The ORC #1 - Introducing the Capacity Strengthening Online Resource Center (CSORC)

The ORC #1 - Introducing the Capacity Strengthening Online Resource Center (CSORC)

March 19 2010

The ORC is an e-magazine supported by C-Change and prepared by The Communication Initiative in cooperation with C-Change partner Ohio University. It is dedicated to alerting you and your organization to resources, training, links, and other opportunities for capacity strengthening in social and behavior change communication (SBCC), all vetted for quality and relevance by C-Change and Ohio University.

The ORC #1 introduces you to the following services:
• Resources, practical tools, and dialogue opportunities to strengthen capacity in the field of health and development communication focusing on SBCC.
• Supplemental training resources, exchange, and mentoring opportunities that support the C-Change learning package.
• Select listings of opportunities for SBCC support and dialogue.

This inaugural edition offers a tour of a wide-variety of effective SBCC resources and their applications in a developing world context. We hope you'll take some time to review this exciting new online resource - one that guarantees you:
• select high quality and relevant content
• information on upcoming trainings and other opportunities for capacity strengthening
• access to C-Change-developed SBCC curricula
• links to C-Change centers of excellence
• bridges to networks and discussions focused on SBCC capacity strengthening

Future editions of this newsletter will focus on a variety of important SBCC themes and areas of competency while continuing to feature high quality resources, training, and capacity strengthening opportunities.

The Capacity Strengthening Online Resource Center is a living resource designed to provide the best resources and training opportunities available and we welcome your contribution. We are looking for case studies, strategic thinking, support materials, and other resources relevant to SBCC capacity strengthening. If you want contribute, please contact cchangeorc@comminit.com

In this issue:

Why the CSORC?

What will I find on the CSORC?
1. Core Resources
2. SBCC Curricula
3. Regions
4. Links Center
5. Training
6. Work Sharing
7. Networks and Discussions

Why the CSORC?

Capacity Strengthening in SBCC is one of the main pillars of C-Change's mandate. The CSORC together with a number of other tools and resources, plays an important role in achieving this mandate by supporting you and your organizations to build capacity in SBCC:

• The SBCC Capacity Assessment Tool has been developed to assist organizations to measure their technical capacity and needs in SBCC programming. The Tool utilizes a group assessment process to determine standards of quality in three core SBCC program components: planning and design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

• The SBCC Framework which guides implementation and planning work with partners.

• C-Modules: A SBCC Learning Package for face-to-face training a six module learning package called C-Modules: A SBCC Learning Package has been developed to provide working professionals with competencies and skills to analyze, design, implement, monitor, and evaluate programs and interventions that address SBCC in any development area at multiple levels.

• Online SBCC training modules use the SBCC Learning Package content and are available as either a facilitated or a self-paced course, developed and offered by C-Change partner Ohio University.

• Masters in Public Health with a SBCC specialty at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) School of Public Health launched in January 2010 with 13 students. Certificate courses with an SBCC specialty have also been offered since 2009. C-Change partners Soul City and Ohio University collaborated with Wits to create this Center of Excellence to increase SBCC capacity on the African continent (the first of its kind in Southern Africa).

• The Online Resource Center supports all the above levels of training by providing access to high-quality training resources/materials and technical exchange to serve professionals, trainers, teachers, and students in SBCC and was developed by C-Change partners The Communication Initiative and Ohio University.

The CSORC should be seen as part of this constellation of tools and training - a place where all of the resources and opportunities come together to provide real-time quick access to anyone, anywhere. We hope it will strengthen SBCC capacity in many organizations and, therefore, increase the development impact of their work.

Are you interested? Why not take the next step towards improving your organization's SBCC capacity by trying out the SBCC Capacity Assessment Tool

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What will I find on the CSORC?

1. Core Resources:

C-Change and Ohio University have reviewed and vetted these resources to ensure they are high quality and relevant for developing skills in each area of SBCC competency -
• Formative Research and Analysis
• Strategy Development and Design
• Materials and Message Development
• Program Implementation
• Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation
• Effectiveness of SBCC

These resources have all been chosen because they are core to developing a professional understanding of SBCC. Each section supports capacity strengthening related to the training modules but each also provides a series of resources which can be used for individual research and skill development.

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Here is a sampling of the type of resource you will find in each section. Follow the links to see what’s in each section:

Formative Research and Analysis

Sexual Behavioural Change for HIV: Where Have Theories Taken Us?
Taken from the UNAIDS best practises, this resource provides a brief overview of theoretical models of behavioral change, a review of key approaches used to stem sexual transmission of HIV, a summary of successful interventions addressing specific populations at risk, and a discussion of remaining challenges.

Participatory Rural Communication Appraisal, Starting with the People
This handbook describes the procedure for planning and conducting Participatory Rural Communication Appraisal (PRCA) as the first step in the design of cost-effective and appropriate communication for development programs, strategies, and materials at the field level.

Strategy Development and Design

Theory at a Glance: A Guide for Health Promotion Practice

This is the second edition of a guide to behavior change theories, processes, and environmental and common factors that influence behavior as it relates to health.

Community Conversation as a Catalyst for Stigma Reduction and Behaviour Change: Lessons Learned From a CARE Project in Ethiopia

According to this report, Community Conversation (CC) is an interactive process which brings people together and engages communities to discuss and explore underlying causes fuelling the HIV and AIDS epidemic. CC recognises that people have capacities, knowledge, and resources to transform individually and collectively once they perceive ownership of a problem.

Materials and Message Development

Protecting the Next Generation: Learning from Adolescents to Prevent HIV and Unintended Pregnancy
This 86-page research report proposes that new programs and policies designed to prevent HIV in Africa should focus on providing earlier and more comprehensive sexual health information and reinforcing national health care systems to better serve youth. The report compiles policy and program recommendations based on findings from national surveys of approximately 20,000 African adolescents, as well as focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews with hundreds of young people, parents, teachers, and health care providers.

Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partners: What's Culture Got to do With It? A Handbook for Journalists

This 26-page handbook is designed for journalists as a tool to promote informed discussion around HIV and multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP). The handbook contains findings of research conducted in Southern Africa by Soul City that confirmed that certain cultural practices, social norms, and beliefs promote and even institutionalise MCP as socially acceptable and widely practised.

Program Implementation

Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Capacity Assessment Tool

Packaged with an accompanying worksheet, this Tool has been developed for use in workshop and meeting venues in which an organization and a facilitator work to determine an organization's competencies in three areas - SBCC planning, program implementation, and research, monitoring, and evaluation.

Repositioning Family Planning: Guidelines for Advocacy Action

This toolkit is designed to help those working in family planning (FP) across Africa to advocate for the visibility, availability, and quality of FP services and counselling, including contraceptive use and healthy timing and spacing of births.

Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation

Evaluating Social Change and Communication For Social Change: New Perspectives

This 25-page essay explores strategies for assessing and demonstrating the impact of social change and communication for social change processes.

A Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation of Nutrition Assessment, Education and Counseling of People Living with HIV

This guide provides guidance and tools to support programs engaging in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of nutrition assessment, education, and counselling (NAEC) for people living with HIV (PLHIV). It is designed for use by program managers, M&E officers, and other program and government health system staff.

Effectiveness of SBCC

Phone Hotline Spreads Family Planning Information in DR Congo

This case study explores the lessons learned that may point to the use of cell phone technology as a powerful new tool for health education, especially in countries like the DRC that have little communications infrastructure such as standard telephone networks and roads.

Promoting Healthy Timing and Spacing of Births in India through a Community-based Approach

This 32-page report details an operations research study carried out in India to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of using behavior change communication as a strategy for promoting the lactational amenorrhoea method (LAM) and postpartum contraception among pregnant women with a parity of zero or one.

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2. SBCC Curricula

This section focuses on curricula developed by C-Change training partners. It provides an overview of and access to:
• C-Modules: A new learning package for facilitated, face-to-face workshops on SBCC.
• Online facilitated and self-paced training modules in SBCC, and media monitoring and advocacy.
• Links to a new Master’s in Public Health at the University of Witwatersrand, which offers a field (track) in SBCC, as well as diploma and certificate training.
In the Related Resources section you will find links to C-Change's full SBCC face-to-face curricula. The Essential Tools section provides quick access to some of the most useful resources as determined by C-Change.

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3. The Regions section - separates all the content geographically. Simply click on any region for a listing of all resources related to that geographic area.

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4. The The Links Center - provides quick links to AED and C-Change and training partners Ohio University, Internews, Soul City/the University of Witwatersrand, and the University of Washington I-Tech.

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If you look at the right side in the orange boxes you'll find:

5.Training - provides a regularly updated listing of capacity strengthening training opportunities offered by C-Change, C-Change partners, and others. Here are just two examples:

Social and Behaviour Change Communication Approaches Certificate Course
Certificate of Advanced Study in Evaluation

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6.Work Sharing - giving you opportunities and useful links to connect to other organizations through internships, exchanges, fellowships, or mentoring. Here are just two examples:

Makerere University School of Public Health Centers for Disease Control HIV/AIDS Fellowship Program
Academy for Educational Development (AED) Internship Program

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7.Networks and Discussions - offering listings and links to SBCC communities and dialogue. Here are just two examples:

Datelinehealth-Nigeria
AIDS ASIA e FORUM

Each of 5, 6 and 7 above have an easy-to-use filter tool (just click 'more' at the bottom of each box to go to the filter page).

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Development of the C-Change Online Resource Center is led by C-Change partner Ohio University in cooperation with The Communication Initiative. C-Change is a project led by AED and partners and funded by USAID. For a complete list of C-Change Partners, click here.

This publication is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Agreement No. GPO-A-00-07-00004-00. The contents are the responsibility of the Communicative Initiative and the C-Change project, managed by AED, and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

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