Pre-testing the Creative Routes & IEC Materials of WASH, Child Protection & Nutrition issues for BCC in Karnataka

Funding Agency: UNICEF Hyderabad Office, India

Project Team: Dr. Usha Manjunath (Principal Investigator), Dr. R. Sarala, and Mr. Rajendra

IHMR, Bangalore had been funded by UNICEF to pre-test the IEC tools a) WASH covering sanitation, hygiene and safe water issues and b) Strategic communication of children covering protection and nutrition issues in the state of Karnataka. Pre-testing was carried out in Mysore and Koppal Division. The IEC tools consisted of prototypes for posters, leaflets, flip books, hoarding, tin plates, wall painting, bus panels etc as well as audio/video spots. FGDs and IDIs the main qualitative methods used to pre-test the materials. The audience for pre-testing the communication package included men, women, children (both boys and girls), youth, communities, influencers including frontline workers and community leaders such as PRIs, District and state level stakeholders related to theme.

Pre-testing of IEC Materials on Nutrition Intervention (MIYCN) for Behavioural Change Strategy in UP and Bihar

Agency: Alive & Thrive

Project Team: Dr. R. Sarala (Principal Investigator), Dr. Usha Manjunath, Dr. Pradeep Panda, Dr. Veena Nair, Mr. Satish Singh, Dr. Deepashree

A well-designed IEC material is essential for any health promotion activities and for effective intervention to bring about appropriate behavior change among the target population. IIHMR Bangalore is a technical partner to Alive and Thrive to pre-test the communication package on Maternal and Child Nutrition. The study was carried out in Nalanda District in Bihar and Gardoi District in UP. The study was pre-tested with both print materials such as Family Calendar, Job Aid (Reminder Card), Flipcharts and Flyers and Videos. The audience for pre-testing the IEC materials include Pregnant Women, Husbands, Mother-in-Laws, Father-in-laws, RMPs, Community Leaders, Private Doctors/Chemist, Religious Leaders, ANMs, ASHAs, AWWs, SHG members, Village Elders and GP heads. Qualitative methods viz., FGDs and IDIs was adopted to pre-test the IEC materials. The study aimed to provide inputs related to understanding of message by the audience, appropriateness and effectiveness of the materials, likes, dislikes and cultural insights to make materials more relevant and acceptable to the intended audiences.

Participatory Action Research on Interventions to Support Deaf Young People, Karnataka

Agency: Deaf Child Worldwide (DCW), International Development Agency of the National Deaf Children Society (NDCS), London, UK in collaboration with IIHMR, Kolkata

Project Team: Dr. Usha Manjunath, Mr. Syed Ali and Mr. Mahadev Prasad

Keeping in view with DCW mission to remove the barriers to the achievement of deaf children throughout the world and strategies empowering families to achieve the best outcomes, innovating new approaches to the development of effective communication and challenging social attitudes, the present project in collaboration with Samuha, an NGO in Koppal in Karnataka is a Participatory Action Research on interventions to support Deaf Young People (DYP). The research aimed to produce a robust body of evidence to demonstrate the changes in the lives of DYPs through DCW interventions and arrive at a model based on good practices in the field including strategies, project experience and tools. Participatory Action Research methodology also helped to identify challenges and gaps in the current programmes and provide recommendations for effective planning, implementation and replication of interventions on improving the quality of lives of DYPs. In a span of 18 months, the project carried out Reflective Sessions on Individual and Organizational Purpose, trained the DYPs on Action Research in partnership with Samuha, developed and implemented the Action Research Model in Koppal for DYPs. The research provided evidence on programme effectiveness that DCW and its partner organizations (Samuha, in Karnataka) could use in policy development and intervention strategies in the future. The learning could be used to advocate for change at local, regional, national, and international levels.