Criteria to Assist in the Selection of Appropriate Activities
The following criteria are designed to help you come to consensus on the Activities that
best address the Bridges to Activities you have selected. Depending on the context of
your behavior change (BC) intervention, you may want to add criteria to this list.
Must Have
You must have these three criteria for an activity to succeed. If the Activity you have
proposed meets all three of the following criteria, then you should move forward with
that Activity. However, if one of the three criteria is absent, then you should consider a
different Activity.
1. Relevance to the Bridges to Activities
The Activity directly addresses the Bridges to Activities of BC.
For example, if the Bridge to Activity is “Increase availability of quality seeds” but the
focus is on an increase in knowledge about fertilizers, BC may not occur because the
Bridge to Activity was not addressed by the Activity.
2. Feasibility
The Activity is capable of being implemented within the ecological and geographical
context by most of the people in the Priority Group.
For example, daily meetings for farmers and their families may be inappropriate in
areas with highly dispersed populations. Monthly meetings might be more feasible.
3. Receptivity of Priority Group
The Activity is appropriate within the cultural and social context.
For example, working with young extension agents to deliver improved farming
technique messages in an area where most people seek agriculture advice from
village elders may not result in reaching the Priority Group.
Good to Have
It would be good to have the following criteria for an Activity to succeed. You do not
need to address all of them. Simply choose the ones that are most important to your
context.
4. Cost effectiveness
The Activity produces optimum results for the amount of money spent.
When choosing between multiple Activities, select the Activity that will achieve the
desired results for the least amount of money.
5. Reach, equity, coverage
The Activity reaches a high proportion of beneficiaries in an equitable way.
Choose an Activity that has the potential to reach large numbers of beneficiaries,
including the most vulnerable.
6. Delivery systems
The Activity utilizes a functional infrastructure.
For example, conservation extension workers who have experience and have gained
the community’s trust in delivering messages on improved farming and resource
management might be a valuable delivery system for promoting improved seeds and
improved farming tools.
7. Ministry policy
The Activity is coordinated with the current ministry policy in the area.
If the Activity is not favorable within the current policy environment, it may be
important to advocate for policy change before implementation.
8. Multiple Bridges to Activities addressed
One Activity addresses multiple Determinants of BC.
For example, a demonstration of how to make charcoal from solid waste (cow dung,
soil, papers, pieces of wood, sawdust, cereal husks) can give mothers the skills and
self-efficacy to prepare affordable charcoal to use for fuel. It also presents possible
additional Activities that can be done in the time saved from fetching firewood from
the national park (e.g., income-generating activities). The Determinants thus
addressed would be access, perceived positive consequences, perceived self-efficacy
and perceived action efficacy. (Solid-waste charcoal is a viable source of fuel for
those who cannot afford fuel-efficient stoves or traditional charcoal.)
9. Organizational capacity
The nongovernmental organization (NGO) or the community has the capacity to
implement the Activity.
For example, building hand-washing stations next to latrines to ensure hand washing
after defecation might not be effective if the community or NGO does not have the
capacity to maintain the water supply.
10. Resources available
The specific human or material resources that are necessary to be effective are
available in the program area.
For example, using radio messages to inform people about where they can trade in
their old nets for the 3-inch mesh gill nets, would not be advisable in areas where
few people have access to radios.
11. Scalability
The Activity can be scaled up cost-effectively.
For example, if a NGO has a cadre of wildlife rangers and the government is
committed to staffing national parks and conducting group discussions with
traditional leaders about wildlife protection and alternative livelihood options, they
can work together to preserve wildlife corridors.
If a NGO has a cadre of coastal management workers and the local hotels want to
protect the beach for tourism, they might team together to protect the sea turtles
during mating season. Since the hotel represents the business sector, this type of
joint partnership has the potential for being scaled up. Sister hotels in other areas
could engage in this business venture to ensure the wildlife attractions their clients
want to see are protected.
12. Sustainability
The Activity will contribute to sustaining BC.
For example, distributing sapling fruit trees without informing the Priority Group
about the maintenance of saplings and/or without addressing the perceived negative
consequences of planting trees will not lead to sustained long-term care of the
saplings.