In Uganda, more than 14,000 children under five years of age die each year from diarrhea. Research shows that a combination treatment of zinc and ORS can prevent as many as
90% of diarrhea-related deaths. Uganda’s Ministry of Health was among the first to join the growing global commitment to eradicating such deaths, with its national Child Survival
Strategy estimating that 8,500 annual deaths could be prevented if increasing coverage of the recommended treatment to 80%.
 Implemented July 2012 - June
2013
 Targeted health service providers and mothers and caretakers of children under 5
 Through TV, radio, print and outdoor advertising
 Nationwide
 Translated into 8 languages
Research
Major barriers identified for the uptake of the combined treatment were the low awareness of the zinc component and the further challenge presented by the product being subject to medical prescription. In support of the MoH’s Child Survival Strategy, UHMG developed the Half Love campaign to increase awareness of its own brand product solution – Restors and Zinkid – among providers and caretakers, as well as increasing product availability and visibility at the service provision level. The campaign specifically aimed to raise awareness of completing the combined treatment method by playing on the theme of ‘half love.’
Advocacy
As part of its Maternal and Child Health (MCH) strategy, UHMG seeks to accelerate both acceptance of the combination treatment among health providers and the adoption of combination zinc and
ORS use among consumers. In addition, as a member of the Committee for Diarrhoea and
Pneumonia Control and the Technical Working Group on Medicines Procurement and Management,
UHMG influenced decision makers at policy levels to deregulate Zinkid to an over-the-counter product, thus making it more easily accessible to customers.
Service Provision
The nationwide campaign was launched through mainstream media. At the service provision level, above the line efforts were supported through Continuing Medical Education (CME), product detailing directly to those dispensing the products, and point of sale material was produced and distributed including posters, brochures, display racks, t-shirts, and prescription pads and pens.
“LivingGoods’ philosophy is very similar to that of UHMG as we both aim to improve the wellbeing of
Ugandans through the uptake of ‘good’ products at affordable prices. We benefit a lot from their campaigns promoting such products and behaviour change as they complement our work in the communities. Zinkid was a new product that we wanted to introduce in response to WHO recommendations, but it was really hard penetrating the market as people are so used to treating diarrhoea with ORS alone. The UHMG campaign was a great help in raising awareness of the importance of the combined treatment among our clients and,
as a result, really boosted our sales of the products.”
Stella Ikila, Country Business Manager, LivingGoods

Reach
During the first quarter of the Half Love campaign, 8 million Ugandan adults were exposed to
Zinkid/Restors messages through mass media alone.
Impact
A comprehensive behaviour change survey revealed that nearly half of respondents exposed had adopted the use of both products, a figure reflected in nationwide UHMG retail audits. Precampaign distribution figures had Restors at 28.5% and Zinkid at 31.1%. Peaking 3 months in to the campaign, 44% of outlets audited stocked Restors and 51% stocked Zinkid. Retail stocking in clinics showed a similar trend.
Highlights
As the first national campaign to focus on a drastic reduction in diarrhoea related deaths, UHMG’s efforts were praised by previous U.S. President Bill Clinton during a visit to promote the cause in
2012. In partnership with the Clinton Health Access Initiative, UHMG played an instrumental role at policy level to successfully change regulations in making Zinkid available over the counter. The deregulation came into effect in March 2013—a key effort in terms of increasing accessibility of the life-saving drug to Ugandan consumers.
“We now sell about 100 hundred sachets of Restors/Zinkid per week; before it would be about 30. Some customers even ask for the actual brand; before they wouldn’t know the exact name, now they do. The reason we sell more, I think, is because people hear about the product, that it works and so they ask for it. Also, it is recommended form the health centre across the road. And you can tell that people have heard and seen the adverts, because they repeat the words, and they ask for
Zinkid.”
Rashida Nalukwago, El-Shaddai Drug Shop, Luwero