How can Community and Faith-Based Leaders Influence Social and Behavior Change?
SBC influences people’s behaviors by shifting knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and the social norms in their communities. SBC inspires and empowers people to make healthy choices for themselves and for communities to adopt social norms to encourage these behaviors which have a positive impact on the entire community.
There are many ways that community- and faith- based leaders can influence SBC for malaria control and elimination programs, just as they influence social norms and individual behaviors related to other topics. This toolkit will guide you toward developing your own SBC strategy that has specific objectives, consistent messages, and is evidenced-based. Most importantly, this toolkit will help you tailor your messages to your specific target audience. Malaria messages that resonate with the audience through their cultural, interpersonal, and seasonal behaviors and priorities have a better reach and are more likely to influence the desired outcome.
Example
See the following video to learn more about how religious leaders in Uganda are fighting malaria: MAPD In Uganda
