Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Socail Mobilzation Plan Final New 2
Socail Mobilzation Plan Final New 2
Socail Mobilzation Plan Final New 2
PLAN
For
Background............................................................................................................................4
(1) Introduction.......................................................................................................................5
………………..……………… 14
The Enteric Diseases and Malnutrition are considered to be the most prevalent risk factors
for morbidity and mortality and responsible for half of the child deaths worldwide and pose a
great threat to the child health and development at very early age1.
To investigate the associations between malnutrition, enteric infections and risk factors, a
study is being initiated in the eight sites of developing countries including district Naushahro
Feroze, Sindh, Pakistan. It is a longitudinal epidemiological study that is designed to obtain a
comprehensive understanding of the risk factors for malnutrition, enteric diseases and
associated health consequences in children.
We will follow a cohort of 300 children in the selected area (UC Molhan district Naushahro
Feroze) for the period of two years from birth to 24 months age of child.
The accomplishment of aims and objectives greatly depends on the collaboration of the local
community & the participation of target groups (pregnant women & their husbands & head of
the household). Hence, target groups must be mobilized for achieving our target sample size
and subsequently the aims and objectives of the respective project and a specific plan of
activities needs to be formulated that guides the implementation of social mobilization
process at target area during the course of study.
1
MAL-ED project proposal, p-p 4-5
Social Mobilization Plan, MAL-ED, NAUSHAHRO FEROZE | 5
1 INTRODUCTION
Social mobilization is a proven development strategy that has helped people around the
world to identify and address important health issues. Social mobilization not only helps
people improve their health and living conditions, but strengthens and enhances the ability of
the community to work collectively towards a common goal2.
Through mobilization, communities can be made aware of the adverse effects of malnutrition
& enteric diseases on their child health and members of the community can develop efforts
to reach out at-risk populations. It can increase awareness within a community regarding the
importance of eliminating and preventing this health hazard. Moreover, the sustainable
support and participation of community, for MAL-ED project, can be achieved through the
process of social mobilization.
This proposed plan is designed to explain in detail that strategic implementation of social
mobilization process step by step at targetarea in lieu with the design of the project. Further,
it describes the procedures and methods of executing the processes involved in social
mobilization during the entire period of the study. In addition, this plan will provide a base for
community support and participation for the respective project.
2
How to mobilize communities for health & social change, pp-2,
http://www.jhuccp.org/training/scope/nepal/comm/concepts.pdf
Social Mobilization Plan, MAL-ED, NAUSHAHRO FEROZE | 6
2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
The aims and objectives of the plan are to:
1. Aware and sensitize the participants about consequences of malnutrition & enteric
diseases in their children under 2 years of age.
2. Inform the participants about the procedures to be carried during the entire study
and to get consent (verbal/ written) from them
3. Overcome the refusals and dropouts of the target groups through CBM (Confidence
Building Measures).
4. Improve interaction and cooperation between target groups and project staff.
5. Motivate target groups and key persons to collaborate and participate in project
activities.
Moreover, Social mobilization is the process of bringing together all practical inter-sectoral
allies to raise awareness for a particular program, to strengthen community participation for
sustainability and self-reliance. It capitalizes on people’s energies and commitments that can
help move a group of people to achieve a common goal and understand why it matters to
them.
3
www.tulane.edu/~icec/socmob.htm -
4
Community mobilization guide, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
United states, pp 9, www.cdc.gov/std/see.
Social Mobilization Plan, MAL-ED, NAUSHAHRO FEROZE | 7
5 MOBILIZING THE COMMUNITY:
(5.1a) First step: Assessment of the Community (Target Area & Groups)
Before the beginning of mobilization process at the target area, the first step will be the
assessment of the target community in order to have a comprehensive understanding of
target groups, which will help in the formation of activities according to its observed
variables.
Following questions will enable us in the basic assessment of the target area & groups and
the answers will help us in the designing of the mobilization strategy according to it:
After assessing the target area, following are the findings & suggested strategies:
The MAL-ED field teams have already conducted the identification process of Pregnant
Women (PW) & Women of Reproductive Age (WRA) at the target area in which 300 PW &
4175 WRA have been identified.
The target area is comprised of 38 villages with a population of 17895 & 2354 households
(as per census by SNL [Saving newborn lives] project).
It is divided into four dehs including Machur, Ladho Rano, Molhan Reti and Molhan Jageer.
Deh Machur is comprised of 21 villages, Deh Molhan Reti 6 villages, Deh Molhan Jagir 4
villages and Deh Ladho Rano 7 villages.
Target groups: 300 pregnant women & their husbands and head of the households
Considering the findings of the assessment of the target area & groups, the proposed
strategy will be COMAA 5(Communication and Advocacy) for mobilizing the subjects and will
be based on following tools and approaches:
• Counseling/ Motivation
• Advocacy:
After assessment, the second step is to develop teams which will implement the process of
social mobilization and carry out all the activities and also will monitor & evaluate the social
mobilization processes.
Team Composition:
• Field teams will mobilize the target groups at the beginning of the screening
process (by MAL-ED field teams) till the end of the project from time to time.
• M&E team will monitor & evaluate the ongoing activities of social mobilization
process fruitful
5
COMAA (Communication and Advocacy) is a proposed strategy based on combined
approach of communication and advocacy. It will be a productive strategy for mobilizing
the target groups. (S.A.M)
Social Mobilization Plan, MAL-ED, NAUSHAHRO FEROZE | 9
The M&E team will be comprised of:
Once teams are developed, the training sessions will be conducted for field teams by project
and field supervisors, where teams will be acquainted with MAL-ED project and social
mobilization: its strategy, process and aims and objectives of this plan and also they will be
imparted necessary skills (communication skills, advocacy, motivation etc) to mobilize the
target groups.
After training, the process of mobilization will be started in lieu with project design and
requirement, in a following procedure:
• Meeting with the key persons (immams/ teachers/ head of village/local zamindars/
nazims/ councilors etc) of the community to aware and sensitize them regarding the
MAL-ED project
• The Field teams (Male members only) along with project supervisor/ field supervisor
will arrange a BBCM with the key persons of respective villages (one by one) in order
to aware the key persons about MAL-ED project and procedures to be carried on
during the study before the start of enrollment process.
• During the BBCM the mobilizer will give project orientation to the key persons of the
respective village(s) in order to facilitate the project activities in that village and to
avoid possible issues during the study.
• The field teams will obtain consent (verbal/ written) and ensure the participation of
the target groups.
• The field teams will visit the respective households before the screening process (of
Child & Mother) in order to get consent.
• The Female Research Assistant (RA) will support and assist the mobilizers in
mobilization process and will help to identify the household of the respective child.
• The field teams will maintain the documentation of social mobilization process &
activities respectively and will submit monthly reports to M&E team.
• The field teams will make a separate list of the strong refusals
• The field teams will visit the household of that child whose family strongly refused /
disagreed to continue the participation in the study during the project.
• The field team (Male member only) will arrange the Interpersonal Meeting/ Corner
meeting with the head of the respective family and will motivate him to participate in
the study in conducive environment.
• In the meeting, the team will identify the reasons for strong refusal and will convince
the head of the household in order to continue their participation in the study.
• In the meeting, the team can take help of the field supervisors and community key
persons (Immams, village heads, Teachers, local zamindars etc) to encourage the
respective head of the house to take the active part in the study.
• The field team (Female members only) will meet the mother of the respective child or
grandmother of the child and will provoke her about the importance of their child
health and will aware them about the consequences of not participating in the study.
• The field team (Female members only) can take help of the Local Lady Health worker
/ Female teacher for motivating the mother/ grand mother of the respective child.
The mobilizers are suggested to adopt following way of mobilization step by step (during the
IP/BBCM meetings) in order to give comprehensive and same information about MAL-ED
project to the target groups and key persons of community:
o Introduce yourself and your organization and purpose of your visit in very
humble manner considering best ethical practices.
o Twice weekly surveillance (for diet and illness of child) and diarrheal
sample collection (if child experienced diarrhea) for cause of diarrhea
o Urine sample collection (at 3,6,9 and 15 months) to see the nutritional
status and gut integrity of child through lactulose and mannitol test
Note: Mobilizers will use local language (sindhi) of the community in mobilization process
and will use motivation and counseling as mobilizing tools for mobilizing the target groups
and key persons of the community
Strong Refusals of the parent of the child during the study due to twice weekly visits and
blood, urine & diarrheal sample collection because twice weekly visits may irritate the target
groups and the varied collection of samples may distress them.
Proposed Solution:
The field teams will arrange the Broad-Base community meeting in the village of the
respective subjects with help of key persons/ religious person/ community workers/teachers
in which the father or head of that family will be invited.
In the meeting, male mobilizer will demonstrate the benefits of MAL-ED project and along
with that other key person may have an informal speech to pursue the targeted subject to
continue the participation.
To overcome this potential issue, the mobilizers are suggested to inform all the procedures
to be conducted during the project in greater detail before the filling consent form.
The field teams can take help of field supervisor (if it is required) in the BBCM to mobilize the
refused participant.
If the father/ head of the family still refuse to participate then the child of the respective
family will be excluded from the study.
Proposed Solution:
All the concerned documents/ data will be checked by M&E team for its reliability through
weekly random visits to the respective family(s).
M&E team will do (10%) validation of the mobilization activities (by mobilization teams) and
the documentation will be thoroughly checked by the supervisors of MAL-ED project.
Solution:
The mobilizers will make quarterly visits (in a year) to the particular households and will
motivate the target groups throughout the study and will give small gift packages to their
children like toys, picture books etc.
This act of the mobilizers will create a sense of support and care among the target groups
that will increase the active participation in the study
Harsh attitude of target family towards project staff in case of death of target child during the
course of study because it is possible that during our study a child may die and his/her
family may associate the death with project activities (blood sample & urine sample) and
may blame project staff.
Solution:
The mobilizers (Male) along with project supervisor/ field supervisor will arrange a BBCM
with the key persons of respective villages (one by one) in order to aware the key persons
about MAL-ED project and procedures to be carried on during the study before the start of
enrollment process.
This action will greatly help us to overcome this potential challenge because in case of death
of target child, the key persons will support us and will help to gratify the target family.
Therefore, it is necessary to monitor & evaluate social mobilization processes and activities
throughout the project in order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the
mobilization process.
The M&E team will be responsible for validating, monitoring & evaluating the social
mobilization activities and processes throughout the study.
• M&E team will weekly monitor the activities of core teams through visiting & meeting
the concerned target family randomly
• M&E Team will monitor the efficiency of the activities of core teams through the
monthly performance of core teams and can modify the changes in mobilization
processes accordingly.
• The M&E team will make weekly surprise visits to the respective village(s) to ensure
the quality assurance of the mobilization activities in the target area.
• The M&E team can set their own guidelines of monitoring & evaluating (as
appropriate to requirement) within a specific time period to further enhance the
efficiency and effectiveness of mobilization activities
• The M&E team will validate 10% of the total data of mobilization processes.
The target families in general will be educated about the importance of child health and
development through this social mobilization process that may lead to future cooperation
and support of community for other health-related project.