USAID UJJIBAN Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Project
Led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, USAID Ujjiban Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Project (Ujjiban) is a five-year project implemented with the objective to create demand for the increase in the use of high quality, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health, family planning , nutrition and tuberculosis services and adoption of healthy behavior in Bangladesh. Ujjiban aims to strengthen the Government of Bangladesh's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's (MoHFW) capacity to plan, develop, implement and evaluate SBCC at the central level as well as in Chittagong and Sylhet divisions. The in-country implementing partners of this project are Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP) and Save the Children.
BCCP, an implement partner of Ujjiban is responsible for implementing the IR2: MoHFW capacity to plan, design and implement SBCC program strengthen.
Ujjiban approached Capacity Strengthening in the MoHFW at three levels: Individual, Organization and System. At the individual level, Ujjiban is trying to improve selected Unit officials' knowledge and building skills on SBCC via hands-on mentoring. At the organization (unit) level, Ujjiban is introducing the required process and tools to systematize the mechanism to support and sustain effective SBCC interventions. At the system level, Ujjiban is advocating for and promoting coordination and collaboration around SBCC via initiatives that benefit stakeholders at all levels.
As part of its capacity and system strengthening initiative, Ujjiban supported the three Units IEM, BHE and IPHN to conduct annual assessments using a Capacity Assessment Tool (CAT) to provide information on the organizational environment and existing system in the context of SBCC programming, and to develop their annual SBCC Capacity Strengthening Plans to facilitate the process that an organization needs to follow for effective SBCC programs. Ujjiban provided the required technical assistance to the Units to implement the capacity strengthening plan efficiently to address the gap.
To ensure proper utilization and evaluation of SBCC activities Ujjiban will facilitate the implementation of the Comprehensive SBCC strategy with a detailed action plan in four key thematic areas: Strategic Leadership Mindset, Advocacy and Policy Change, Power of Coordination and Operational Effectiveness.