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After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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C-Picks 23 - Tools and Technical Assistance from C-Change

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Issue #
23
C-Picks
Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC)
Issue 23 | April 11 2012
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A collaboration between C-Change, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and The Communication Initiative.

Tools and Technical Assistance from C-Change

This issue of C-Picks highlights SBCC tools, guides, and strategies developed by C-Change. The first summary is a tool that C-Change recently completed - the SBCC Capacity Assessment Tool (SBCC CAT) for Individuals - to assist individuals to measure their knowledge and competencies in SBCC. The second item discusses C-Hub, the repository of health and development materials for development from C-Change, which has been redesigned and recently released. The third section highlights the recent set of guides and tools added to the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) Communications toolkit that C-Change and others developed in Kenya. The fourth section presents the final evaluation study and the training materials of an implementation in Lesotho to reduce concurrency, a leading driver of HIV. The fifth section highlights the national reproductive health/family planning communication strategies developed in Malawi and Kenya with technical assistance from C-Change. The sixth section looks at C-Change's SBCC work in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to combat school-related gender-based violence. The seventh item, from the FHI 360 Alive & Thrive project, highlights "how-to" web-based video materials that show why using research is important when developing a communication strategy and more. The final section points to a few recent additions to the C-Picks website.

The C-Picks website will continue to grow with the addition of C-Change tools and materials in the coming months. Please check in frequently to the C-Picks website. See also these related sites: C-Capacity (capacity strengthening and SBCC) and Soul Beat Africa's Malaria theme site (SBCC and malaria prevention and control in Africa).



In This Issue

I. C-CHANGE CAPACITY ASSESSMENT TOOL

1. C-Change Capacity Assessment Tool for Use by Individuals

II. C-HUB: AN ONLINE REPOSITORY OF HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION MATERIALS

2. C-Change Has Recently Launched a New and Improved C-Hub Website

III. VMMC COMMUNICATION TOOLKITS: KENYA

3. Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Communication Toolkit

4. VMMC Adaptation Guide

5. VMMC Media Guide

6. VMMC Video Guide and Video

7. Luo (Kenya) Version of VMMC Toolkit

IV. COMMUNITY DIALOGUES IN LESOTHO TO DISCUSS AND REDUCE MULTIPLE CONCURRENT PARTNERSHIPS FROM C-CHANGE

8. Using Community Dialogue to Reduce Concurrency in Lesotho

9. Relationships: Intimacy Without Risk - Community Dialogues Programme in Lesotho

V. C-CHANGE'S TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO MALAWI AND KENYA IN ROLLOUT OF NATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH STRATEGIES

10. Malawi Guidelines for Family Planning Communication

11. Kenya Reproductive Health Strategy Implementation Guide

VI. C-CHANGE SCHOOL-RELATED GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (SRGBV) PROGRAMME IN DRC

12. Materials from an Intervention to Prevent School-Related Gender-Based Violence in Katanga Province, DRC

VII. ONLIINE VIDEO-BASED TOOLKIT ON DEVELOPING MATERIALS AND STRATEGIES GROUNDED IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE PRACTICES AND THEORIES

13. Research to Action: Designing Communication on Child Feeding in Bangladesh

VIII. NEW ON THE C-PICKS WEBSITE

14. Communication Guides for Facilitators: HIV Prevention Series

15. Program Improvement Through Use of Process Evaluations

16. Stigma Action Network (SAN) Website and e-Library

17. Development and Public Health Communication



I. C-CHANGE CAPACITY ASSESSMENT TOOL

1. C-Change Capacity Assessment Tool for Use by Individuals

AssessmentToolC-Change recently released the Individual version of the SBCC Capacity Assessment Tool (CAT) to help individuals assess their SBCC knowledge and skills. Organisations can also use the tool to assess the SBCC competencies of their staff. The tool includes a pre- and post-scoring sheet, which is useful for assessing skills learned during a C-Module training across the 5 steps of implementing an SBCC programme: 1) understanding the context through situation analysis, 2) focusing and designing the communication strategy, 3) creating interventions and materials, 4) implementing and monitoring, and 5) evaluating and replanning. C-Module training is available online, free of charge, and self-paced here.

This is the third version of the SBCC CAT. The other 2 versions were developed to assist organisations to measure their technical capacity and needs in SBCC, as well as donors and networks to assess their capacity and that of the partners they support and manage.


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II. C-HUB: AN ONLINE REPOSITORY OF HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION MATERIALS

2. C-Change Has Recently Launched a New and Improved C-Hub Website

CHubC-Hub is a global online resource for health and development communication materials. The goal of C-Hub is to provide a free and open repository for health and development communication practitioners. C-Hub includes communication materials in areas such as HIV and AIDS, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Environmental Health, Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition, Infectious Diseases including Zoonotics, and Malaria Prevention and Control.

You can browse, preview, and download health and health communication materials in print, audio, and video formats. You can also contribute materials to C-Hub and share your work with the global health and development community.


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III. VMMC COMMUNICATION TOOLKITS: KENYA

3. Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Communication Toolkit

Rolled out in 2010, the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) Communication Toolkit was developed to create and sustain demand for male circumcision (MC) and reinforce the fact that, while MC reduces risk for men, it does not prevent HIV and must be combined with other prevention behaviours to be effective. Presented here are additional tools - an adaptation guide, media guide, and video guide - to support continued rollout. Also presented is a Luo language version of the toolkit, the language of the major ethnic group in Kenya's Nyanza province.

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4. VMMC Adaptation Guide

AdaptationGuideThis resource from the C-Change project provides guidance to other programmes on adapting materials for VMMC that ensure informed demand and promote safer sex following circumcision, particularly for those situations where expertise and internal resources are not readily available. The guidance is based on C-Change's experience with the VMMC programme in Kenya.

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5. VMMC Media Guide

MediaGuideBased on work in Kenya, this guide was developed by C-Change for VMMC programme directors, communication managers, and others who engage the media and foster positive relationships to get accurate and increased coverage of VMMC issues. Geneses of this guide were consultations held on behalf of the Kenya National VMMC Task Force and the Nyanza Provincial VMMC Task Force, as well as a one-day workshop with 22 journalists from 11 media houses (3 newspapers, 2 television stations, and 6 radio stations) in Nyanza Province.

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6. VMMC Video Guide and Video

VideoGuideThis discussion guide and the accompanying video (a 10-minute, 3-episode video that illustrates the critical role that women can play in discussing the benefits of VMMC and advocating with their partners and within their communities) are designed to be integrated into existing HIV prevention activities at the community level. Intended users of the guide include community-level professionals and workers (community mobilisers, peer educators, VMMC advocates, HIV counsellors, and communication specialists) who are promoting VMMC and HIV prevention. This guide is intended to facilitate discussions, reflection, and debate about VMMC and on the video's storyline and contents. Click here to watch the video and read a synopsis.

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7. Luo (Kenya) Version of VMMC Toolkit

LuoVCMMC-Change adapted (and translated into Luo) a set of Toolkit components - guidance documents, posters, and leaflets - for use in western Kenya's Nyanza Province.

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IV. COMMUNITY DIALOGUES IN LESOTHO TO DISCUSS AND REDUCE MULTIPLE CONCURRENT PARTNERSHIPS FROM C-CHANGE: A curriculum for the community level to tackle concurrency (a driver of HIV) and the qualitative study of the intervention

8. Using Community Dialogue to Reduce Concurrency in Lesotho

LethosoReportThis final qualitative study evaluated C-Change's community dialogue intervention, Relationships: Intimacy Without Risk, and gathered and analysed the perspectives of participants in 5 districts in Lesotho. The study assessed whether the dialogues had been effective in improving communication concurrency and cross-generational and transactional sex and the effect in reducing these HIV risk behaviours.

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9. Relationships: Intimacy Without Risk - Community Dialogues Programme in Lesotho

IntimacyRiskThe Relationship: Intimacy Without Risk programme includes a facilitator's guide and a training manual and materials to train local Sesotho facilitators to carry out discussion sessions that aim to stimulate deeper dialogue and discussion around relationship issues, such as multiple concurrent partnerships, and the risks of HIV.

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V. C-CHANGE'S TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO MALAWI AND KENYA IN ROLLOUT OF NATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH STRATEGIESThe following two implementation guides for national reproductive health strategies in Malawi and Kenya were developed with technical assistance from C-Change.

10. Malawi Guidelines for Family Planning Communication

MalawiGuideThe Malawi Guidelines for Family Planning Communication provides the framework for implementation of family planning (FP) communication programmes in Malawi and supports the aim of Malawi National Reproductive Health Strategy to promote through informed choice: safer reproductive health practices by men, women, and young people, including increased use of high-quality, accessible reproductive health services. The Guidelines were developed through an interactive, participatory process by the Task Force on Family Planning Communication under the leadership of the Health Education Unit with technical support from C-Change.

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11. Kenya Reproductive Health Strategy Implementation Guide

KenyaGuideThis implementation guide supports the rollout of Kenya's National Reproductive Health (RH) Communication Strategy at district, regional, and national levels. Its overall purpose is to ensure coordination of SBCC in RH programming and to assist implementing partners in Kenya in operationalising the strategy. A collaborative effort of partners and Kenya's Division of Reproductive Health of the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, C-Change developed and produced the guide.

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VI. C-CHANGE SCHOOL-RELATED GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (SRGBV) PROGRAMME IN DRC

12. Materials from an Intervention to Prevent School-Related Gender-Based Violence in Katanga Province, DRC

DecreaseSRGBVC-Change is implementing a comprehensive approach to prevent and mitigate school-related, gender-based violence (SRGBV) among students, ages 10-14, attending primary and secondary schools in Katanga Province in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The programme utilises radio, television, educational comic books, and other community channels to create awareness of the issues related to SRGBV and youth. It reaches out to students, school administrators, teachers, parents, and community members. The approach uses the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)'s "Safe Schools Doorways I and III" modules.

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VII. ONLIINE VIDEO-BASED TOOLKIT ON DEVELOPING MATERIALS AND STRATEGIES GROUNDED IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE PRACTICES AND THEORIES

13. Research to Action: Designing Communication on Child Feeding in Bangladesh

VMCCThis online toolkit Research to Action from the FHI 360 Alive & Thrive project for improving infant and young child feeding, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, provides what are intended to be instructive and engaging "how-to" web-based videos and supporting materials to illustrate why using research is important when developing a communication strategy and how concept testing and pretesting sharpen a final product - in this case, a TV spot. Also download a sample pre-test discussion guide and compare "before" and "after" scripts.

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VIII. NEW ON THE C-PICKS WEBSITE

14. Communication Guides for Facilitators: HIV Prevention Series

From Capable Partners (CAP) and FHI 360, this group of communication guides, published in June 2011, is designed to provide clear, focused behaviour change messages to individuals to promote adoption of safer behaviours to prevent and reduce HIV transmission. The structured teaching aides are meant to assist a community outreach facilitator to guide a small-group session to raise awareness of key drivers of HIV using interactive activities.

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15. Program Improvement Through Use of Process Evaluations

From Capable Partners (CAP) and FHI 360, this June 2011 publication is part of a Capacity Building Series documenting the experiences of the CAP Botswana project in organisational development, and building the technical capacity of local civil society organisations in HIV Prevention, from 2008-2011. The purpose of the programme is to strengthen community-based responses to HIV prevention implemented by civil society organisations (CSOs), and help the organisations develop into strong and effective partners in the national HIV and AIDS response. This publication describes the CAP project annual process evaluation methodology, outlines the implementation processes, details the major activities and tools used, and shares key results.

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16. Stigma Action Network (SAN) Website and e-Library

Created by the Stigma Action Network (SAN), this website and e-library are designed to be a "one-stop shop" for affected populations, programme designers and implementers, researchers, advocates, trainers, and donors to learn about the latest tools, technical resources, research findings, best practices, and new initiatives in reducing HIV-related stigma and discrimination. SAN hopes to facilitate networking, dialogue, partnerships, and knowledge sharing among diverse stakeholders around the world.

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17. Development and Public Health Communication

Published in August 2011, this book offers an understanding of the links between communication, health, and personal and social development through: a tabular summary of development communication paradigms; sections that orient the reader in terms of the different paradigms; examples of Southern African case studies that relate theory to practice; and points to consider, activities, and further reading designed to broaden knowledge on development and health communication.

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C-Picks and SBCC

Please visit the C-Picks website for more resources and information about social and behaviour change communication (SBCC).

C-Picks continues to seek new knowledge and experiences in SBCC - case studies, strategic thinking, support materials, and other relevant documentation. Please contact cchange@comminit.com


SBCC E-magazine

C-Picks, supported by C-Change and implemented by The Communication Initiative, is an e-magazine that highlights social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) case studies, reports, analyses, and resources in the health sector (HIV and AIDS, family planning and reproductive health, malaria, and maternal and antenatal health).


FHI 360 has acquired the programmes, expertise, and assets of AED.


Subscribe to C-PicksUnsubscribe from C-PicksView C-Picks ArchivesMore about C-Picks

Communication for Change (C-Change) is a USAID-funded project to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) as an integral part of development efforts in health, environment, and civil society. C-Change works with global, regional, and local partners to apply communication approaches supported by evidence-based strategies, state-of-the-art capacity strengthening, and cutting-edge research. C-Change also works to strengthen the capacity of local organisations to incorporate SBCC in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of their programmes, thus ensuring sustained local knowledge and skills. Please visit the C-Change website. To contact C-Change, please email cchange@fhi360.org

The Communication Initiative (The CI) network is an online space for sharing the experiences of, and building bridges between, the people and organisations engaged in or supporting communication as a fundamental strategy for economic and social development and change. It does this through a process of initiating dialogue and debate and giving the network a stronger, more representative and informed voice with which to advance the use and improve the impact of communication for development. This process is supported by web-based resources of summarised information and several electronic publications, as well as online research, review, and discussion platforms providing insight into communication for development experiences. Please see The CI website. To contact The CI, please email info@comminit.com


C-CHANGEUSAIDThe CI

This publication is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Agreement No. GPO-A-00-07-00004-00. The contents are the responsibility of The Communication Initiative and the C-Change project and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.