National Nutrition Agency (NaNA), last Wednesday, presented social and behavioural change communications (SBCC) materials worth more than D5 million to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The materials included 5,000 discussion cards, 700 flipcharts, 2,500 posters, 200 copies of SBCC strategy, 450 training of trainers manuals, 450 facilitators guide, 450 participants manual and 450 participants handout.
Speaking at the presentation, held at the ministry’s conference room in Banjul, Malang Fofana, deputy director of NaNA, said, the materials were procured under the Maternal and Child Nutrition and Health project, a five-year project supported by World Bank to the tune of $13.68 million.
He explained the project has many components including community mobilisation for social and behavioural change communication, delivery of community nutrition and primary health care services, building capacity for service delivery, and RBF and Ebola preparedness and response tools.
Mr Fofana said SBCC is a key component of the project and it is envisioned that the SBCC strategy would work with families, communities and other stakeholders so that everyone has high health literacy and takes responsibility for their own health.
He explained that the SBCC process started with a desk review and situational analysis of the current situation in the country. This was followed by a development of the strategy that involved a wider consultation with relevant stakeholders.
Ousman Ceesay, focal person of the project, said in the past, they did not have the kind of materials donated by NaNA to improve communications in the healthcare system.
Abdou Aziz Ceesay, programme manager at the IEC unit of NaNA, said it has been a long journey when they started the project.
Saffie Lowe-Ceesay, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health, in receiving the materials, thanked NaNA for the donation saying the materials will further enhance the work of the ministry in the area of communications.