Evaluation of the population communication services (PCS) project

The project, which began in 1990, provides TA and support in the area of information, education, and communication (IEC) to family planning (FP) programs in developing countries. The current project is the third cooperative agreement between JHU and USAID, with work having begun in 1982. The project has achieved significant outputs and has 55 country projects underway or completed at mid-term. The highly qualified PCS staff and the application of standard and innovative research methods to strategically plan, design, implement, and evaluate projects set a high standard for IEC programming and create a strong demand for PCS services. USAID has encouraged PCS to respond to this demand even though this strategy has meant accelerating spending beyond levels estimated in the cooperative agreement. The following lessons have been demonstrated. (1) Effective IEC campaigns can lead to increases in contraceptive prevalence. (2) Research is indispensable at every stage of an IEC intervention. It is as important to conduct a needs assessment and field test products at the design stage (to identify whether message approach and content are appropriate) and to monitor their progress during the campaign (to identify need for any fine tuning) as it is to assess their impact at the end point. A strategic plan, based on a needs assessment and integrating multiple IEC aspects, can result in more far-reaching and sustained program efforts. (3) IEC has demonstrated that contraception can be discussed in public without strong negative reactions. Major institutions, policymakers, and opinion leaders can be helped to address FP issues without compromising their roles. (4) Operationalizing IEC campaign goals (such as informed choice and spousal communication) in order to improve contraceptive behavior is not a simple process. Careful training of counselors to be flexible and address real life situations is needed in order to avoid erecting rather than lowering barriers to contraceptive use. (5) TA can be so helpful that host country staff are unwilling to give it up, even after their skills have been upgraded. (6) Use of resident advisors for large-scale activities results in more consistent program efforts and better cooperation with other organizations. (7) Organizing an international assistance project geographically can result in duplication of technical skills among geographic regions but may be more responsive to field needs than a functional approach. (8) Although mass communications have been shown to be capable of reaching large numbers of people effectively, traditional formats such as village gatherings and festivals can also provide channels for transmitting messages where technology is undeveloped. (9) Even though many countries may have low literacy levels, newspapers can serve as a useful medium for communicating FP information to opinion leaders and other literate persons who in turn can reach the larger community. (10) An organization like PCS, with a clear but limited mandate and a strong, highly qualified staff, needs to be careful about accepting requests to assist in related non-family planning areas unless these activities serve to expand the audience for its primary issues and can do so with existing resources. More attention could now be given to activities that address the gap between awareness and family planning use, to effective collaboration with other Cooperating Agencies, and to dissemination of important research and program findings. The project merits favorable funding consideration in the next cooperative agreement to ensure funds for expansion of activities. (Author abstract)