 'Even in difficult environments, we can speak, challenge, and engage.'
👉🏼 The Logical Indian's Perspective
Muttreja's work reminds us real public health is not measured in numbers alone, but in whether women have genuine control over their lives. Policies ignoring communities fail.
Do India's public health policies reflect community realities?
#PublicHealth #GenderEquality #WomensRights #nonprofitorganization #PoonamMuttreja
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