I was only eight years old when I recognized the power of development communication. Every Saturday morning, a radio drama titled “Abule Oloke Merin” (“The Village of Four Floors”) would play from the stereo in our living room. This radio drama was produced by a nonprofit organization committed to improving family health outcomes.

Through this drama, I learned about the genetic causes of sickle cell anemia and gained clarity on the cultural myth of “abiku” (a term used to describe a child who die young). This was long before my Integrated Science and Biology classes addressed these topics in secondary school. The knowledge I gained from that program has remained with me, influencing my health choices and worldview to to date. This personal experience shaped my firm belief that children should be intentionally included in SBCC programming.

Many SBCC interventions focus on adults or teenagers and leave out children, however, children represent a critical demographic that is too often overlooked. Targeting children may require additional planning and tailored approaches, but the potential for long-term impact makes it a necessary investment.

Why Should Children Be Included in SBCC Interventions?

3. Behavioral Multipliers:
Parents and caregivers often recount moments when children correct them based on lessons learned at school, in faith-based settings, or from media. Children not only internalize messages quickly, they often become messengers themselves, influencing their families and peers.

4. Access through Existing Structures:
Children are highly reachable through formal and informal institutions such as schools, religious organizations, and after-school programs. Also by leveraging media and communication platforms they already engage with such as cartoons, jingles, and educational games, children can be reached effectively and consistently.

Designing SBCC Strategies That Center Children

SBCC aims to influence knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors using a diverse of communication approaches. When children are the target audience, it is crucial to embed messages in formats that are educational, entertaining, and age-appropriate. Below are some suggested strategies for designing impactful child-focused SBCC initiatives:

• School-Based Campaigns:    Organizing school outreach programs with games, role-plays, and music competitions can reinforce project messaging while fostering peer learning. Activities like sing-along challenges with SBCC-themed jingles can drive retention and enthusiasm.

• Illustrated Storybooks:          Children’s books, especially those with vibrant illustrations and relatable characters, are powerful tools for message transmission. Storybooks can be developed to align with specific project goals while supporting literacy and social learning outcomes.  One of my colleagues remembers reading a series of books that not only taught children about health, hygiene and taking care of your siblings, but also encouraged readers to teach other children what they had learned in the book. 

Conclusion
Children may not always be the primary target in SBCC campaigns, but their inclusion can significantly amplify outcomes and ensure sustainability. By designing interventions that speak their language and match their interests, and, very importantly, including them in the design stage of these interventions, we not only shape the behaviors of today’s youngest generation, we lay the foundation for healthier, more informed communities in the future.

The smile on the faces of these new Adire business owners says it all!

As a women-led organisation, women empowerment is core to us at ARDA
We recently supported @shimmers_services in empowering 16 women in the Oworoshoki community, kosofe LGA, Lagos State. The women were trained on how to make cultural fabrics popularly known as “Adire”.

The training included financial literacy and business management to help them build a profitable business. At the end of the training, the women were presented with start-up materials to ease the set-up of their businesses. As an organisation, we will continue to make impacts and improve livelihoods in communities where we work.

Congratulations to all the participants, we wish them the best in their businesses.

Gone were the days, gender-based violence seemed far. These days almost every girl or woman you meet has at a point in time been a victim of abuse.
Gender-based violence is defined as any form of a harmful act perpetrated against a person’s will. GBV can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and financial abuse.
Research has shown that 3 out of every 5 women have been a victim of a form of gender-based violence in their lifetime. Last year, there was a black and white challenge that symbolized women standing up for those women who have lost their lives to gender-based violence. A challenge which originated from Turkey as a result of an increase in the number of women who were killed by their partners.
It’s no news that the lockdown due to COVID-19 has locked down many of these abuse victims with their predators. And the reports on gender-based violence incidents have risen at a geometric rate.
Now that we all know that this menace is nearer than we think. How do we help if we find a friend or neighbor in severe pain as a result of abuse? Here are 4 easy ways you can help a Survivor
1) Listen and believe the survivor: One of the primary things a survivor of violence needs is for you to just sit and listen sincerely. Patiently listen to the survivor without freaking out. There is also a need to make the survivor know that you believe their story. Affirm to them in words that you believe them.

2) Ask how you can be of help: The next step is to ask what they might need you to do for them. As much as you might have ideas on your mind. You need to note the situation is not about you, but about the survivor. So be patient enough to seek out their opinions before taking steps. For example, who do they want to talk to? where do they want to go?

3) Avoid shaming the survivor: like it was mentioned in then second point, when helping a GBV Survivor you need to respect boundaries, be sensitive to how they feel and play the blame game, avoid any form of shaming. Make them comfortable and put them in charge of their own healing process.

4) Give helpful information: Inform the survivor about the different resources available to help them. You can accompany them to get medical attention or to make a report at a police station. You can also refer them to outlets they can get professional counseling, but avoid pressurizing survivors to make decisions. Let them make decisions of their own free will.

When you give the above-mentioned support to a survivor of an abuse, they will surely leave you in a better spirit than they came. And they will be energized to take the necessary steps so they don’t become victims again.