The Social Behavioral Change,SBC, capacity Building and Co – Creation Workshop ongoing in Lagos has entered its critical stage with the participants working in groups to create contents on various thematic areas towards effective community engagement for positive outcomes.
The 5 day event which is a joint efforts to enhance communication strategies that drive positive social change was put together by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Oyo State Government, through the Ministry of Information and Orientation to strengthen the capacity of Civil Society Organizations and Community Structures.
Presenting a paper on ; ” Concept of SBC, Process, Approaches,Theory and Principles, a facilitator from the Institute of Social Change Development and Innovation, ISCODI,Abuja, Mr. Fayman Omini, said to achieve set objectives, SBC programmes must tackle each challenge holistically through a system approach.
On his part, the Chief Operating Officer,ISCODI, Dr. Patrick Ikani, while explaining the Concept Community and Approaches to Community Engagement” to drive Social Behavioral Change effectively, the community must be empowered to play active role in the whole process to address vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccine coverage.
Earlier in her charge to the participants, UNICEF’s Social and Behaviour Change Specialist, Mrs. Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole, said the overall goal of the workshop is to enhance the capacity of CSOs and Community structures in SBC-CE to promote HPV and other routine vaccines uptake.
According to her, “a key component of the initiative is to create a community engagement guide that will serve as a tool for local stakeholders to improve awareness, trust and acceptance of HPV vaccines and other Routine Immunization in their respective communities.
”Strengthen the capacity of CSOs and community structures to implement effective SBC-CE strategies for promoting HPV vaccination and RI.”Facilitate a participatory process to co-create a Community Engagement Guide tailored to the local context for promoting HPV vaccines.”Foster collaboration between CSOs, healthcare providers and community leaders to address vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccine coverage.”
She emphasized the importance of leveraging communication to influence social norms and behaviours.
Mrs. Akinola – Akinwole implored participants to use their expertise and experience to generate contents that addresses critical issues such as maternal health, child welfare, and disease prevention, including campaigns on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) awareness.
The 5 day workshop has in attendance over 40 participants draw from some states in the Southwest Nigeria include Oyo State UNICEF Consultant,Mr. Samuel Olatunji, Oyo State UNICEF Programme Director,Mr. Rotimi Babalola, UNICEF Programme Officer,MOI, Mr. Adeola Adewole and General Manager Pensioners’FM,Dr. Babatunde Tiamiyu.
The week long Programme ends tomorrow.