Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria Risk Communication and Community Engagement Tools and Resources

Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria’s risk communication and community engagement interventions support the Government of Nigeria in preventing, detecting, and responding to public health emergencies. The project produced and implemented a coordinated package of social and behavior change interventions tailored to address specific public health emergencies and infectious diseases as part of these efforts.

  • To achieve this, Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria:
  • implemented a coordinated package of SBC interventions including mass media campaigns and community-level activities tailored to address specific public health emergencies including infectious diseases like Lassa fever, Mpox, and COVID-19.
  • strengthened the capacity of government, partners, healthcare providers, community leaders, and other community actors to effectively communicate health messages and facilitate behavior change during public health emergencies.

We’re sharing the resources we developed to implement the project’s interventions.

Source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: August 13, 2024

Leadership, Resource Mobilization, and Budget Management Facilitator Guide

A Coaching Tool for Health Advocacy Committees in Liberia

Working with the health advocacy committees (HACs) in Liberia, we have identified several major capacity gaps in the following areas: leadership, resource acquisition and management, and budgeting. Breakthrough ACTION Liberia designed this coaching booklet using the Goal, Reality, Options, and Will (GLOW) model, a simple method of goal setting and problem-solving to help HACs transition to independent, health-focused, civil society organizations (CSOs). This guidance also helps ensure ownership and sustainability.

The coaching booklet aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of HAC members using practical, hands-on instructions for raising and managing resources, leading effectively, and managing budgets. It explains how to talk about the programs, address community needs, and solicit donations from supporters, as well as how to compete with other CSOs for funding opportunities. This practical guide thus supports the following objectives: learning effective leadership skills, transitioning to an independent CSO, mobilizing resources, and developing proposals.

Last modified: July 21, 2024

Language: English

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Year of Publication: 2024

RBM Partnership to End Malaria Social and Behaviour Change Working Group: School-Based Malaria SBC Resources

This collection of school-based malaria SBC resources, shared by SBC WG members includes board games, teacher’s guides, comic books, and more, for fellow members to learn from and utilize in their work. The resources, shared during the RBM Partnership to End Malaria Social and Behavior Change Working Group (SBC WG) General Call, held on May 16, 2024, focused on school-based malaria SBC. This General Call focused on malaria SBC in schools in Nigeria and Madagascar. The session recordings and presentation slides are available online.

Burundi

Nigeria

Tanzania


Ask questions or share additional resources.

Source: RBM Partnership to End Malaria Social and Behaviour Change Working Group

Date of Publication: May 30, 2024

Make Me a Change Agent: An SBC Resource for WASH, Agriculture, and Livelihoods Activities

The Make Me a Change Agent training is designed for community-level workers who work on agriculture, livelihoods, and WASH-related activities and who engage with communities on behavior change and adoption of new techniques and practices. The resources aim to help community-level workers strengthen fundamental skills and techniques around communication, negotiation, and facilitation. Although these resources are targeted at supporting the successful and sustainable implementation of agriculture, livelihoods, and WASH activities, the skills can help staff and volunteers in any sector become more effective as an agent of behavior change.

Last modified: May 8, 2024

Language: Amharic, English

Source: Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Network

Year of Publication: 2020

Using the EAST Framework in the Social and Behavior Change Work of Community Health and Nutrition Volunteers

This document provides guidance on delivering a one-day workshop that aims to increase the ability of the Community Health and Nutrition Volunteers to promote various behaviours in a way that enables and motivates people to adopt them. The acquired skills can be used in the context of group sessions, household visits, and individual counselling. The guidance is meant to be used by people who work on enhancing the community volunteers’ behaviour change capacities.

Last modified: April 17, 2024

Language: English

Source: ADRA Yemen

Year of Publication: 2023

Behavior Change Communication and Facilitation Skills for Community Health and Nutrition Volunteers

This training guidance aims to increase the effectiveness of interpersonal SBC communication activities conducted at the community level. It intends to ensure that people who promote the desired behaviors, such as community health and nutrition volunteers:

  • Understand the importance of effective communication;
  • Know what helps adults to learn;
  • Are able to use the key communication and facilitation techniques well;
  • Are able to effectively conduct home visits / individual counseling and facilitate group sessions; and
  • Know how to use any communication materials effectively.

Last modified: April 17, 2024

Language: English

Source: ADRA Yemen

Year of Publication: 2024

SMART Advocacy

Advocacy is action by individuals or organizations designed to influence the decisions of individuals or groups. The most skilled advocates focus energy and attention on actions that have the highest potential for impact in the near-term. These incremental changes—termed “advocacy wins”—are discrete policy and funding decisions critical to advancing
an issue.

The SMART Advocacy approach provides a framework to achieve the near-term advocacy wins needed to reach broad, long-term goals. SMART Advocacy focuses on decision-makers—that is, the specific people with the power to act on requests from well-prepared champions. It prepares advocates to anticipate what information and insights will convince a decision-maker that taking a particular action will achieve their goals and yours.

The success of SMART Advocacy rests on identifying what can be achieved within discrete timeframes and which policy change has the potential to advance a larger, long-term goal. applies each of these elements to the advocacy process.

SMART Advocacy is one way of advocating. Rather than seeking reform through tactics like activism or mass media campaigns, SMART Advocacy seeks to reach and work with a specific person who controls the lever of change. It emphasizes the benefits of a specific policy or budgetary change that is within the control of the key decision-maker. SMART Advocacy helps match the advocacy objective to those with the authority to make changes—policymakers, government officials, private actors, or donors.

Last modified: April 5, 2024

Language: Bangla, English, French, Spanish

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Year of Publication: 2023

Mothers Time for Community Health Workers

The impact of mental health on family planning (FP) is a complex issue that affects various aspects of reproductive health and family dynamics. Women with mental illness are particularly vulnerable to unplanned pregnancy, mental health relapse during childbearing, and psychological and economic burdens associated with unplanned pregnancies.

Breakthrough ACTION tested the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address symptoms of anxiety and depression and associated barriers to FP among postpartum mothers in Ethiopia by developing a tool called Mothers Time, which can be used by community health workers.

English Tool
Amharic Tool
Project Brief

Last modified: March 13, 2024

Language: Amharic, English

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Year of Publication: 2024

Youth Action Kit (YAK) – A Guide for Youth Peer Champions

The Youth Action Kit is designed to strengthen 5 Fundamental Life Skills for High School Participants and out-of-school youth. This Peer Champions Guide contains 10 activities that comprise the 10-week Youth Action Kit peer education course.

Last modified: March 13, 2024

Language: English

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs - Breakthrough ACTION

Motivational Counseling: A Training in Advanced Interpersonal Communication Skills

This training curriculum and module presentations address challenges that frontline healthcare workers face in motivating clients within the HIV services continuum to make informed decisions that lead to sustained, positive outcomes. The curriculum focuses on listening and communication skills for addressing risk behaviors related to sex, alcohol and drug use, HIV testing, and treatment adherence.

PowerPoint modules include:

  1. Understanding the Context(French)
  2. Introduction to Motivational Counseling(French)
  3. Reflective Listening(French)
  4. Affirming(French)
  5. Questioning(French)
  6. Ask-Tell-Ask(French)
  7. Recognizing Talk about Change(French)
  8. Eliciting Talk about Change(French)
  9. Dealing with Resistance(French)

*Available in English and French


Conseil de motivation : une formation aux compétences avancées en communication interpersonnelle

Ce programme de formation et les présentations des modules abordent les défis auxquels sont confrontés les travailleurs de santé de première ligne pour motiver les clients dans le cadre du continuum des services VIH à prendre des décisions éclairées qui conduisent à des résultats positifs durables. Le programme se concentre sur les compétences d’écoute et de communication pour aborder les comportements à risque liés au sexe, à la consommation d’alcool et de drogues, au dépistage du VIH et à l’observance du traitement.

Les modules PowerPoint comprennent:

  1. Comprendre le contexte , (français)
  2. Introduction au counseling motivationnel , (français)
  3. Écoute réflexive , (français)
  4. Affirmant , (français)
  5. Interrogatoire , (français)
  6. Demander-Dire-Demander , (français)
  7. Reconnaître le discours sur le changement , (français)
  8. Susciter le discours sur le changement , (français)
  9. Faire face à la résistance , (français)

*Disponible en Anglais et en Français

Last modified: February 16, 2024

Language: English, French

Source: FHI 360

Year of Publication: 2020