Communications Support for Health (CSH) Program Quarterly Report July-September 2012

The program aims to strengthen national health communications campaigns and support the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) in using evidence-based health communications approaches. In the third quarter of 2012, CSH focused on ensuring that all campaign interventions and messages reached their targeted communities through appropriate channels. The program engaged civil society organizations (CSOs) to implement STOP Malaria activities within communities and contracted 20 community radio stations to air all campaign radio products. CSH also made inroads in working with the private sector and provided major technical assistance and stewardship in the development of the constitution to govern the newly launched Zambia Health Alliance. The Dziwani Knowledge Centre for Health and 990 Talkline were launched, enabling Zambians to access health information on various health topics and through different channels. The program's quarterly report includes a narrative on major achievements, major accomplishments, and quarterly plans by Performance Indicator (PIR). Financial reporting and progress toward goals established in the performance monitoring plan are also included. CSH achieved several milestones in the third quarter, including the completion of STOP Malaria road-shows in Luapula and Western provinces, the development of a malaria board game, and the launch of the Dziwani Knowledge Centre for Health and 990 Talkline. The program also trained 38 CSO and MOH officials on the Champion Communities approach and aired six malaria PSAs on 16 community radio stations. However, the program faced challenges in implementing the STOP Malaria campaign, including the need to closely monitor progress towards concrete behavior change goals. To address this challenge, CSH plans to provide intensive on-site mentorship to each CSO in the next quarter. In the next quarter, CSH plans to roll out the STOP Malaria campaign in Eastern and Northern provinces, finalize and print the malaria board game, and support malaria CSOs in the implementation of STOP Malaria Champion Community activities in eight selected districts. The program also plans to launch and market the Love Games TV drama series, engage HIV CSOs to continue community-level interpersonal communications for the Safe Love campaign, and conduct operations research on birth plan utilization and impact on pregnancy decisions. The program's efforts aim to strengthen national health communications campaigns and support the GRZ in using evidence-based health communications approaches. By working with CSOs, the private sector, and other stakeholders, CSH seeks to improve health outcomes and reduce the burden of diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis in Zambia.