Partners deliberate on USAID-funded Behaviour Change Activity

Tamale, May 20, GNA – A stakeholders’ meeting has been held as part of the Ghana Accelerating Social and Behavioural Change (ASBC) Activity to create space for partners to deliberate on how best to implement the ASBC Activity to achieve the needed results.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/ASBC Activity is managed by FHI 360 in collaboration with Ghanaian core partners Ghana Health Service/Health Promotion Division, Norsaac, Savanna Signatures, Ghana Community Radio Network, and Mullen Lowe.

The ASBC Activity is a 29.1-million-dollar USAID-funded initiative being implemented in the Northern, North East, Upper East and Upper West Regions for a period of five years (2021 to 2026).

The result is the central focus of the ASBC Activity, which looks at communities, identify, demand, and implement practical solutions that reduce barriers to practising healthy behaviours, and Norsaac is the lead consortium partner implementing this result area.

The ASBC Activity, which is spearheaded by the Health Promotion Directorate of the GHS, will also build the capacity of health staff, develop risk communication materials, and initiate social and behaviour change campaigns to promote healthy lifestyles.

It will also increase and sustain the adoption of healthy behaviours and practices that improve health outcomes using the community engagement for health and well-being approach.

Madam Rahinatu Yakubu, Health Promotion Officer, Northern Regional Health Directorate, during the meeting in Tamale, shed more light on the ASBC Activity saying it would also increase and sustain the adoption of priority health behaviours and practices for improved health outcomes emphasising family planning and reproductive health, malaria prevention and treatment, maternal, newborn, and child health, household level water, sanitation and hygiene practices, maternal and child nutrition, and public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said behavioural change was key to enabling citizens to make informed decisions on their health to achieve expected results in the sector pledging the support of the Regional Health Directorate to ensure successful implementation of the Activity.

Madam Ethel Emefa Ehla, Programmes Manager, Savana Signatures said the ASBC Activity was in phases, adding the phase one involved stakeholders’ engagement, training of Regional and District Health Management Teams, training of CHPS level officers, training of Community Health Management Committees, among others.

She said technical backstopping would be provided for implementing team members to achieve the desired goals.

Hajia Hafsatu Sey Sumani, Head of Programmes and Policy at Norsaac expressed gratitude to USAID and other partners for their roles in the ASBC Activity calling on all to play their roles effectively for the success of the ASBC Activity.

Source: Ghana News Agency