Chapter 9: Sonagachi Project: A
case-study of applying principles of
development communication and
participation to a communitybased intervention in India
Chapter 9 Introduction
 One of the objectives of development-based
communication is to generate such an option for
disempowered groups to gain control over their own
destinies
 The realm of development communication has
evolved considerably, the current emphasis being on
participatory approach in place of the diffusion
strategy
 Participation is noted to generate agency among
disempowered groups by rendering them active
facilitators in the process of development
The Sonagachi Project: A model of participation
 Often incorporating a participatory process, development
communication emphasizes community, interpersonal
interaction, and understanding based on mutual regard
 The Sonagachi Project involved participation-based
communication intervention that was undertaken at
three concurrent levels – community, group, and
individual
 At the community level STDs and HIV/AIDS were
defined as a problem. At the group intervention level, the
sex workers were mobilized as peer outreach workers. At
the individual level, the intervention entailed the
empowerment of the individual sex worker in multiple
ways
The Sonagachi Project: Continued
 An interesting aspect of the Sonagachi Project was the
identification of stakeholders within the sex work
industry
 One of the objectives of the project was to emphasize the
status of sex work as a labor industry and to focus on the
losses of the stakeholders in case of a high incidence of
HIV/AIDS infection among the work force
 The Sonagachi Project facilitated relationships between
the sex workers and the stakeholders; the project framed
sex work in a way that it was deemed useful in
maintaining the financial interests of the latter
 The program was useful to sex workers for a variety of
reasons such as reduction of HIV and STD incidence, free
healthcare, credit opportunities, and vocational training
facilities
Paradigms in development communication:
Relevance to the Sonagachi Project
 The history of development communication in the
southern hemisphere comprises dominant theoretical
paradigms, one of which is the modernization theory
 The objective of Sonagachi Project was to disseminate
awareness information about STDs and HIV/AIDS
among sex workers in Calcutta
 Empowerment communication intends to be a step
further towards its development that gives control over
their own lives to the very people who have traditionally
been made passive, or partially active, recipients of those
efforts by those in charge of development policies
Chapter 9 Conclusion
 The Sonagachi Project appears to incorporate the
guiding principles of participation communication
paradigm and may serve as a relevant case-study for
planning sustainable interventions among
disempowered or marginal groups across the world
 One of the drawbacks of the Sonagachi Project is the
lack of data verifying the effectiveness of the project
 It is not certain whether the effectiveness of the
Sonagachi model was tested or not
Chapter 9 Conclusion Continued
 The study does not mention whether the
intervention in North-Eastern India managed to
replicate the multiple outcomes of the Sonagachi
Project that included empowerment of the sex
workers within social, political, and economic realms
 The Sonagachi Project may be termed as an example
of “sophisticated epistemology” in the field of
development communication that creates an
understanding of social reality in between people, in
material contexts and in communication