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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Kriss Barker, MPH, International Health Group, Chemonics International, Chemonics International, 1133 20th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, 202-955-4124, kbarker@chemonics.net
How can IEC possibly fulfill its charge to promote behavior change if the structure responsible for coordinating IEC activities cannot provide the necessary leadership? In Mali, the National Center for Health IEC was unable to fulfill its mandate to assure that messages, materials and activities developed by health-related IEC institutions are technically correct, and have been developed following recognized IEC techniques. At the same time, Mali also lacked a forum for coordination among the various actors working in IEC, which resulted in a duplication of effort and a squandering of resources.
To respond to this situation, a National IEC Strategy was developed in 1996. The strategy helped to re-dynamize the IEC Technical Committee, which provides a forum to coordinate IEC activities of various institutions. The strategy also provided the National Center with an effective means of controlling the production of high-quality, accurate materials and messages, which vastly improved the impact of IEC activities. A key step in implementing the strategy was the development of a repertoire of standardized, key messages.
The process of operationalizing the national IEC strategy, combined with the good-will created by the open partnership process, created a system that combined the best aspects of hierarchy (vertical control) with heterarchy (open horizontal communication).
The process of development and implementation of the IEC strategy in health has recently been replicated for the Ministries of Education and Youth Promotion in Mali, and has been used to develop national IEC strategies in several other African countries.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.