SBCC Guide

This guide from India is created for volunteers, non-governmental (NGO) functionaries, elected Panchayat representatives, self-help group leaders, and the frontline workers of the Government in the Health & Family Welfare, Social Welfare, Education, and Public Health Engineering Departments to promote four key behaviours in the community for survival, growth, and development of children.

"The four key behaviors for child survival and development relate to the following:

• Exclusive breastfeeding
• Washing hands with soap and water after defecation and before handling food/ feeding the child
• Sending girls in appropriate age group to schools and ensuring no drop out of girls till completion of primary education and
• Proper knowledge of HIV/AIDS, its spread, the ways of protecting oneself against the virus and practising safe sex behaviour by the young age people."

The guide lists: indicators for the key behaviours; guidelines for communicating messages and messages for each of the four behaviours; a description of social and behaviour change communication, as well as steps and strategies for behaviour change; the principles of interpersonal communication (IPC); and the “GATHER” principles for communicating with families.