Type of Material: Reports and Studies

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Follow Who Know Road Campaign: Development, Implementation, and Lessons Learned

This program brief describes the process of implementing the Follow Who Know Road campaign [TV spots and discussion guide] in Nigeria—from developing the campaign concept to producing and airing the campaign. It also offers lessons learned that social and behavior change practitioners can apply to their work, particularly during a public health emergency.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, community members believed COVID-19 was “a plan created by the government” or that it did not exist and that prevention strategies, such as vaccines, were untrustworthy.

Through a partnership with the Government of Nigeria, Breakthrough ACTION developed the Follow Who Know Road mass media campaign to dispel these myths and encourage vaccine uptake. The campaign was designed and implemented using systematic social and behavior change approaches grounded in theory and a deep understanding of the audience. It subsequently aired on television, radio, and social media in 19 languages.

As a result of this systematic process, more than two out of three unvaccinated people exposed to the campaign showed a positive change in their vaccine intentions and behavior. Of those unvaccinated people who heard the campaign on the radio or on television, 14 million received a vaccine soon after and 5 million more said they wanted one as soon as possible.

Follow Who Know Road Campaign TV Spots

Follow Who Know Road: COVID-19 Discussion Guide [PDF]

The Follow Who Know Road Campaign in Nigeria: Development, Impact, and Lessons Learned [PDF]

Nigeria Risk Communication and Community Engagement Tools and Resources

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: August 1, 2026

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Albishirin Ku! Radio Show

Albishirin Ku!—a Hausa expression meaning good tidings—is a radio show where community voices and innovative storytelling converge to create lasting health and social impact. In northern Nigeria, maternal and child mortality rates are alarmingly high, and traditional health-seeking behaviors hinder progress. Breakthrough ACTION’s Albishirin Ku! addressed these challenges head-on. Through a partnership with the Government of Nigeria, Breakthrough ACTION developed the show to promote maternal, newborn, and child health behaviors.

The show was designed and implemented using systematic social and behavior change approaches grounded in theory and with a deep understanding of the audience. It was broadcast in four Nigerian states for seven seasons. As a result, 76% of men and women in states where the program aired reported they were exposed to the Albishirin Ku! radio show. Of those who reported exposure, 18% also discussed the show with someone else. Women who were exposed to the drama were significantly more likely than those not exposed to practice six priority MNCH health behaviors.

Two videos spotlight the unique aspects of the hugely popular and impactful Albishirin Ku! radio show. One tells the story of Fatima and Auwal and how the show inspired them to take action in their own lives and communities. In the second video, Nigerian producer Idi Nasiru describes the making of Albishirin Ku!, highlighting the “secret sauce” that made it successful.

A report shares the journey of how research informed the design of the show and its unique elements, which contributed to its overwhelming success. It also offers lessons learned that social and behavior change practitioners, particularly those working in entertainment education, can apply to their work. The report includes additional resources for those interested in learning more about the development of this successful radio program to apply in another context.

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: August 1, 2026

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Know, Care, Do: Case Studies

These Know, Care, Do case studies showcase how the male engagement approach was applied to programs and projects implemented in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Nigeria, and South Sudan. Each case study follows the structure of the theory of change to illustrate how it can be applied to program design and implementation across diverse country contexts. The programmatic examples highlight ways to work with a variety of actors, institutions, and channels (such as religious leaders and the health system) to engage men and boys in family planning across the key roles as clients, partners, and agents of change and the core components of Know, Care, Do.

Ces études de cas Savoir, Veiller, Agir

Ces études de cas Savoir, Veiller, Agir montrent comment l’approche de l’engagement masculin a été appliquée aux programmes et projets mis en œuvre en République démocratique du Congo, en Inde, au Nigéria et au Sud-Soudan. Chaque étude de cas suit la structure de la théorie du changement pour illustrer comment elle peut être appliquée à la conception et à la mise en œuvre de programmes dans divers contextes nationaux. Les exemples de programmes mettent en évidence les façons de travailler avec une variété d’acteurs, d’institutions et de canaux (tels que les chefs religieux et le système de santé) pour engager les hommes et les garçons dans la planification familiale à travers les rôles clés de clients, de partenaires et d’agents de changement et les composantes essentielles de Savoir, Veiller, Agir.

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: August 1, 2026

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More Capacity Strengthening Resources

Adaptations of Sick Child Feeding Tools in Guatemala

Building on the behavioral design solutions developed in the Democratic Republic of Congo related to sick child feeding, Breakthrough ACTION gathered behavioral insights from mothers and caregivers in Guatemala and adapted the tools to that country’s context. The tools have been incorporated into ongoing community-focused activities and can be used or adapted to other country contexts.

Mother’s Activity

Grandmother’s Activity

Last modified: July 31, 2026

Language: English, Spanish

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Year of Publication: 2025

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More Advocacy Resources

Training Health Advocacy Committees in Liberia

Community leaders and influential members from faith-based, traditional, social, and civil society groups can often influence community actions that lead to change at the individual and community levels and even influence policy actions to improve health outcomes. Leveraging this potential, Breakthrough ACTION trained 736 influential community members and established 47 Health Advocacy Committees (HACs) in 12 supported counties.

Since their inception, the HACs have identified and resolved health-related challenges in their communities using the SMART advocacy approach. Examples include building new hand pumps, refurbishing damaged hand pumps, building toilets, building bridges and community roads, and repairing ambulances, among others. As the groups’ responsibilities continue to expand, many HACs have formalized their status as independent civil society organizations.

Explore the SMART Advocacy Training for Advocacy Core Groups: Facilitator’s Guide and Leadership, Resource Mobilization, and Budget Management Facilitator Guide.

Last modified: July 31, 2026

Language: English

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Year of Publication: 2021

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More Care and Support Resources

Malaria in Pregnancy: Trends from the Malaria Behavior Survey

Synthesizing multi country evidence from the Malaria Behavior Survey, this technical brief examines behavioral patterns, ideational factors, and service utilization related to malaria prevention and treatment among pregnant women. The analysis explores key indicators such as intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) uptake, insecticidal net use, and early antenatal care attendance across diverse sub-Saharan African contexts. It highlights how psychosocial factors, care-seeking barriers, and health system interactions directly influence behavioral adherence during pregnancy. Program planners, researchers, and technical advisors can leverage these findings to refine social and behavior change interventions and improve maternal health outcomes.

Last modified: July 31, 2026

Language: English

Year of Publication: 2024

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Community Empathways Dialogue Results Brief

This brief focuses on the results of a light-touch monitoring effort in Côte d’Ivoire and Togo conducted with adult community Empathways participants to gauge whether the card deck contributed to reducing social barriers for youth to access family planning/reproductive health information and services.

Résumé sur les résultats issus des discussions communautaires autour d’Empathways

Ce résumé s’articule autour des résultats observés suite à un effort de suivi discret effectué par WABA en Côte d’Ivoire et au Togo auprès d’adultes, membres de la communauté, ayant participé à Empathways, le but étant d’évaluer la contribution du jeu de cartes à la réduction des barrières sociales qui empêchent les jeunes d’accéder aux informations et aux services de PF/SR.

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: July 31, 2026

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Leveraging HCD to Improve Gender-Equitable Adolescent Programming

As part of Breakthrough ACTION’s efforts to advance innovative social and behavior change approaches for youth, the project applied human-centered design to develop gender-equitable interventions with very young adolescents in three of the Global Early Adolescent Study’s multi-year cohort sites: Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Denpasar and Semarang, in Indonesia. HCD was selected as a methodology to allow for meaningful youth engagement in designing programs that shape their lives. Breakthrough ACTION produced several resources to document the human-centered design process, including a brief that outlines learnings from Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo [ Bahasa Indonesia | English | French ].

VYA Pilot Package

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: July 31, 2026

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