Social and Behavioral Change Communication Strategy and Content Development Consultant – Nigeria

About Plan International Nigeria

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and enable children to prepare for — and respond to — crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination.

Working together, with children, young people, supporters, and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 85 years and are now active in more than 70 countries, driving changes in practice and policy at local, national, and global levels using our reach, experience, and knowledge. Plan International is registered in Nigeria with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

Project Overview

Vulnerable Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AG&YW) and boys in Nigeria continue to have little or no access to quality health information and services needed to exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Entrenched patriarchal norms and gender inequalities accentuate the relatively low power, agency and autonomy that AG&YW have over resources, decision-making, and social participation. Only 46% of married or in-union women in Nigeria aged 15-49 make their own decisions regarding SRHR (UNFPA, 2020). Use of any form of modern contraception by married women aged 15-49 is only 5.2% in Bauchi and 2.1% in Sokoto, both well below the national average of 12% (DHS, 2018). Child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) also plays a critical role in disempowering adolescent girls and limiting their access to resources and opportunities. In Bauchi state, 40.7% of adolescent girls aged 15-19 have begun childbearing; in Sokoto, it is 32.1%. The national average is 18.7% (DHS, 2018). Early pregnancies and family responsibilities limit adolescent girls from reaching their full potential and pull young women from the labor market, keeping them disempowered and impoverished. With few opportunities to participate and lead in local and household economies, AG&YW often experience discrimination and exclusion and carry an unequal burden of unpaid care work, which adds further barriers to the fulfilment of their rights.

As a response to these complex challenges, Plan International Canada, with funding from Global Affairs Canada, is working in partnership with Plan International Nigeria in the implementation of the AG&YW SRHR in Nigeria (ASPIRE) project. The ultimate outcome is to improve the realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights for AG&YW, including vulnerable populations, in Bauchi and Sokoto states respectively.

Purpose of the consultancy

The project plans to develop a gender transformative Social and Behavior Change Communications (SBCC) strategy focusing on GE and ASRHR aimed at adolescent girls and young women, boys, male and female caregivers, community and religious leaders, health care workers, teachers, SRH and CP actors, and relevant government departments with the dual objectives of providing information on ASRHR, MHPSS and CP (including CEFM) to improve uptake of services by adolescents, and the promotion of GE and challenging harmful social norms for behavior change (i.e. uptake of SRH services, and gender equitable behaviors).

Within the ASPIRE project, an SBCC strategy will serve as the guiding document which defines the behavior change objectives, the barriers and determinates of those objectives and proposed strategies and specific interventions the project should undertake to achieve the change. It should address the three levels of change – for GE, uptake of SRH services and MHPSS, CP and reduction of CEFM – which are the individual (adolescents), the community (parents, community leaders, and service providers (schools and health care and CP providers). Ultimately, the SBCC strategy aims to contribute to the reduction of poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes for adolescent girls and young women in the targeted states of Bauchi and Sokoto respectively.

Social and Behavior Change communications strategies:

These are generally grounded in research and formed through consultative processes. Hence the need to conduct some level of desk review to understand better audiences and the sexual reproductive health topics and behaviors as well as other nuances and considerations. ASPIRE project will therefore conduct a Desk review, whose findings will be used to inform the development of our SBCC strategy. This Desk Review will be focused on a comprehensive SBC approach exploring factors that influence multiple levels—individuals, families, influential community members, communities as a whole, health care providers, and policymakers—to devise a maximally effective behavior change strategy for Sexual Reproductive Health and Right (SRHR), Gender Equality (GE), MHPSS, Child Protection (CP) particularly Gender Based Violence (GBV).

This Desk Review should uncover what people currently know, think, feel and do about the relevant topics and behaviors, and understand their motivations and barriers to changing or adopting new behaviors; In particular, the research should focus on women, men and adolescent girls and boys’ behaviors and understanding of SRHR, GE and child protection as well as society’s acceptance on the right of women and men, adolescent girls and boys. Parents, caregivers and guardians of adolescents need to be incorporated to achieve the goals of the research as they play a fundamental role in creating a protective and enabling environment for adolescent boys and girls. Besides, adolescent boys and girls need parental care and financial support before accessing and making use of some of the SRHR, GE, and child protection services. The consultant will seek recent resources that document the behavior and attitude of these stakeholders and the driving factors

The Desk Review should also help determine whether and how different topics and behaviors relate to one another in addition to the identification of key facilitators and barriers to the adoption of desired behaviors. Research findings will be used to generate a robust SBCC strategy to determine the best way forward for achieving project social behavior change outcomes. that the.

The staff of Plan International Nigeria and Plan International Canada will be the main users of the results of the Desk Review. In addition, key stakeholders in the project, such as government ministries / executing agencies, partner NGOs, local authorities and communities are the parties interested in the results.

Specific Objectives for Desk Review and Content Development for SBCC

1. Review existing project documents and research studies including the PMF, baseline study, gender equality and inclusion assessment, health facility assessment and provider bias study to complete a prioritization exercise that

   SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

   SDGs Addressed:

   • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

   Targets Identified:

   • Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs
   • Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
   • Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children

   Indicators:

   • Indicator 3.7.1: Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods
   • Indicator 5.6.1: Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use, and reproductive health care
   • Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, disaggregated by age, sex, and persons with disabilities
   • Indicator 16.2.1: Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation

   Analysis:

   1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   The issues highlighted in the article are connected to the following SDGs: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

   2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   Based on the article’s content, the specific targets that can be identified are:

   – Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs.

   – Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences.

   – Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

   – Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

   3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   Yes, there are indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. These indicators include:

   – Indicator 3.7.1: Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods.

   – Indicator 5.6.1: Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use, and reproductive health care.

   – Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, disaggregated by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.

   – Indicator 16.2.1: Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation.

   These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the targets related to sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, reduced inequalities, and ending abuse and exploitation.

   Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

   SDGs	Targets	Indicators
   SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs	Indicator 3.7.1: Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods
   SDG 5: Gender Equality	Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences	Indicator 5.6.1: Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use, and reproductive health care
   SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities	Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status	Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, disaggregated by age, sex, and persons with disabilities
   SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions	Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children	Indicator 16.2.1: Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation

   Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

   Source: reliefweb.int

    

   

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