Up until September 2008, the SSMP-JHU/CCP partnership provided technical support in Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) activities to the government,through the National Health Education, Information and Communication Centre, and worked with other SSMP implementing partners, building capacity and helping to develop appropriate information and media materials. The focus was on strengthening the capacity of government and I/NGO partners in strategic communication planning, networking, implementation and monitoring and developing media and materials with guidelines for their use. Programme activities were in line with the Safe Motherhood IEC Strategy.

At national level JHU/CCP assisted with research in BCC and facilitated approval of the standard technical content for maternal and neonatal health communication (see NHEICC website for details). Guidelines were shared with all government health facilities and NGOs/INGOs working in maternal and newborn health to ensure national consistency in the content of maternal and newborn health messages.

JHU/CCP also provided technical support to district partners to build their BCC capacity and support their activities. This included updating and disseminating a number of locally tailored print materials, developing local radio “magazine” programmes and a 26-episode radio drama about maternal and newborn health. These inputs updated and built on the successful SUMATA or 'Care, Share, Prepare' campaign, which was developed under the USAID funded Maternal and Neonatal Health Programme and NHEICC, with inputs from DFID funded Nepal Safer Motherhood Project, 1997-2004. In addition to SSMP partners, other players, such as GTZ, International Rescue Committee, Merlin and the Safe Motherhood Network Federation disseminated the media programmes and materials developed.

The materials developed are:

• Maternal Danger Signs poster
• Skilled Birth Attendant poster
• Birth Preparedness poster
• Maternal Health Action Card
• Interpersonal Communication (IPC) Skills Video and facilitators guide for improving IPC skills of community level workers.
• TV drama, “The Good Husband”
• Facilitators guidelines for the  radio programme, “Life’s Responsibility”
• Facilitators’ guidebook on Maternal and Newborn Health topics for Non-Formal Educators (Literacy classes)

To view the materials please click on the Resource -> Government documents -> BCC materials section of this website