i-Innovate Campaign!

i-Innovate program strategies:

As one of the primary objectives of the Chotton Ki Asha(CKA)program is to change or appreciate the health practices of the target population, Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) becomes an effective method. Learning from past experiences in other Maternal and Child Survival programs, the CKA program want to apply innovative strategies which are replicable nationally as well as internationally if possible.

Under the i-Innovate campaign initiated by the T&C Dept, for sharing innovative and effective strategies in the program, the department wants to share some of its very own strategies applied in the CKA program over the years for changing behaviours.

One of the foremost strategies used was that of the BCC rickshaw. The BCC rickshaw replicates the model of the ‘bioscope’ in the Indian Villages. The ‘bioscope’ model is of those days when a cycle with a box would travel round the village and announce about a movie show coming in their place. The people doing this would use all kinds of voice modulations and music to attract people in the village to come for the show. Generally it is called the "Village Road Show". The ‘bioscope’ would even use some clips from movies and play it to be viewed by the children through a hole in the box. The clips would be moving in a sequence which would run like a film. This really would excite the people resulting in a mass audience coming for the movie show.

The CKA rickshaw does something similar! The rickshaw is decorated with many health related posters developed by CKA project and other accessories giving it a visibility unlike the ordinary rickshaws. Loaded with that, there is also an announcing system fixed which helps to make announcements for all special days celebrated by the program. What it also does is to announce health messages in the area to make people aware of the focused interventions of the program. Many a times, the rickshaw has been able to inform people about special immunization drives, Women’s day celebrations, School hygiene program, Handwashing program and many others celebrated by the CKA Program.

The BCC rickshaw also distributes health related pamphlets in the community for improving health practices in the area through knowledge base improvement.

Over the years, the BCC rickshaw has been very effective to make differences in inducing health related messages in the area. We have been able to reach a mass audience in both the areas of Rajiv Nagar and Sonia Vihar. Though the demographics of both the areas are different considering that Rajiv Nagar is a Muslim dominated area and Sonia Vihar being a Hindu dominated area. The program has always tried to be culturally sensitive to the beliefs and traditions of the target population while dissminating the messages. It has always functioned within a virtual periphery where it does not oppose the traditions of any person/community but is able to change them behaviours through positive thinking and adoption of good health practices.

Our vision is that by the end of the program, the population is able to adopt such good practices and make them a part of everyday lives and live a healthy life!