Ghana Behaviour Change Support Project

According to JHUCCP, the BCS project is audience focused and driven by the community and family levels, where behaviour and norms are formed. The primary focus is on households with children and youth, and the communities they live in, the providers they go to, and the district and national leaders that impact them. The project employs the Communication for Social change model, which blends community, interpersonal, and mass media approaches to build synergy around three strategic elements or engines:

• Addressing a wide spectrum of health topics simultaneously through an integrated approach, Ghana BCS is creating educational and entertaining programmes/series that will go on over the duration of the project.
• Utilising BCC campaigns to focus on one or two specific health issues at a time with high intensity and limited duration.

Working closely with regional, district, and sub-district health teams to build and strengthen the network of local non-governmental organisations to undertake effective and synergised community mobilisation in both rural and urban settings.

The BCS programme includes the following core activities:

GoodLife Game Show: The purpose of the GoodLife Game Show is to entertain, inform, and educate audiences through an exciting platform that engages and challenges people to adopt healthy living habits. It is designed to move health messages beyond instructive commands to engaging people on issues relevant to their own daily lives.
• GoodLife music: A large pool of both well known and new Ghanaian musicians submitted tracks for the GoodLife song. The "GoodLife Allstars," a group of young musicians, were selected from these applicants and recorded the song and video. The GoodLife song is part of the overarching multimedia campaign. In addition, a GoodLife New Years concert featured many popular Ghanaian artists including Iwan, Ohemaa Mercy, VIP, 4X4, Castro, Bra Kevin, 2 Toff, Borax, Atsu Koliko and many more.

Aha ye de: It’s Good Here: In June 2011 BCS and ProMPT, in partnership with the National Malaria Control Programme and the Ghana Health Service, launched the "Aha ye de" malaria campaign. "Aha ye de" means "It’s Good Here" in Twi, one of Ghana’s national languages. The campaign is designed to reposition the use of treated nets as a lifestyle decision, while at the same time preventing malaria, linking the BCS’s overarching GoodLife campaign. The "Aya ye de" campaign also included music by the Ghanaian hip hop artist Nana Boroo. GoodLife Materials: The project produced GoodLife mass media campaign materials, including billboards, posters, stickers and TV spots, as well as the Daily GoodLife Guide and GoodLife Quiz.

• The Life Choices Family Planning Initiative: Family planning is one of five focal project areas, and the Life Choices Family Planning Initiative is an integral part of the Behavior Change Support Project in Ghana. There are three elements to the family planning programme. These include demand for family planning services, supply of contraceptives, and quality of services provided. Life Choices, which includes a music video for the "Life is what you make it" song, five-minute docu-dramas, and television spots, is the campaign that focuses on the demand for family planning services. As part of the initiative, “Life Choices” signboards and radio spots were flighted throughout three focus regions, and campaign support materials developed, including, press advertorial, flipchart, booklets, brochures, posters, and bumper stickers. A Family Planning Community Action Kit was produced, which includes the Youth Action Kit, Coach Guides, Teen Passport, and Trigger Sketches.

Click here to access the campaign materials and publications.

Maternal Neonatal & Child Health, Family Planning, Malaria Prevention & Treatment, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene