Demand Generation: Adapting the Demand Generation Implementation Kit for Underutilized, Life Saving Commodities: HC3 Case Study Series

This series of case studies looks how six organisations have used the Demand Generation Implementation Kit for Underutilized, Life Saving Commodities to improve their social and behaviour change (SBCC) communication activities.  The I-Kit , which was developed by the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), offers a step-by-step guide to developing communication strategies to increase demand for the 13 under-utilised commodities identified by the United Nations (UN) Commission on Life-Saving Commodities. It was disseminated worldwide, and, as part of these efforts, six small grants were made available to interested organisations in priority countries to discuss their experiences in adapting and using the Demand Generation I-Kit for their local context and their efforts toward developing and implementing demand generation strategies in their respective countries - Bangladesh, Nepal, Madagascar, and Tanzania.

The six case study are as follows:

Adapting the Demand Generation Implementation Kit: Saving Lives by Generating Demand for Zinc among Young Mothers in the Ihorombe Region of Madagascar
This case study outlines a demand generation project in Madagascar designed to increase knowledge of the use of zinc to treat simple diarrhoea and thus contribute to reducing child mortality in the Ihosy region of Madagascar. Salfa-Lorel, a Madagascar public health non-governmental organisation, implemented this project. The case study shows how the project followed the six steps proposed in the I-Kit for designing and implementing demand generation for zinc.  1) Analyze the situation; 2) Define the vision; 3) Choose the target group; 4) Select key messages; 5) Determine interventions and activities; and 6) Plan for monitoring and evaluation (M&E). 

Adapting the Demand Generation Implementation Kit: Using the Demand Generation I-Kit to Reduce Child Mortality in the Mitsinjo District of Madagascar
This case study outlines the demand generation project implemented by Action pour la Justice et le Progrès des Populations (AJPP) in Madagascar to improve maternal and child health by promoting oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc. The communication strategy to generate demand for ORS and zinc followed the six key steps for developing a demand generation strategy as outlined in the Demand Generation I-Kit for Underutilized Life Saving Commodities.

Adapting the Demand Generation Implementation Kit: Using the Demand Generation I-Kit to Improve Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health in Bangladesh
This case study outlines a demand generation project in Bangladesh, implemented by BRAC University, designed to increase demand for and utilisation of maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) commodities and to build the capacity of community health workers to deliver newborn health care. This project utilised three core activities to achieve these objectives: 1) development of MNCH communication materials; 2) development of MNCH training guidelines; and 3) training community health workers (CHWs) on MNCH using the new guidelines. Development of the demand generation materials and activities was informed by the resources and guidance available in the Demand Generation I-Kit. The case study shows how the I-Kit’s commodity-specific content and adaptable strategies allowed for the rapid development and thorough revision of new and existing communication materials, and has been used as a framework to revise the BRAC MNCH handbook and the CHWs MNCH training.

Adapting the Demand Generation Implementation Kit: Improving Community Access to Amoxicillin Dispersible Tablets and Co-Pack ORS and Zinc through Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets in Tanzania
This case study outlines a demand generation project in Tanzania designed by Pharmaceutical Society of Tanzania (PST) to improve access to new products – amoxicillin dispersible tablets and co-pack ORS and zinc respectively – to treat childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea. PST utilized the Demand Generation I-Kit to create awareness of the products and thus increase their uptake.

Adapting the Demand Generation Implementation Kit: Tanzania Increases Access to Family Planning Services and Emergency Contraceptives among Young Women Enrolled in Institutes of Higher Learning and Vocational Training
In this case study, the Tanzania Marketing and Communications Company Limited, now known as T-MARC Tanzania, utilised the six steps outlined in Demand Generation I-Kit to design a project aimed at increasing access to family planning products, including female condoms, contraceptive implants and emergency contraception among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) enrolled in institutes of higher learning. The strategy included: formative research to gain insights into the barriers to accessing emergency contraception and family planning and to inform T-MARC’s selection of target audiences, as well as the production of a training guide, and interpersonal communication sessions for young women.

Adapting the Demand Generation Implementation Kit: Development of an Android Mobile Application for Adolescents and Youth on Sexual and Reproductive Health in Nepal
This case study looks at the strategy used by the Public Health Concern Trust-NEPAL (phect-NEPAL) to develop an Android™ based mobile application (app) that would inform youth about reproductive and sexual health. In developing the Mero Lagi app, phect-Nepal followed the steps recommended in the Demand Generation I-Kit which involved, among other things, a literature review and focus group discussions to help in the design and testing of the app.