Philippines Toolkit: Demand Generation
Community Group Engagement
This approach involves engaging and mobilizing communities through group dialogues or education campaigns aimed at promoting healthy sexual relationships. Instead of solely targeting individuals, community group engagement focuses on working with and through community groups to influence behaviors and social norms. The goal is to achieve broad engagement and gain insights into sexual and reproductive health from the perspective of the community.
For The Challenge Initiative (TCI) Philippines, the main objective of communications is to expedite the reduction of teenage pregnancies by developing adolescent-friendly cities and improving access to family planning programs. This can be achieved by striving for the following:
- Encouraging women of reproductive age and sexually-active adolescents (along with their partners) to understand and embrace the principles of responsible parenthood. This involves voluntarily availing themselves of modern family planning methods of their choice.
- Ensuring that non-sexually active adolescents comprehend their reproductive rights and are encouraged to delay sexual debut.
- Supporting pregnant adolescents and their partners to have safe pregnancies and deliveries, prevent rapid repeat pregnancies, and facilitate their reintegration into school and society.
What are the benefits of CGE?
- Grounded Interventions: Directly engaging communities where adolescents and women of reproductive age reside ensures that our social behavioral change interventions are rooted in the realities on the ground.
- Influential Advocates: Traditional community leaders and group officers hold sway over community members. Securing their commitment as champions/advocates helps in mainstreaming our desired behaviors within the community.
- Contextual Program Implementation: Gathering public perceptions and feedback during community dialogues ensures that program implementation is contextually appropriate and effective.
- Overcoming Social Stigma: Community support can help individuals overcome the fear of social consequences associated with using family planning methods.
- Accountability and Solutions: Engaging the community can enhance the quality of family planning services by empowering them to hold the health system accountable and collaborate on solutions to address service delivery challenges.
- Improved Communication: Continuous dialogue fosters better communication between service providers and clients, leading to more effective service delivery.
CGE as a High-Impact Practice (HIP) for Universal Health Care (UHC)
The CGE HIP aims to boost the demand for FP and ASRH services among special populations by creating targeted materials and modules. These resources are designed to increase knowledge, normalize attitudes towards Reproductive Health and Family Planning (RPRH), and foster behavioral changes supportive of FP/ASRH.
To execute a successful CGE campaign, the following elements are essential:
- Comprehensive Information Resources: Develop a rich repository of Social Behavioral Change Communication materials that have been vetted by experts and special interest groups. These materials should not only provide accurate information but also evoke an emotional response.
- Well-Trained Service Providers: Ensure that service providers are fully trained and equipped to deliver accurate information in a non-judgmental manner. They should possess the necessary skills to effectively communicate with target populations.
- Multi-Sectoral Strategy: Implement a comprehensive multi-sectoral strategy to disseminate information through various channels. This strategy should utilize traditional media, new media, and social media platforms to deliver messages in continuous and frequent doses. Tailor the dissemination approach to reach the general population or specific target groups effectively.
- Functional Monitoring System: Establish a robust monitoring system capable of evaluating behavior change interventions. Collect feedback from target populations and community leaders regularly. Utilize this feedback to enhance existing practices, messages, or materials and ensure that the campaign remains responsive to the needs of the community.
How to implement
Step 1: Identify issues and create urgency
- Identify common barriers that hinder community members from accessing sexual and reproductive health services. To gather this information comprehensively, conduct a review of existing data, engage in Focus Group Discussions with specific populations of interest such as adolescents, women of reproductive age, teen parents, and indigenous groups. Additionally, conduct Key Informant Interviews with service providers and technical experts from organizations like the Department of Health (DOH) and Commission on Population and Development (CPD). Deep Dives into specific case studies can also provide valuable insights. Collect the following information during these data collection activities (excerpt from Community Toolbox):
- Why do you want to communicate with the community? (What’s your purpose?)
- To whom do you want to communicate it? (Who’s your audience?)
- What do you want to communicate? (What’s your message?)
- How do you want to communicate it? (What communication channels will you use?)
- Whom should you contact, and what should you do to use those channels? (How will you distribute your message?)
- Create a sense of urgency with the leadership: Present the current issues backed by health data and social trends to key stakeholders such as the City Mayor, City Council, SK Federation, and Liga ng mga Barangay. Relate these issues to the local context of the city. Utilize the Health Leadership and Goverance Module HII, a primary intervention by ZFF and TCI, to develop FP/ASRH champions among leaders. This module aligns FP & ASRH concerns with Universal Health Care, Bridging Leadership and Systems Thinking principles, fostering a sense of co-ownership and co-creation in finding solutions.
Tip: High-level leaders and middle managers often analyze issues programmatically and population-wise. Address these perspectives by emphasizing:
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- Public perception: Is there widespread concern or support for the issue?
- Legal mandates: Are there national laws requiring action?
- Public health impact: How does addressing the issue affect the well-being and productivity of the populace?
- Economic considerations: What are the costs and benefits of addressing the problem?
- Engage with local community gatekeepers and facilitate community-led dialogue: Foster collaboration between LGU and Barangay leadership to ensure alignment and shared objectives. Conducting a community deep dive can be an effective approach to cultivate ownership among local leaders. This involves immersing participants in a leadership learning journey where they directly experience the challenges faced by various stakeholders within the community. Through interactive and participatory dialogues, participants can freely exchange opinions, experiences, views, and values. These insights can help in understanding the beliefs, attitudes, and experiences of community members regarding FP and ASRH.
- Establish a core group to develop the Communications Strategy: Form a dedicated team, comprising representatives from the City Leadership Team, RPRH Implementation Team, or other relevant bodies. This group should include stakeholders from local leadership, health, social welfare, information office, youth (SK Federation), and other target groups. Their collaboration will ensure the development of a comprehensive Communications Strategy aligned with the goals and priorities of the community.
Step 2: Create a communications strategy
- Create a Communications Plan. Using the gathered data on Feelings, Thinking and Behavior by the target population, formulate the following:
- Desired action that the team wants the target population to display that can solve the problem (Behavioral Objective)
- Corresponding action of information provider to communicate information (Communications Objective)
- Create a Single Overarching Communications Outcome (SOCO) – the core message that must be imparted to the target audience.
- Based on the SOCO, create at least 2-3 Key Messages. Key messages are designed with the goal of inciting the interested population to practice a desired behavior. A good message is both accurate (vetted by 1-2 studies/data) and understandable (framed in a manner as if directly speaking to the target audience).
The FP and ASRH Programs already have established Communications Plans and Key Messages devised by the DOH. LGUs can adopt and improve upon these existing plans to better suit their local context and address the specific needs of their communities.
See box below Steps for Communications plans for Family Planning and Adolescent Health and Development.
Step 3: Develop the communications materials through behavior-centered design
- Convene the CLT and design a behavior-centered design for IEC. Develop a hypothesis about what is motivating the Behaviors of the target audience.
- Using data regarding the community’s knowledge, attitudes and behavior added with the Communications Plan, identify one or more key messages which will serve as the core for the communications material.
Tip: An effective information campaign is able to induce behavior change by manipulating the various critical levers of behavior change
| INFORMATION |
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| EMOTIONAL APPEAL |
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| RULES AND REGULATIONS |
For FP & ASRH, these are anchored under the principles of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law. Identify other national and local policies that give further support to these. |
| CHOICE ARCHITECTURE |
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| INCENTIVES |
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| SOCIAL INFLUENCE |
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Step 4: Capacitate the service providers and create a prototype
- Using the resources available, identify a pilot site where the prototype campaign can be tested. The pilot site must be sufficiently small to be able to control any extraneous variables while still being large enough that the data obtained can be extrapolated to a larger audience. Test your prototype and make revisions accordingly.
- Capacitate the service providers in delivering the messages. Orient the providers on the Communications plan, key messages, the IEC design, behavior design levers and nuances of delivery. Create talking points or teaching guides which the service providers can study in order to standardize the message and avoid unnecessary adlibs.
Specific training modules/workshops are available that can capacitate service providers, equip them with the proper knowledge and boost their confidence.
For healthcare workers:
- Family Planning Competency-based Training Module 1– has specific talking points to capacitate providers to conduct counseling
- Foundational Course on Adolescent Health Care for Primary Service Providers
- Sexually Healthy and Personally Empowered-Adolescent (SHAPE-A)– improve CHV’s ability to communicate with adolescents and practice non-judgmental conversation. SHAPE-A can also be taught to peer educators
- Adolescent Health Education and Practical Training (ADEPT) – improve the CHV’s ability to communicate with adolescents, improve the capacity to conduct HEEADSSS screening
- Healthy Young Ones User Guide for Primary Healthcare Providers
For CHVs and non-health workers
- Sexually Healthy and Personally Empowered-Adolescent (SHAPE-A)
- CHW Job Tasking – enhance their FP delivery skills
- Peer educator’s training – for peer educators and navigators
- Once the IEC campaign has been delivered repeatedly with minimal revisions and the service providers are drilled sufficiently enough, it is now ready for scale up.
Tip: Adult learners respond more to interactive activity designs that allow them to realize new knowledge and recontextualize information based on their life experiences. Dialogues are more effective when done in the language of the participants.
Step 5: Deliver the message
For the Family Planning program as a whole, the primary method for targeted demand generation is through the Usapan Series. This is a collection of different modules designed for specific populations to address their need for information, encourage them to support responsible parenthood, and allow them to exercise their informed choice in selecting their preferred FP commodity.
Tip: Fostering discussions between couples and using prompts that promote gender equality, have both increased use of contraception as well as increased gender equity (Promoting healthy couples’ communication HIP).
For Adolescent Health and Development, the iChoose: Malayo ako maging website is an excellent resource of professionally-vetted, publicly-available materials (videos, print materials, etc) for IECs designed to address adolescent-relevant themes such as mental health, reproductive health, body positivity and acceptance.
USAPANG PWEDE PA |
Designed for: Men and Women of reproductive age, sexually active, in need of birth spacing
Requirements
Content:
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USAPANG KUNTENTO NA |
Designed for: Men and Women of reproductive age, sexually active, who have achieved desired family size / in need of birth limiting
Requirements
Content:
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USAPANG BUNTIS |
Designed for: Pregnant Women and partners
Requirements
Content:
|
USAPANG BAGONG MAGINOO |
Designed for: Men of reproductive age, sexually active, in need of birth limiting
Requirements
Content:
|
Step 6: Monitor and track the progress
Determining the level of understanding and behavioral change is a crucial step in determining the efficacy of the information campaign conducted. The method of monitoring and evaluation will differ depending on the type of campaign conducted and the level of evaluation according to the Kirkpatrick model.
- Conduct post-event evaluation. Measure the immediate emotional/satisfaction response (Level 1) of participants through Likert scales or Client satisfaction surveys. Measure the level of knowledge/information retention (Level 2) by conducting a pre- and post-test. The initial goal following an activity is to be able to establish positive attitudes towards RPRH by increasing information and diminishing myths and misconceptions.
- Coordinate the event with the nearest service provider (if in-reach) or service delivery point (if outreach). Provide the SDP with a list of attendees and their expressed preferred commodities so they can anticipate interested clients after the event. Likewise, during the event, provide directories or brochures to participants containing contact information and instructions to the nearest SDP that can provide their preferred FP service.
Tip: In some communities, handing out IEC materials with vouchers for services redeemable at the health center provides indirect, non-monetary, non-coercive incentive to interested clients. After an IEC, there will be some late adopters who might warm to the idea of RPRH days after the event. Providing these vouchers provides them with a chance to try out/inquire more on the commodity of interest in a separate visit at the health center. - Measure long-term response to the IEC campaign by monitoring the number of clients that have consulted in the SDP and/or availed of FP method of choice from service providers. These can be measured by correlating the attendance of participants to IEC with the HMIS record of the SDP or through house-to-house surveys of BHW/CHVs.
- Measure the systemic efficacy of the information campaigns and outreaches using a Quality implementation Checklist for CGE.
Challenges
- Due to the inherent nature of the topic, FP & SRH have numerous misconceptions and myths muddling the information space. Worse, even service providers & teachers themselves, harbor misinformed beliefs or unaddressed biases. It is important to address these first through dialogues & lectures with your training team early on.
- Creating too large a tent too early on in the coalition may prove detrimental especially if some members with very strongly negative views against SRH, are included immediately. While their input are very essential, it may be more prudent to start with a smaller task force of similarly-aligned partners, build an initial strategy, then invite other members to provide objective criticism.
- Social norms can inhibit an individual’s ability to act on their reproductive intentions. Social norms can overpower an individual’s preferences. In Kenya researchers found that men’s and women’s contraceptive use was influenced more by their perception of their social network’s approval of family planning than by their own approval of family planning (Dynes et al.).
External Resources
- The Flower of Participation
- La Chance Board Game
- ReachHealth’s research reports
- ReachHealth’s FP booklets for couples
- ReachHealth’s FP booklets for young adults
Philippines Program Areas
Service Delivery
Demand Generation
Self-Reliance
Communications Plan for Family Planning
(Source: Omnibus Guidelines for Adults, Family Planning Competency-based Manual 1)
Guiding Principles of PFPP:
- Respect for the sanctity of life. Family Planning aims to prevent abortion and therefore can save the lives of both women and children.
- Respect for human rights. Family Planning services will be made available using only medically and legally permissible methods appropriate to the health status of the client. Family Planning services shall be provided regardless of the client’s sex, number of children, sexual orientation, moral background, occupation, socio-economic status, cultural, and religious belief.
- The freedom of choice and voluntary decision. Couples and individuals will make family planning decisions based on informed choice including their own moral, cultural or religious beliefs.
- Respect for the rights of clients to determine their desired family size. Couples and individuals have the basic right to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.
Healthcare Workers
Mothers
Infants and Children
Fathers
Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition
- Central to the attainment of optimum maternal and child health is proper birth spacing of at least three years. This period provides ample time for mothers to regain their health and to properly care for their newborn. Through the use of safe and effective FP methods, the risks of pregnancy among the “too young,” “too old,” “too frequent,” and “too many” can be avoided.
- Pregnant women may have unmet need for FP. These women will benefit from being informed of FP services available in their localities.
- Breastfeeding mothers have specific FP needs. To this end, there are methods that do not affect the quality and quantity of breast milk.
Prevention and Management of RTIs, including STIs, HIV/AIDS
- Individuals who are sexually active with unmet FP needs are at risk for sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS.
- Family planning clients who are at risk of contacting STIs need dual protection through the use of a FP method such as the condom, which provides protection against STIs.
- Risk assessment for STIs is part of determining a client’s eligibility for IUD use.
Prevention and Management of Abortion and Its Complications
- Abortions are a result of unplanned pregnancies. One of the major causes of maternal deaths is due to the complications of unsafe abortion. Women who resort to abortion have unmet needs for family planning.
- Family planning provides men and women with options for preventing unplanned pregnancies, which may result in abortion. Proper management of complications of abortion includes medical treatment and the provision of FP services (i.e.,counseling).
Prevention and Management of Breast and Reproductive Tract Cancers and Other Gynecological Conditions
- Provision of FP services presents an opportunity for screening and early detection of breast and reproductive tract cancers.
- Combined oral contraceptives are proven to reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers. Progestin-only contraceptives have a high protective effect against endometrial cancers.
Education and Counseling on Sexuality and Sexual Health
- An understanding of basic concepts on fertility deepens the appreciation of gender roles and enhances the relationship between sexual partners.
- Fertility management and sexuality education are essential to sexual health.
- Family planning counseling and provision of accurate information on sexuality helps reduce unplanned pregnancies.
Men’s Reproductive Health and Involvement
- Men are crucial halves in the attainment of a couple’s reproductive intentions and should be involved in family planning.
- Male involvement is critical to acceptance and continuous use of family planning methods. This can be in the form of
- supporting their partner’s use of FP
- being acceptors themselves
- performing family obligations and other shared responsibilities such as child rearing
- Men have their own specific health needs for FP that a comprehensive RH service should provide for.
Adolescent Reproductive Health
- Adolescents have the potential to be sexually active and need to be advised and counseled about safe and responsible sexual practices, including FP.
- Orientation on fertility awareness and counseling are basic services, which will help promote responsible sexuality among adolescents. Responsible sexuality will help reduce unplanned pregnancies and RTIs particularly sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS.
Prevention and Management of Infertility and Sexual Dysfunctions
- Fertility awareness during FP counseling may provide the opportunity to discuss infertility and sexual dysfunction problems, which are normally difficult topics to bring out in the open.
- FP is not only for delaying pregnancies but also for achieving fertility through fertility awareness orientation, counseling, and referral to appropriate facilities.
Violence Against Women and Children
- FP use may be a sensitive issue in a family affected by a gender-related violence (e.g. women who are beaten up because they do not want to get pregnant). Health providers need to be tactful while ensuring that client needs are met.
- Domestic violence, mostly with women as the victims, is now recognized as an important public health issue. Sexual violence is one of the most common forms. This provides an opportunity to discuss and promote FP.
FP is effective in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity
- Using an effective FP method reduces maternal deaths by preventing high risk pregnancies among women who are too young, too old, or too ill to bear children safely.
- Maternal deaths can be prevented if unwanted pregnancies are avoided and pregnancies are spaced by at least three years.
- FP prevents closely spaced pregnancies that leads to and worsen conditions such as anemia and maternal malnutrition.
FP has other additional benefits aside from contraception
- Studies show that combined oral contraceptives provide significant non-contraceptive health benefits. They are known to prevent/reduce the incidence of the following diseases and conditions:
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Ovarian cancer
- Endometrial cancer
- Ovarian cysts
- Benign breast disease
- Excessive menstrual bleeding and associated anemia
- Menstrual cramping, pain, and discomfort
All FP methods help women with HIV to avoid pregnancy, thus avoid bearing HIV-infected children
Reduction in infant and child mortality and morbidity
- Globally, an estimated 14.5 million infants and children under age five die every year, mainly from respiratory and diarrheal diseases complicated by malnutrition.
- Recent studies indicate that the lowest risks for fetal death, pre-term delivery, being undersized for gestational age, neonatal death, and low birth weight occur when births are spaced from three to five years.
- Properly spaced children of at least three years will be given the love, attention, care, and time from mothers and fathers attending to their growth and development.
- Fewer children in the family will provide more opportunities for adequate food, clothing, good education, and good health for the children.
- Breastfeeding can protect infants against diarrheal and other infectious diseases and also protects mothers from postpartum hemorrhage.
FP and child spacing benefits the father by decreasing his burden
- Spacing Provides fathers who are suffering from chronic illnesses (i.e., Diabetes, Hypertension) enough time for treatment and recovery from those illnesses.
- Lightens his burdens and responsibilities in supporting his family since he will only be providing few children he can afford to support.
- Enables him to give his children a good home, good education, and a better future.
- Gives time for his own personal achievement.
- Enables him to have time and opportunity to relate with his wife and play with his children.
- Affords him extra resources and enough time to actively participate in community programs and projects.
Communications Plan for Adolescent Health and Development
(Source: KADA Playbook)
GOALS:
- Encourage community frontliners to communicate effectively with adolescents on sexual and reproductive health
- Equip community frontliners with the knowledge and skills to feel confident about the information they share to adolescents on sexual and reproductive health
- Promote positive attitude and behaviors in discussing adolescent sexual and reproductive health topics with adolescents and their communities
Adolescent friendly facility frontliners (healthcare providers, social workers, etc.)
Adolescent friendly facility frontliners (healthcare providers, social workers, etc.)
Adolescent friendly facility frontliners (healthcare providers, social workers, etc.)
KEY MESSAGE: Your community respects you. With the capacity and network that you have, empower adolescents and their communities on adolescent sexual and reproductive health through the provision of adolescent friendly information and services — and appropriate case referral, if necessary.
Adolescents are capable of making safe and responsible SRH decisions, when they are provided with reliable knowledge, good guidance, and support from trusted adults.
1. As adolescents learn about themselves and the world, they become more and more capable of making good decisions. Families need to support this to ensure that they do not engage in risky sexual behavior.
2. Adolescents want adult guidance about SRH. Trusted adults are the biggest influence on adolescents’ SRH practices — their involvement can prevent risky sexual behavior.
3. Despite the need and want to talk about SRH, adolescents often face a number of barriers to doing so, including hiya, lack of knowledge, and lack of communication skills to talk about SRH with trusted adults. You can reach out to them to ensure they make good SRH choices.
Community
Community
Community
KEY MESSAGE: Equip adolescents for life by talking to them openly, honestly, and positively about SRH. Support them in making good decisions on their sexual and reproductive health by following the lead of adolescent friendly community frontliners.
Trust and openness are important in any adult-adolescent relationship. Help adolescents feel more comfortable speaking with you about sexual and reproductive matters.
1. Adolescents who are more comfortable speaking with the people around them on sexual and reproductive health are also less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior.
2. Hiya (shame or embarrassment) can often stop adolescents from speaking to those around them on SRH matters. Reaching out to adolescents on SRH matters can help them overcome “hiya” and have healthier conversations with you.
3. Judging, dominating conversations, and preaching and nagging can push adolescents away. Listening more, asking more questions, and judging less can help adolescents feel more comfortable opening up to you.
Adolescents Ages 15-17
Adolescents Ages 15-17
Adolescents Ages 15-17
KEY MESSAGE: Curiosity about sexual and reproductive health is normal at your age. Your community, especially frontliners such as health workers, social workers, and more, are here to help you make good decisions on your sexual and reproductive health.
You have the right against discrimination based on your age or any other factor, to access complete and accurate information on sexual and reproductive health, and to make decisions on your SRH.
1. Adolescents such as yourself have the right to make informed decisions on your sexual and reproductive health. Before deciding on anything related to your SRH, make sure you research your choices well. Your adolescent friendly community frontliners are here to help you!
2. You have the right against stigma and discrimination by your adolescent friendly community frontliners. You should not be threatened, shamed, embarrassed, treated rudely, provided poor service, or turned away by adolescent friendly community frontliners.
3. You have the right to actively participate in the planning and implementation of adolescent friendly services. Contact your Sangguniang Kabataan or adolescent friendly community frontliners to get involved.
BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES
1. Confidently and positively advise adolescents with regard to their sexual and reproductive health; and,
2. Act as community experts with regard to adolescent’s sexual and reproductive health.
KEY MESSAGE: Your community respects you. With the capacity and network that you have, empower adolescents and their communities on adolescent sexual and reproductive health through the provision of adolescent friendly information and services — and appropriate case referral, if necessary.
It is important to approach conversations about sex, sexuality, and sexual and reproductive matters with facts, non-judgmental attitudes, and sex positivity.
1. Fear- or threat-based, stigmatizing, or negative messages about sex discourages people, especially adolescents, from seeking guidance and advice from those around them.
2. Values are best practiced when they are mutually understood and appreciated. Helping adolescents articulate their values in relation to SRH helps them make decisions aligned with those values.
3. Sexuality is part of life. Teaching families, especially adolescents , to make responsible choices, respectfully communicate thoughts and feelings, and practice safety and consent will help prepare them for life.
BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES
1. Seek clear and accurate information from community experts on adolescent’s sexual and reproductive health
2. Confidently and positively speak with adolescents on sexual and reproductive matters.
KEY MESSAGE: Equip adolescents for life by talking to them openly, honestly, and positively about SRH. Support them in making good decisions on their sexual and reproductive health by following the lead of adolescent friendly community frontliners.
It is important to approach conversations about sex, sexuality, and sexual and reproductive matters with facts, non-judgmental attitudes, and sex positivity.
1. Fear- or threat-based, stigmatizing, or negative messages about sex discourages people, especially adolescents, from seeking guidance and advice from those around them.
2. Values are best practiced when they are mutually understood and appreciated. Helping adolescents articulate their values in relation to SRH helps them make decisions aligned with those values.
3. Sexuality is part of life. Teaching families, especially adolescents , to make responsible choices, respectfully communicate thoughts and feelings, and practice safety and consent will help prepare them for life.
BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES
1.Trust, ask, and confide in a trusted adult or adolescent friendly community frontliner on matters relating to sexual and reproductive health; and,
2. Protect themselves by understanding risks and practicing safe sexual and reproductive behavior.
KEY MESSAGE: Curiosity about sexual and reproductive health is normal at your age. Your community, especially frontliners such as health workers, social workers, and more, are here to help you make good decisions on your sexual and reproductive health.
Sexual and reproductive health is not something to be ashamed about, but something to be seriously thought about and acted upon.
1. Sexual and reproductive health is natural, not something to be embarrassed or ashamed about. Understanding your body, emotions, gender, relationships, and more is a part of SRH, and is an important part of growing up and making choices responsibly.
2. All adolescents have the right to make decisions about their own SRH. Your SRH is important — decisions that you make must be based on well-researched information, your own values, and preferably, guidance from a trusted adult.
3. Healthy relationships between parents and children, peers, lovers (regardless of gender), or more must be built on equality, respect for oneself and for others, and mutual consent. One should not feel forced into a relationship or into doing something they don't want to do.
COMMUNICATIONS
1. Explain the importance of safe sexual and reproductive behavior for adolescents.
2. Explain the crucial role of frontline workers in ensuring that adolescents make safe and healthy sexual and reproductive health choices.
KEY MESSAGE: Your community respects you. With the capacity and network that you have, empower adolescents and their communities on adolescent sexual and reproductive health through the provision of adolescent friendly information and services — and appropriate case referral, if necessary.
Frontline workers are in a unique position to advise and provide community members with resources to approach conversations on adolescent SRH with confidence.
1. Healthcare and social workers are viewed as experts by the community. By ensuring that adolescents have complete and accurate information, frontliners can help adolescents prevent STI and HIV infection, and teenage pregnancy.
2. Providing community members with accurate and complete information on SRH can also give them the confidence they need to speak with adolescents on SRH, thereby building more trusting relationships which adolescents can rely on to make good decisions.
3. Help families achieve their family planning goals. Equipping parents with the information and skills they need helps not only adolescents, but the parents themselves.
COMMUNICATIONS
1. Explain the importance of safe sexual and reproductive behavior for adolescents.
2. Explain the crucial role of frontline workers in ensuring that adolescents make safe and healthy sexual and reproductive health choices.
KEY MESSAGE: Equip adolescents for life by talking to them openly, honestly, and positively about SRH. Support them in making good decisions on their sexual and reproductive health by following the lead of adolescent friendly community frontliners.
You can communicate positively with your children about sex while setting healthy boundaries and imparting values.
1. Associating sexual and reproductive matters with danger, stigma, and negativity can push adolescents away from people who can guide them and toward risky experimentation. Avoid threatening, shaming, or embarrassing adolescents when talking about SRH.
2. Sexuality is part of life. Teaching adolescents to make responsible choices, respectfully communicate thoughts and feelings, and practice safety and consent will help prepare them for life.
3. Your values matter. Communicating them clearly so that adolescents understand them can help them make decisions on their SRH more aligned with your shared values.
COMMUNICATIONS
1. Explain the importance of safe sexual and reproductive behavior for adolescents.
2. Improve adolescent’s knowledge of safe sexual and reproductive behavior
KEY MESSAGE: Curiosity about sexual and reproductive health is normal at your age. Your community, especially frontliners such as health workers, social workers, and more, are here to help you make good decisions on your sexual and reproductive health.
Prevent adolescent pregnancy, the spread of HIV or other STIs, sexual violence, or other risks through safe sexual practices.
1. Adolescent friendly facilities, services, and community frontliners are in place to support your SRH needs. Consult with the LGU’s KADA Center frontliners so you can make good choices about your SRH.
2. Sexual partners must understand and respect each other's boundaries, and freely and clearly give consent before engaging in sexual behavior. Consent cannot and should not be forced or given by someone who is underage, intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, asleep, or unconscious.
3. Protection from unintended pregnancy and STI or HIV infection is a mutual responsibility when engaging in sexual behavior. Always make sure to have and use condoms and/or other forms of contraception with a sexual partner to keep yourself and your partner safe.
Indicators for success
Vertical Indicators
- Inclusion of CGE into the Program Design
- Inclusion of CGE in the Work & Financial Plan, Annual Operational Plan, Annual Investment Plan
- Adoption of CGE standards as per DOH Guidelines on ensuring quality standards in the delivery of Family Planning program and services through compliance to Informed Choice and Voluntarism
- # of of community dialogue days/Usapan Sessions conducted
What is the evidence that CGE strengthens family planning programming?
- Targeted door-to-door demand generation activities in Niger conducted by Community health workers utilizing reflective dialogues to discuss family planning and timing and spacing of pregnancies (Challa et al., 2019). The advantage of reflective dialogue over traditional health classes is it eliminates the dynamics of top down lecture in favor of conversational learning.
- Most couples respond better to adult-centered learning designs (Knowles, 1984). Utilizing education methods that validate the adult’s lived experiences & provide more leeway for the client to “discover” his/her own need drastically increases the chance of retention of information and subsequent behavior change afterwards.
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