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A GLOBAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT GUIDE FOR MATERNAL,
NEWBORN, AND CHILD HEALTH AND NUTRITION PROGRAMMES
Introduction
UNICEF was one of the first UN organizations to practice and advocate for addressing
behavioural and social change as a means for decreasing maternal, newborn, and child
morbidity and mortality, and undernutrition toward improving maternal and child survival
rates around the world. UNICEF applies Communication for Development (C4D) to
integrate behavioural and social change approaches into UNICEF-supported programmes
throughout the developing world to support the realization of the rights of all children,
especially the most disadvantaged and excluded.
The design of C4D strategies is informed by an understanding of human behaviour and
evidence-based theories change. Among the numerous theories of change that are
relevant to C4D, the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) serves as the overarching
framework for programme planning, from baseline research, formative assessments, to
monitoring and evaluation, and for identifying opportunities and intervention entry
points that can promote both individual behavioural and broader social change. The
SEM framework enables programme managers and planners to assess barriers and
opportunities for behaviour and social change among individuals, households,
communities, organizations, and in the policy environment. The analysis of barriers and
opportunities at these multiple levels of a social system informs the appropriate
combination and types of C4D approaches that are best suited to achieving positive
impacts at each level.
The purpose of this Global Communication for Development Guide for Maternal,
Newborn, and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) Programmes is to provide evidencebased practical guidance for researching and designing strategic communication for
development plans. The implementation of C4D plans for MNCHN is envisioned to
contribute to positive changes in health and nutrition indicators for mothers, newborns,
and children under five years of age toward achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) for 2015 and the Post-2015 Agenda, the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, as well as A Promise Renewed (APR), a vision for
ending preventable child deaths by 2035 initiated by UNICEF, USAID, and the
governments of India and Ethiopia.
This Guide reinforces the equity focus in the key outcome areas of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan for
2014 – 2017 and stresses the importance of multi-sector programming, integration, and
strengthening of more systematic and responsive C4D-related upstream policy advocacy,
demand creation and community engagement strategies and capacities.
The Guide has been conceived as a step-by-step tool for MNCHN programme managers,
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programme planners, and communication specialists to use when researching and
analyzing, conceptualizing, writing, implementing and assessing their programmes.
The Guide consists of Modules that address the various steps in developing a
communication for development strategy, with an example of how to develop a strategy
for MNCHN programmes. Module 1 provides a description of (1) the Social Ecological
Model (SEM), a framework for understanding the multiple levels of a social system and
interactions between individuals and the environment within this system, and (2) a
model of the communication for development (C4D) approach. The importance of
identifying and incorporating social norms into programme planning is also discussed.
Module 2 presents the steps in developing a C4D strategy for health and nutrition
behaviour and social change programmes, and discusses the application of Monitoring
for Equity Systems (MoRES) Framework. Module 3 illustrates the steps in developing a
C4D strategy specifically for MNCHN programmes.
The Guide layout is designed for online computer use. Each Module can be accessed via
the Internet as a downloadable document. Each Module contains hyperlinks that
connect the user to supplemental documents available in the UNICEF website and other
websites that provide further explanation and/or examples of the concepts described in
that Module.