CREHPA About CREHPA Center for Research on Environment Health and Population Activities (CREHPA) is a not-for-profit research organization based at Lalitpur, (Kathmandu valley), Nepal. It is registered under Society's Act 2034, HMG as a non -governmental organization (NGO). It is also registered with the Social Welfare Council (SWC), Nepal. Established in July 1994, CREHPA has well-trained professional staff with many years of research experiences in the field of public health, population, reproductive and sexual health and rights, child rights, abortion, gender issues including GBV, labor migration and human trafficking, environment/climate change, etc. The organization’s expertise lie in application of participatory research methods such as focused ethnographic study (FES), narrative (story-based) focus group discussions; social mapping and figurehead technique. As of date, CREHPA has carried out more than 160 research and evaluation studies (both quantitative and qualitative studies). Of these 28 studies are on abortion related issues alone; 14 studies on gender issues/GBV related including 2 studies on sex selective abortion. CREHPA has been closely working with the Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction and concerned departments in identifying priority areas for research, finalizing study design, producing and disseminating policy-relevant research and strategy planning. Results of policy research are disseminated widely and utilized for advocacy to influence law and policy decisions in the country. CREHPA is a member of the National Advisory Committee on Safe Abortion formed by Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP); Member, Technical Committee for the Implementation of Comprehensive Abortion Care (TCIC) under FHD/MoHP; and Member of the National Surveillance on HIV/AIDS (NCASC/MoHP). The organization’s Director had served as member of the Gender Advisory Panel, WHO/Geneva (2006-2009); Member, Regional Advisory Panel of SEARO/WHO (2008-2012) and Council Member, Asian Population Association (2013-2015). Professionals of CREHPA had served as international consultants for conducting capacity building training and feasibility studies in Maldives (2009-10) evaluation of adolescent reproductive health program and five year strategy planning of a leading civil society organization in Laos PDR (2011) and national reproductive health survey in North Korea (2011-12). CREHPA has networked with 48 district based NGOs of Nepal for implementing its Public Education and Advocacy Project (PEAP) which was aimed at preventing unsafe abortion practices and advocacy for legalization of abortion in the country (1998-2002). From 2003 to 2006, CREHPA launched “SUMARGA” (Right Path) program in partnership with its districts based NGOs to create enabling environment for women to make informed reproductive decisions and options during post-legalization period. During 2006-2008 it carried out NAWRN program that engaged over 1800 pharmacy workers in 16 districts to refer women to safe abortion facilities and dissuade them from dispensing unsafe medications to women. In July 2007, CREHPA launched its new programs (ENABLE program and Breaking the Barriers) that focuses on marginalized and vulnerable women and girls to increase safe abortion and post-abortion family planning service access (2007-2016). As the founder member of the Girls Not Brides (Balika Dulahai Hoinan) Nepal Chapter (established in February 2012), CREHPA has carried out formative research to identify drivers of child marriage practices in Nepal and contributed to the preparation of a National Strategy for the Government of Nepal on ending child marriage practices in the country.