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Family Health International (FHI) is implementing the Aastha ("To care about") project in Mumbai and Thane districts of Maharashtra as part of the Ahavan India AIDS Initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation since 2004. The project aims to reduce the incidence of HIV/STIs among sex workers (SWs) and their partners through strategic behavior communication (SBC), condom provision and STI services.
At the outset of the project, already available IEC material was modified for use in the project. This material was used to educate/ inform the target group and the interaction was largely on the part of the peer educators (PEs) with little participation from the key population (KP). Most of this material focused on the much known category of sex workers – female and brothel-based sex workers. Aastha project worked largely with bar girls and with other categories like home-based, transgender and male sex workers for whom specific communication material was not available.
Moreover the available material did not help to generate a dialogue between the PEs and the sex workers. In 2005, there was a felt need to develop material that focused on the above target groups as well as was interactive enough to generate participation by the KP.
In view of the above need, a situational analysis on the availability of existing material and the communication needs of different typology of sex workers was conducted. Areas of interest to the KPs which can serve as communication hooks were identified to develop creative briefs. The communication creative team developed the prototypes of the SBC materials. Most of the material is not limited to a specific language and can be used in any language that is familiar to the PE and the KP. The process of using the material requires two way conversations between the PE and the KP, creating a dialogue and greater participation by the KPs.
Field testing of the material was done with each category of KPs and necessary changes were incorporated. Based on this the agency produced the material and master trainers from each implementing partner were trained to use it. Further these master trainers trained peer educators from each implementing partner on effectively using the newly designed interactive SBC material. |
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