International SBCC Summit
Photo by Sam Phelps for CRS
Our Work Overseas
Social & Behavior Change at CRS
CRS designs and implements participant-led social behavior change interventions as an integral part of CRS programming, across all sectors. We recognize that the ‘how’ is just as important as the ‘what’ we do—that technical excellence means little without collaborative relationships that drive positive change over time.
Working alongside faith-based organizations, national government agencies, local civil society organizations, and public and private donors, CRS strives to create adaptive programming informed by data and ever-evolving socio-ecological factors. We support households and communities to catalyze change, allowing for lasting, sustainable impact.
Here at the Summit...
Come join us in discussion! Our presenters and facilitators are looking forward to sharing their experiences and learning from yours. Here is a list of the people we have presenting, the topic, and when you can plan to attend.
CRS Summit Presentations
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM at Karam 1
Masculinity and Male Engagement
EGYPT: Engaged Fathers, Happier Families
Oral Presentation
Masculinity and Male Engagement: Harnessing Male Engagement for Transformational Gender Behavior Change in Upper Egypt
There is compelling evidence from gender interventions in Upper Egypt that engaging men is critical to transform gender inequities. The session discusses the comprehensive strategy implemented to utilize Social and Behavior Change (SBC) to inspire men in Upper Egypt to alter deeply rooted gender power dynamics within and outside the household unit.
Presenter: Farah Atia, Gender, Peacebuilding and Partnerships Program Manager, CRS Egypt (EMECA)
Resources
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM at Reda 4
Using Digital Approaches to Improve Women's Lives
NIGER: Women Take the Lead
Oral Presentation
Using Digital Approaches to improve Women’s Lives: "Gaba Dey Mata"; A Multisectoral Approach for Helping Women Reach Leadership Positions
Fiction or reality? A multi-sectoral approach that has allowed women to occupy leadership positions in deeply religious and conservative social context. This is a fact. Come and discover how!
Presenter: Aissata Josephine Diori, Gender Technical Advisor, Girma project, CRS Niger
Resources
4:15 PM - 6:15 PM at Bahia (Mogador)
NIGER: Women Take the Lead – Workshop
NIGER: Chaque femme est une Leader – Atelier (Registration Here)
Skills Building Workshop Session • English, Français interpretation skills
English:
The integrated effects of this training with the other elements of the multi-sectoral approach ensured that during its first year of implementation, 289 women (instead of the 75 planned!) became presidents or vice-presidents of their respective structures. This workshop is designed as a mini "training of trainers" of "Every Woman is a Leader.”
Français:
Les effets intégrés de cette formation avec les autres éléments de l'approche multisectorielle ont fait en sorte que pendant sa première année de mise en œuvre, 289 femmes (au lieu des 75 prévues !) deviennent présidentes ou vice-présidentes de leurs structures respectives. Cet atelier est conçu comme une mini « formation des formateurs » de « Chaque femme est une leader ». L'approche principale sera l'« apprentissage par l'expérience », qui permettra aux participants d'essayer en première personne les jeux et les exercices typiques de la formation.
Facilitators: Aissata Josephine Diori, Gender Technical Advisor, Girma project / CRS Niger; Valerie Davis STA CRS Baltimore, Virginia Williams SBC TAIII CRS.
Resources
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM at Karam 3
Before They're Born: Best Outcomes for Mothers and Babies
RWANDA: Effectiveness of integrated maternal nutrition package on weight in Rwanda
Oral Presentation • English, Français interpretation
Effectiveness of integrated maternal nutrition package on weight in Rwanda
Author: Alemayehu Gebremariam, Chief of Party USAID Integrated Nutrition and ECD Project, CRS Rwanda
Presenter: Yvonne Umurungi, Deputy Chief of Party USAID Integrated Nutrition and ECD Project, CRS Rwanda
Resources
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM at Poster Space
Helping the Most Vulnerable: Humanitarian Response, Marginalized Populations & Children
ETHIOPIA: Healthier Child Feeding Led by Communities
Poster Presentation
Community-led Complementary Feeding and Learning Sessions (CCFLS) positively impact young children feeding practices: the experience of Catholic Relief Services in Ethiopia
A 12-day, hands on small group intervention that led to improved child feeding and caring behaviors, achieving weight gain in 85% of participating children in Ethiopia.
Presenter: Mitiku Telilla, Program Manager II, Health & Nutrition, CRS Ethiopia
Resources
4:15 PM - 6:15 PM at Fes 1a
Enabling Communities to Define and Manage their Own Behavior Change Program
MADAGASCAR: Communities in Charge of Change – Workshop (Registration Here)
Skills Building Workshop Session
Enabling Communities to Define and Manage their Own Behavior Change Program
Anyone seeking to learn proven methods of inspiring marginalized, non-literate but resilient and resourceful communities to be key actors in their own behavior change should not miss the opportunity this workshop will give. During this workshop, participants will learn some practical activities that can redress imbalances of power and influence in the management of SBCC programs.
Facilitators: Nosy Ranalisolofo, Deputy SBC Lead, CRS Madagascar, Mahomby Mara Tsimotso, Manager, CRS Madagascar, Luke Freeman, SBC Lead, Maharo
Resources
Village Action Plan - A0
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM at Karam 1
Communication for Climate Action
CENTRAL AMERICA: Farmers Addressing Climate Change
Panel Presentation • English, Español, Français, عربي interpretation
With Our Feet on the Soil: Reaching farmers with proven practices to address the climate crisis in Central America
The Agua y Suelo para Agricultura (ASA) / Water Smart Agriculture project used a Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) multi-media campaign to encourage the adoption of proven sustainable, climate-smart farming practices in Nicaragu, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. The campaign has used radio, social media and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) along with various in-person training to engage farmers with relevant content to improve soil, manage water and secure their livelihoods.
Presenters: Margarita Marroquin, Regional Manager, ASA Communications, CRS El Salvador (LACRO), Graciela Leal, PCI Media
Resources
4:15 PM - 4:45 PM at Karam 3
Shifting the Paradigm
MADAGASCAR: How project participants are planning and managing their 5-year, $45M behavior change program
Comm Talk • English, Français interpretation
This talk tells the story of how participants in a 45 million USD food security program set the agenda for their behavior change program: choosing the interventions they wanted, setting the steps to behavior change, and monitoring the results of their efforts. It is rare that participants are empowered to take such control of a program and this talk shows how they achieved this despite being marginalized, non-literate, and accustomed to three decades of humanitarian interventions that have provided them with food but have robbed them of choice and agency.
Speaker: Luke Freeman, SBC Lead, Maharo
Meet With Us!
CRS has over 30 staff who will be participating in the SBCC Summit this year. Please come find us, ping us on the Summit app, or ask provocative questions at one of our presentations. We can’t wait to connect with you, virtually and in person! Contact us at [email protected].
Amy Ellis, PhD MHS
Senior Technical Advisor, Social & Behavior Change
Dr. Amy Ellis is a public health and social behavior change expert with over 20 years of experience as a technical advisor and researcher working throughout Africa and Asia. She currently leads CRS’ social and behavior change work, and is particularly focused on more deeply integrating SBC throughout all of CRS’ programmatic sectors.Amy’s original passion was for improving maternal and child health, but she is now also very interested in applying behavioral insights to issues of climate change and conservation.
Meredith Stakem
Technical Advisor, Community Health & Social Behavior Change
Meredith Stakem has over 15 years of experience designing, managing and advising health programs in Africa and the Caribbean. As technical advisor for Community Health and Social Behavior Change, Meredith shares best practices, promotes SBC integration and innovation, and supports the design and implementation of high-quality SBC in community health programs worldwide. Meredith holds a Master of Health Sciences in International Health from Johns Hopkins and an MA in International Development from George Washington University. She is based in Baltimore, Maryland, and when she’s not working, you can usually find her swimming.
Virginia Williams
Technical Advisor III, Social & Behavior Change
An accomplished social behavior change practitioner, Virginia works hand in hand with communities to find innovative and engaging ways to affect positive norms and healthy behaviors that are sustained over time. She co-designs solutions that are rooted in research and tailored to local culture, maximizing local arts and topic expertise to ensure stewardship and investment in change. She is passionate about the process of SBC, helping CRS develop a modular approach to SBC project design that can be modified for all sectors. Virginia holds Master’s in Communication from American University. She’s worked throughout Africa, Latin America, Central Asia, and South Asia in multiple sectors, and is happy to be back in Morocco, her Peace Corps home, for the SBC Summit!
Additional Samping of CRS Work...
We believe in the spirit of collaboration and shared learning at CRS. Here are just a few of the resources and tools that our Regional Technical Advisors and SBC Leads think have been most helpful in their work in SBC. We hope you enjoy them, and will feel free to offer feedback on ways to improve them.
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CRS partnered with Facebook for Good (Meta) to develop targeted Facebook advertising campaigns in 19 countries aimed at changing attitudes and behaviors related to COVID-19. Watch some of the results below.
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Case Study: Social and Behavioral Change Communications Campaign: Increasing the use of Antenatal Care in Ghana
CRS Inclusive Family Strengthening and Just and Cohesive Societies Strategic Change Platforms work together to apply the 3B4D Social Cohesion model to a Disability Inclusion Training of Trainers (TOT) Manual and concept testing in Zambia.
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CRS is a partner on the USAID-funded LASER PULSE program and leads consortium efforts around research translation, bringing together researchers and practitioners through collaborative research partnerships. LASER PULSE created toolkit and materials to support the implementation of the Embedded Research Translation (ERT) model. ERT is a new approach to research translation in international development, defined as an iterative co-design process to intentionally apply research to development challenges.
LASER PULSE Overview -
CRS Rwanda working on USAID’s Gikuriro program to combat child malnutrition via village nutrition schools: vibrant centers that offer information and hands-on guidance to parents on positive parenting (responsive caregiving) allowing parents to practice engaging their children through age-appropriate play.
CRS Gikuriro SBCC Consultancy Final Report
Rwanda Village Nutrition School Brief
Baby Feeding Chart (Kinyarwanda)
Baby Clock (Kinyarwanda)
LASER PULSE ERT Overview
LASER PULSE Guiding Questions
ERT Promising Practices
Behind The Photo...
A theatrical piece and dance performance at half time during a soccer match organized as part of a social cohesion event for the CRS 'Ita na Ita' or ‘People to People’ project in Mbaiki, Central African Republic on September 14, 2019. Supported by USAID and partners, events such as these bring together diverse members from different faith groups in Mbaiki in an attempt to reunify the community after the inter-religious violence that destabilized the country from 2014.
Photo by Sam Phelps for CRS.
