HANDS Information Communication Resource and Advocacy (ICR&A) program works as cross cutting theme and intervenes with all other programs and projects. To achieve the Millennium Development Goals for improving health, education and livelihood enhancement ICR&A support other programs through development of advocacy campaign, behavior change and communication strategy, video/audio documentary, printing & publishing and knowledge management. Most of the best practice models of ICR&A Program are service based models.
Best Practice Service Model-1
Advocacy Campaign
The Advocacy Model is evidence based and impartial and ensures that the cause for which it is advocating is promoted without favors to any political, religious, raciest party. The aim is to bring in change or create better environment.
Objectives:
- Initiate actions in support of a cause or issue to generate opinions in favour of the cause
- Influence or change legislation that affects it (cause)
Methodology:
- Understanding of issue :
For evidence base advocacy the facts and information about the issue should be analyzed before launching any campaign or composing any message for advocacy on particular subject.
- Consultation meetings with stakeholders:
Before launching advocacy campaign on issues, consultation meetings with stakeholders are conducted for collecting information on any issue in consensus.
- Sharing through mediums:
All mediums including Radio, TV, Internet, social media, print media, newsletters, article, letter to editors are utilized as per need and relevancy for highlighting the issue.
- Seminar with Stakeholders/Decision Makers:
To highlight and raise issue of poor marginalized, minorities, youth and adolescent and underprivileged groups, advocacy seminars are organized with media, stake holders, MNA’s, MPA, Govt Officials etc.
Follow ups are taken on progress of policy amendments and resolution of issue.
Achievements:
During 2011-2012, ICR&A has successfully designed and implemented advocacy campaigns on 06 issues including health, education and consumer right issues. The program facilitated celebration of national days on adolescent health, health consumer rights, early age marriage, breast feeding, corporal punishment and early childhood development. The program also conducted 34 seminars, 08 rallies and 12 press conferences on different subjects of national interest. More than 25000 people were reached through these activities.
Press Clipping
Best Practice Service Model-2
Development of Behavior Change Communication (BCC)Strategy
ICR & A program has expertise in designing of BCC strategies as per requirement of project/ program. The strategy is applied when it is required to bring change in Knowledge Attitude and Practices (KAP) regarding any issue in target population.
Delivery of BCC Messages in the community in Kashmore
- Develop strategy to bring behavior change
- Bring positive change for community development
- Promote/address issues of interest.
The steps of BCC development include:
1. Analysis
Understand the nature of the issue and barriers to change: listen to potential audiences; assess existing program policies, resources, strengths, and weaknesses; and analyze communication resources.
Decide on objectives, identify audience segments, position the concept for the audience, clarify the behavior change model to be used, select channels of communication, plan for interpersonal discussion, draw up an action plan, and design for evaluation.
3. Development, Pretesting, Revision, and Production
Develop message concepts, pretest with audience members and gate keepers, revise and produce messages and materials, and retest new and existing materials.
4. Management, Implementation, and Monitoring
Respective programs implement the BCC strategy as per action plan and information is disseminated, while ICR & A monitors transmission, and reception of program outputs.
ICR&A measures impact on audience, and determine how to improve future projects with support of MER program.
6. Planning for Continuity
Adjust to changing conditions, and plan for continuity and self-sufficiency.
Achievements:
During 2011-2012, ICR&A designed 15 BCC Strategies of different projects.
Best Practice Service Model-3
Video/Audio Production Unit
This best practice model of ICR&A focus on promotion of any subject of interest through using audio and visual media. In present circumstances these media are very effective for promotion an dissemination as they have inherent appeal to audience. HANDS production unit is fully equipped with this technology and can produce audios and videos on related subjects.
Objectives:
- Produce and develop documentaries,
- Develop project’s short movies,
- Promote messages and services
Methodology:
- Conceptualization of subject
- Script writing
- Audio video making/field shooting
- Voice over/ voice recording
- Editing
- Final Review and approval
Achievements:
HANDS ICR developed following video/documentaries:
- Where there is no LHW-MARVI documentary
- HANDS TAMEER Wild Water documentary
- Disability Day Rally video
- Young Generation Leadership Training documentary
- Gender Base Violence (GBV) documentary
- HANDS UNDP partnership video
- Flood updated video
- FALAH closing ceremony video
- Ten days Training of Trainers program on psycosocial care for communities effected by disaster.
- HANDS song updated video
Best Practice Service Model-4
Designing, Composing and Publications
Informative educational communication material for awareness raising in communities for BCC is developed by publication unit of ICR&A. The material is developed, edited, composed and designed by ICR&A. It works on transcriptions, posters, brochures, manuals, case studies, articles scripts, portfolios and newsletters in English and other Pakistani languages. Publication unit also develops the HANDS newsletters, organizational Annual Profiles and other periodical reports. Bill boards, sign boards, health cards, Management Information System tools, banners, certificates, awards shields and any other job of designing and composing is also conducted by this program. It also has expertise in desktop printing, offset printing, screen printing and pana-flex printing.
Methodology:
Composing and designing is done using appropriate software including Freehand, Adobe Photoshop, In-page, Corel draw, illustrator and publisher. Matter or text of all print material like banners, certificates, manuals, brochures, posters, shields etc. is first verified from respective program managers. After approval from respective program it is composed and sent for printing.
Achievements:
During 2011-2012 ICR&A achieved following:
- More than 645 project reports including summary reports.
- Designed and published more than 65 news bulletins and news letters in Urdu and English languages
- Designing , composing and printing of 78981 brochures, 138000 leaflets, 51366 posters, 32900 pamphlets and 783 banners was accomplished.
- 1000 copies of Profile 2010-2011.
- Thousands of other miscellaneous print material including receipts, certificates, folders, , sign boards, titles, stickers, booklets, name plates, MIS tools for health facilities, envelopes, , name tags, CD cover, employee files, visiting cards, flip charts, invitation cards, panaflex mounts and port folios were designed, writing pads, health cards, support cards for relief goods distribution, charts and Planners for 2011-2012, were also designed, composed and printed by ICR&A.
Best Practice Service Model-5
Knowledge Management System
ICR&A provides pool of information in the form of maintaining/storing copies of all printed material/reports, historical documents and books in the library. This pool is accessible to the organization staff as well as other organization’s personnel. Most of it is available on HANDS website as well. ICR&A is managing the centralized library of HANDS at Head Office and also monitoring and supporting districts libraries. These include Audio; Video CD’s books and reports. The unit maintain back-up of all documents in soft and hard copies.
Objective:
- keep hard copies of all the organization reports.
- Secure and preserve soft and hard copies of
- intellectual property of the organization.
- Maintain libraries of the offices
Methodology:
- Retrieve, sort out and organize library material in the library.
- Acquisition of library material from different organizations, venders and book suppliers.
- Technical Processing i.e.
- Accessioning and cataloging of all acquired material in accession register.
- Classification of material according to Dewey.
- Decimal Classification Scheme (DDC).
- Data input in the Library software.
- Apply spine label on the books & reports
- Placing / shelving of material
- Preservation of intellectual property document through hard binding and PDF files.
- Subscribing national and international journals, periodicals etc.
- Retrieve, prepare list and convert videos from VHS to DVD for preservation of intellectual property.
- Prepare list of published material and maintain stock sheet.
- Stock taking of library and published material
- Maintain and update mailing list for dissemination of HANDS published material
- Providing update information regarding library and published material (pdf file) for HANDS Website.
- Maintain news clipping records on daily bases.
- Providing reference services to internal and external users.
- Monitor and facilitate districts offices for all ICR&A related activities.
Achievements:
During 2011-2012 ICR&A achievements include:
HANDS Library Network
Maintained a network of fourteen libraries one at head office and remaining at district offices i.e. Karachi rural, Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Umerkot, Dadu, Matiari, Sukkur, Sanghar, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and community Midwifery Schools at Karachi Matiari.
Resource Material:
During 2011-2012 total 12360 reading material ( books, report, journal etc) were made available on the network.
Best Practice Training Model
Best Practice Service Model-5
BCC Training
Behavior change communication (BCC) is part of an integrated, multilevel, interactive process with communities aimed at developing tailored messages and approaches using a variety of communication channels. ICR&A program conduct BCC training for project staff internal and external professionals requiring to develop the strategy for their programs or projects.
Behavioral Change Communication training on smart chart technique
Objective:
- Foster positive behavior
- Promote and sustain individual, community, and societal behavior change
- Build capacity of communication personnels to in
- BCC to bring change in attitudes of communities.
Methodology:
ICR developed training as per the requirement of the project specific goals after understanding the context of the project and program. Build capacity of personnel’s in understanding of basic concepts of communication. Following major topics covered under this training: The training approach in this module is based on the principles of behavior change communication (BCC) of small doable actions and the widely acknowledged theory that adults learn best by reflecting on their experience. The participatory training approach uses the experiential learning cycle method and prepares participants for hands-on performance of skills. The course employs a variety of training methods, including demonstration, practice, discussion, case studies, and role play.
Training Contents:
- Understanding of basic tools of Communication.
- Understanding of BCC and its tools.
- Development of their own BCC strategy for their project.
- Basic Skills in message development for BCC
- Application of Smart Chart tool in message development.
- Group work and assignment
Training Duration:
One day training.
Achievements:
During last year 03 BCC training were conducted and overall 31 training were conducted in previous years.
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