VHAI finds representation in national and government bodies like National AIDS Control Board, Task Force on Tobacco Control, Advisory Committee, National Disaster Management Authority, National Mentoring Group for ASHA (under National Rural Health Mission), National Nutrition Mission and the Advisory Committee for National Policy for Children. VHAI is also a member of the Common Review Mission (CRM) of NRHM. The CRM has been set up as a part of the Mission Steering Group’s mandate of review and concurrent evaluation.

• National Disaster Management Authority

  For achieving the mission of NDMA, an Advisory Committee has been constituted involving eminent personalities from different fields. Appreciating VHAI’s past effective work in disaster management programmes/activities during Orissa Super Cyclone, Bhuj Earthquake, Tsunami and the Earthquake in Kashmir, the Chief Executive, VHAI has also been nominated as one of the Members of the Advisory Committee.

• Strengthening of National Rural Health Mission

  Since the launch of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in April 2005, we have been providing continuous inputs in the functioning of the NRHM at various forums. VHAI continues to be a Member of the Mentoring Group for ASHA and has been specifically assigned the States of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura to visit and to (i) assess selection, training, and support of ASHA and (ii) provide guidance to the States on the constitution of the State Level Mentoring Group. Through our respective State VHAs, we are in touch with the State Mission Directors for extending all possible help.

• We are also Member of the Advisory Group on Community Action under the NRHM, which has been constituted to achieve one of the important goals of the Mission to involve community in the country’s health delivery system to make it more equitable and participatory.
• Common Review Mission of National Rural Health Mission - VHAI is a member of the Common Review Mission of NRHM. The CRM has been set up by the Government of India as a part of the Mission Steering Group’s mandate of review and concurrent evaluation. These are annual events and cover thirteen states. The CRM comprises state briefings, field visits and the state level debriefings eventually culminating in state reports filed by the GoI. VHAI is covering two states – Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
• Inputs to National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) - As a Member of the Board of NACO, VHAI continues to provide regular inputs to bring out a more transparent and foolproof system so that NACO-funded programmes ensure optimum outcome.
• Committee to review the Recommendations of the Report of National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health by the Govt. of India - The Chief Executive of VHAI is a nominated member of the Committee. The purpose is to assess the progress on the recommendations of the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (NCMH) Report and share the findings with the new Government of the country.
• VHAI’s representation in the National Nutrition Mission - The National Nutrition Mission (NNM) under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of the country aims to play a huge role in improving the health status of the child population of the country. VHAI as a member of the NNM considers this important to take forward the concerns at the community level and provide inputs in the actual implementation of any programmes through its network organisations across the country.
• Inputs in the draft of National Policy for Children - The efforts towards the development of the National Policy for Children currently, reiterate and reaffirm the country’s commitment towards children. Before the final draft of the National Policy on Children is floored, as a Member of the Advisory Committee, VHAI has been regular in giving inputs towards making the revised policy a right based Policy on Children replacing the earlier welfare approach. We have been instrumental in generating an opinion poll with the member organisations across the country and taking forward their concerns with our own inputs to the policy level during various meets of the Advisory Committee.
• Study on the Voluntary Sector in Health Care with a Regional Perspective - A background paper on ‘Study on the Voluntary Sector in Health Care with a Regional perspective’ based on an extensive literature review has been prepared. The paper shares the general attributes of the voluntary sector in health care in India, activities and philosophies of several representative approaches in the sector and critically examines the performance of NGOs and future challenges confronting the sector.
  
   This paper will be refined further after the visit of some of the ICDHI members to Bangladesh in order to study the role of voluntary organizations, contributing to the health care system in the country. The field visit to Bangladesh will provide an opportunity to study the pioneering work of the voluntary sector in the country, especially the initiatives of BRAC, Gonoshasthaya Kendra and other such NGOs.

• Study on the Impact of Poverty Alleviation Programmes - It is well recognized that poverty eradication is integral to sustainable development. Thus reduction of poverty is vital for the attainment of the country’s international goals. The government has initiated, sustained, and refined many programs since independence to tackle the issue of chronic poverty. Despite all such noble intentions the recent findings of the World Bank study reveal that India is home to roughly one-third of all the poor in the world the Government. Statistics clearly indicate that the poverty alleviation programs have had a minimal effect on poverty levels in India. The plans look effective on paper but their implementation in reality has been a major setback.
  
  Given the pervasive nature of this problem, VHAI in collaboration with the Independent Commission on Development and Health in India initiated a national level study on poverty alleviation to carefully evaluate the impact of the various PAPs through the eyes of people across the country and find out the reasons for the disconnect between Government sponsored PAPs and the intended beneficiaries.
  
  The study report has been prepared and will be soon shared with the policy makers at the central and state level and also other civil society organisations, activists and academia.

• State of the Art Report on Physically and Mentally Challenged Children - VHAI conducted a study to highlight the basic concerns regarding children living in difficult circumstances in India in an overall framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Millennium Development goals. Through a detailing of the situation of children with disability the report attempts to point to linkages and detail the kinds of exclusions that all children who are in vulnerable situations face. Alongside, it has studied other major issues like the lives of children living in situations of conflict and children affected by disaster, children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, children who live on the streets and child labour. The situation of the girl child and the child from the scheduled castes and tribes cannot be ignored in the Indian situation.
  
  The major aim of this report is to suggest the kind of work that an organization such as VHAI and other like minded organisations can do with regard to children. The report will be soon released and presented to the Government of India and shared with other NGOs, academia.