The Rotarian Action Group for Population & Development (RFPD) is an international non-profit organization with 25 years of experience in maternal and child health, including family planning. Within the context of Rotary International, RFPD assists Rotary clubs and districts in the planning, implementation and co-funding of projects in MCH and organizes discussions on the  implications of these activities for families, communities and countries. The central aim of this endeavor is to foster improvements in human well-being and dignity, women’s empowerment and a sustainable balance between population and environment. These objectives are in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – reducing maternal and child mortality and ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services.  

To achieve these goals, RFPD follows a strategy of piloting, evaluation, replication and scaling up. Small-scale pilot projects are planned and implemented in cooperation with an international and a host club, for example in one project hospital or community. Successful initiatives are further refined through lessons-learned and replicated in additional areas. In some cases, projects are then gradually scaled-up to expand the range of impact by serving an increasingly larger population (see e.g. RFPD Project History 1994 – 2019 below). Such large-scale projects contribute to improvements in national health systems and can be organized through a coalition of multiple clubs and districts, forming a regional team. RFPD provides clubs and districts with assistance and council for their MCH projects at every step, including in the application for global grants and other sources of funding.