Recognizing the importance of an integrated approach to communications necessary to achieve ESP’s behavior change objectives for an array of issues covering a range of target audiences, ESP is introducing Strategic Communication for Behavior Change as a new technical component. The Strategic Communication technical component brings together the two cross-cutting themes of Health and Hygiene Behavior Change with Public Outreach Communications to form a more cohesive approach toward addressing behavior change.

Health and Hygiene Behavior Change focuses primarily on individual-, household- and community-level behavior change and practices that lead to improved health. Most important for ESP is reduced prevalence of diarrhea for children under three, the indicator for ESP’s overall Strategic Objective. Health and Hygiene Behavior Change activities are coordinated from the Jakarta offices and implemented in ESP High Priority Provinces by Health and Hygiene Communications Specialists in close collaboration with other ESP technical staff and partners. Based on baseline survey data and formative research work conducted over the past year, ESP will focus primarily on behavior change that breaks the fecal-oral transmission cycle. Major emphasis will continue to be effective hand washing with soap.

Public Outreach Communications targets behavior change at a larger scale, targeting both decision makers as well as media to provide information and inspire discourse that leads to a more coherent demand for better public services by local communities matched by improved basic human services delivery by government from the district to national level. The key tool of Public Outreach Communications is the Multi Media Campaign, or MMC. MMCs are conducted under the leadership of the Public Outreach Communications Coordinator in Jakarta, and facilitated by Public Outreach and Communications Specialists in each High Priority Province with the support of ESP’s broader technical team. This year, MMCs will be conducted on a Quarterly basis in order to ensure high quality and cohesive MMCs as well as an availability of time for Public Outreach Specialists to work on the many public outreach and communications demands and opportunity that emerge during regular implementation of field activities.

ESP also recognizes the importance of Strategic Communications for Behavior Change in other parts of the Program. Of specific note, ESP’s approach to working with rural, urban and peri-urban communities is an important behavior change tool for inspiring confidence and leadership at the community level to initiate change. Thirty-six recently recruited Field Assistants have been trained in facilitation techniques to achieve this, and ESP-facilitated community work is considered an important layer in our overall behavior change approach.