STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (SOP) for Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Call Center

The COVID-19 pandemic has different effects on the health, education, and economic situation in the whole world. Bangladesh is also facing similar challenges including anxiety, fear, stress, etc. making the situation more complex. Health workers, who support active management of COVID-19, patients as well as those involved in preventing the spread of the disease, are also facing tremendous psychological trauma. Under this circumstance, having a uniform support mechanism for the Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) call service providers (helpline, call centers, telepsychology centers), in this Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is helpful.

The objective of the validated SOP is to have a standardized service mechanism/protocol for MHPSS call center support providers throughout the country.

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: December 20, 2022

Hulu Beteina Health Bazaars A Guide to Organizing a Hulu Beteina Health Bazaar in Schools

Hulu Beteina Health Bazaars are 2-4 hour long events designed to create opportunities for community members to learn relevant health information and access health services. The events are organized around selected schools in a community. Hulu Beteina Health Bazaars are designed to be slightly different from a typical community health fair.

The activities include fair/ carnival-like events designed to be family-friendly and open to all community members. The events are conducted in schools and serve to bring attention to health topics and services available to members of the community. Ideally, the Hulu Beteina Health Bazaars would coincide with already ongoing health days in communities where such events already exist.

The guide also includes annexes such as a sample of a detailed agenda, a materials checklist, talking points for the events speeches, and a message guide for the drama skit and gender activity. Remember that these are samples to help school coordinators and community organizers get started. The samples can and should be adapted by the organizers and communities to suit local needs.

Source: Communication for Health Ethiopia

Date of Publication: July 19, 2021

Suaahara Nepal Project

Suaahara was an integrated nutrition project (2011-2016) that worked in 41 underserved districts in Nepal to improve the health and well-being of the Nepali people by focusing on the nutritional status of women and children under the age of two years. CCP partnered with Save the Children; Helen Keller International; Jhpiego; Nepali Technical Assistance Group; Nepal Water for Health; and the Nutrition Promotion and Consultancy Service.

Suaahara means good nutrition, or “a good balanced diet is the strong foundation protecting our lives.” As part of the implementing team, CCP supported strategic social and behavior change communication initiatives that build on this message and model behavior change to lead to improved maternal, infant and child nutrition.

In close coordination with Nepal government, the team created Bhanchhin Aama (Mother knows best), which served as the basis for a campaign for mass and community media. Bhanchhin Aama is a trusted, knowledgeable friendly mother-in-law character who models and promotes positive behavior change.

Project products included:

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: June 29, 2021

HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Visions, Voices, and Priorities of Young People Living with and Most Affected by HIV

Link Up is a five-country project to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of one million young people most affected by HIV in Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Uganda. It is designed to strengthen the integration of HIV and SRHR programs and service delivery, focusing specifically on young men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who use drugs, transgender people, and young women and men living with HIV.

The following prioriites are outlined, along with guidelines for implementing each:

1. Provide quality sexual and reproductive health services from ethical and well-trained health service providers tailored to the needs, rights, and desires of young people—especially those living with and most affected by HIV

2. Protect, respect, and promote young people’s sexual and reproductive rights, including their right to love and be loved safely and freely

3. Ensure full access to age-appropriate information and education on HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights, including on sexual orientation and gender identity

4. Promote gender equality and address gender-based violence, including sexual violence, in all its forms, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity

5. Meaningfully engage young people, in all their diversity, in all decision-making that affects their lives

Source: International HIV/AIDS Alliance

Date of Publication: January 21, 2021

Tips for Professional Reporting on COVID-19 Vaccines

Journalists play a vital role in informing the public on science, specifically vaccine, developments, in an unprecedented period of scientific publishing.

The situation is constantly evolving but there are some general guidelines that should be followed whenever possible:

  • Don’t just report the topline
  • Don’t trust data automatically
  • Use trusted and reliable sources
  • State the source
  • Define the terms
  • Use clear language
  • Explain the stage
  • Report the numbers
  • Disclose the side effects
  • Use appropriate imagery
  • Don’t forget demographics
  • Remind everyone of the benefits of vaccines

Tackle vaccine hesitancy by reporting facts and figures on vaccine efficacy in ending epidemics throughout history.

Source: World Health Organization

Date of Publication: December 18, 2020

A How-to-Guide in Conducting Effective and Vibrant Social Mobilization Activity

The Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI 2) project is designed to increase contraceptive use in Kaduna, Lagos and Oyo states. It is an extension of the successful NURHI Phase 1 Project (2009 – 2014) and runs from 2015 – 2020.

This second phase of NURHI builds on successful strategies implemented over a six-year period in six Nigerian cities. Through a strategic combination of service delivery, communication and advocacy, the project aims to increase demand for and supply of family planning (FP) services, ultimately leading to longterm sustainability.

NURHI 2 uses communication to increase demand for family planning among men and women through an integrated communication strategy that employs a combination of social mobilization, media campaigns, and entertainment education.

Source: NURHI

Date of Publication: August 10, 2020

Adapting a Radio Magazine Program in a New Geography

This how-to guide is developed for program managers who want to implement radio magazine programs that have been proven to inspire behavior change around family planning.

The original radio programs were developed for specific Nigerian cities and States and are adaptable to other locations which may not be similar to the location and language of the original program. In NURHI 2, a radio magazine programme ‘Ireti Eda’, developed for Oyo was adapted for broadcast in Ogun and Ondo States and was proven successful in changing family planning intention to use in those States.

This was successful because the program manager followed a process of adaptation as highlighted in this how to guide.

Source: NURHI

Date of Publication: August 10, 2020