NFSSM Alliance With Ministry Of Housing And Urban Affairs Bring SBCC Primer As Tool For Sanitation

The NFSSM Alliance has developed the Social and Behaviour Change (SBCC) Primer which was released in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at the launch of the National Behaviour Change Communication Framework for Garbage Free Cities. Aligning with the government’s vision of shifting from IEC (information, education and communication) tools to SBCC (social and behaviour change communication), the SBCC Primer aids the on-ground implementation of behaviour change to achieve inclusive sanitation outcomes.

Targeted toward sector practitioners and government implementers, the Primer lays down a blueprint to approach SBCC using a scientific methodology leveraging case studies to guide and build the capacity of target stakeholders in urban sanitation. The primer also includes insights from BBC Media Action’s on-ground experience in impacting communities using communication strategies.

A few key points from the primer include: Tools, techniques and strategies that can be used to develop, implement and evaluate  SBCC programs. These are illustrated using case studies based on implementation to guide and aid replication by practitioners. Guiding practitioners and implementers from rollout to evaluation of SBCC, the document will be a valuable learning tool to aid community-centric systemic changeto enable inclusive sanitation outcomes for all communities.

The event was organised at Nirman Bhavan, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), New Delhi in the presence of key dignitaries including Roopa Mishra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Other speakers and eminences at the event included Dr Anubhuti Yadav, Professor, Indian Institute of Mass Communication; Radharani Mitra, Executive Producer BBC Media Action (India); Saumil Ranjan Chaubey, Mission Director, SBM-U, Chhattisgarh; Sangramjit Nayak, Misison Director, Odisha; Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar, IAS, Commissioner, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation; Pandit Patil, Lonavala, CO; and Dr Barsha Poricha, Head-Techincal Cell, CURE.The event was followed by a multi-stakeholder discussion titled, ‘Swachh Talks Webinar Series - Swachhata Ki Jyot’ focussed on the need for social and behaviour change communication in the urban sanitation space.

This primer is an essential document which incorporates field-based learnings and evidence towards enabling behaviour change in the sector to move towards safe and inclusive sanitation outcomes. The insights and learnings from the primer can be valuable to any sector that wishes to incorporate SBCC within its programmatic priorities. However, the launch of the Primer is only the first step which has to be followed by building the capacity of relevant stakeholders to successfully integrate SBCC within the sector. The SBCC primer is hence a key implementation tool to ensure social and behavioural change within communities to ensure sustained inclusive sanitation outcomes for all.