The foundation of the NURHI Demand Generation Strategy is enhanced interpersonal communication about family planning: during clients/ service provider worker interactions; between spouses; and during association/trade groups meetings, neighbourhood campaigns and social events led by teams of NURHI social mobilizers. Social mobilization activities engage young men and women age 18 to 35 years as potential family planning clients, and who also mobilize other potential clients to use family planning services. This page describes the NURHI youth urban mobilization implementation process.
This design was developed through a participatory workshop, the Youth Urban Mobilization Strategy, describes plans for community mobilization including criteria for Social Mobilizers selection, their roles and responsibilities, the activities they will conduct, how they will be supervised, the materials and job aids they will require, and how the strategy will be monitored.
The strategy calls for recruiting, training, and supervising social mobilizers in selected slum areas in the NURHI cities. NURHI site teams identified and selected non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the four initial cities that met the following criteria: must be a registered corporate body; must have experience working in family planning and/or other health related issues; must have a financial system in place; and must be domiciled in the specific city of engagement to oversee the activities of social mobilizers. The contract includes supervision and coordination of identified social mobilizers at the community level.
The roles of the social mobilizers are to promote the NURHI radio program; facilitate and attend radio listener discussion groups; conduct key life events celebrations; and refer potential clients to health facilities.
To design support materials for use by the social mobilizers, NURHI held a Media and Materials Development Workshop with program staff, stakeholders and graphic artists. The participants at the workshop designed and pretested prototype social mobilization materials, identified/coined local slang for songs and community events, identified equipment needs, developed “Go referral cards”, branded T-shirts, face caps, wrist bands, pens, shopping bags, hijabs, reflective jackets, beach umbrella, pins and badges. Other materials developed after the workshop were toolkits for NGOs, ‘Be Beautiful’ , ‘Be Successful’ for women and men, and family planning method leaflets, GIT Stickers, and FAQ (show link and pictures of the highlighted).These materials are available in Yoruba and Hausa.
Guidelines were prepared for the social mobilizers activities. NURHI also prepared guidelines for social mobilization activities. NURHI social mobilizers are responsible for knowledge and visibility parades, key life event celebration, radio listening group guidelines, and referrals for family planning services.
Criteria for selecting social mobilizers were: The social mobilizer must live in an urban slums; be an artisan (barbers, hair stylists, tailors or okada mechanic, and drivers); must be between the ages of 18 and 35 years of age; and be interested in volunteering to be a social mobilizer. The four NGOs conducted orientation for the selected Social Mobilizers. In training the social mobilizers, NURHI used an orientation guideline which includes basic family planning information, how to carry out social mobilization activities described above.
NURHI social mobilizers conduct the following activities:
Knowledge and Visibility parades: Social mobilizers organize parades at least once every two months, generally before and during family planning outreach services activities to get the community’s attention. Social Mobilizers sing, drum and dance wearing branded t-shirts and caps, perform dramas, use megaphones to talk about family planning, distribute leaflets, refer potential clients to services using the ‘Go referral Cards’.
Key Life Events: Social mobilizers celebrate key life events such as baby naming, wedding and graduation or freedom ceremonies with members of their communities. During these events, a family planning service provider is present to talk about family planning, entertain and answer question, offer counselling and referrals. during these ceremonies, framed photo of either the baby, the newlyweds or the graduates is given. For more details refer to the NURHI Guidelines for Key Life Events.
Mobilization for Outreach Services: Each LGA has a monthly and quarterly outreach calendars that is shared with the NGOs. Two days before and during the outreaches, social mobilizers conduct visibility parades, neighbourhood campaigns, distribute flyers and refer potential clients to the outreach using ‘Go referral Cards’. “
Radio listener’s groups: Social mobilizers organize radio listening groups in their localities who listen to the NURHI radio program and discuss family planning issues using a discussion guide. For more information about the radio program and listening groups, click here for more information about the radio listening group guidelines
Monitoring and supervising Social Mobilizers: In collaboration with NURHI, NGOs monitor the activities of social mobilizers using a supervision checklist and through their monthly meetings. Based on the methodology in the NURHI Referral Manual in determining family planning uptake, the total number of referrals (i.e potential clients that receive the ‘Go Card’) against completed referrals (i.e clients that received FP services) is analysed.
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