"LAS MANITOS": An Integrated Mass Media Communication Campaign

Project Dates: 1993-1996

• Overview
• Background
• Communication Strategy
• Project Strengths
• Phase 2 (March - June 1996)

Overview

The "Las Manitos" (Little Hands) campaign was a major effort initiated by the Information, Education, Communication (IEC) Subcommittee of the Bolivian National Reproductive Health Program (NRHP). The campaign was launched on March 7, 1996 by Bolivian Vice President Victor Hugo de Cardenas, First Lady Ximena de Sánchez Lozada, the Minister of Human Development, and other high level dignitaries.

This campaign is the second phase of an ongoing national communications campaign first launched in April of 1994 in the four main cities of Bolivia (La Paz, El Alto, Santa Cruz, and Cochabamba) and later expanded to seven medium size cities. The second "Las Manitos" campaign continued through June 1996. The campaign was developed with technical assistance from the Johns Hopkins University/Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) and with funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Background

Bolivia's National Reproductive Health Program was developed to coordinate public and private sector efforts toward the creation and promotion of healthy reproductive practices and increased acceptance of modern family planning. A cornerstone of the program was the creation of a four-year national communications strategy for the promotion of reproductive health services. The strategy consisted of two components:

1. Training the National Reproductive Health Program's IEC Subcommission in developing and implementing health communications interventions



2. Implementing a mass media campaign to increase awareness of, and generate demand for, family planning and reproductive health services

Through the use video, television, radio, audio cassettes, and print media, the first ever fully integrated communications intervention promoting reproductive health and family planning was implemented in Bolivia. The Johns Hopkins University/Population Communication Services (JHU/PCS) provided the technical assistance in IEC for the project.

Communication Strategy

The target population of the NRHP communication strategy consisted of individuals and couples living in urban and sub-urban areas between the ages of 18 and 35. They represented the middle and lower socio-economic groups comprising the urban majority. The cities targeted for the strategy were La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, and El Alto.

The IEC Subcommission was established early on to develop and implement the communications strategy to promote the use of family planning methods and reproductive health services. The strategy was divided into two parts, the first part being the training of the IEC Subcommission in the skills necessary to develop and implement family planning communication, and the second being a mass media campaign promoting "Reproductive Health" services.

The communication strategy centered around the concept of Reproductive Health. This inclusive category encompassed birth spacing, family planning, pre-and post-natal care, and breast-feeding . Traditionally, "family planning" had been a controversial issue in Bolivia and was associated with birth control or the restriction of choice. For this reason, the NRHP chose to promote reproductive health, rather than just family planning, as the centerpiece of its strategy.

The launch of the first phase of the "Las Manitos" mass media campaign was held in April of 1994. To emphasize government support for the campaign, the President of Bolivia, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, delivered the keynote address, in which he proclaimed reproductive health as the cornerstone of his three-year "Plan for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal and Perinatal Mortality." The kick-off was also attended by Bolivia's First Lady, the Vice President and his wife, and the Minister of Health. The significance of this event was symbolic both in terms of policy as well as precedent; the inauguration of "Las Manitos" represented the first time that the Government of Bolivia has ever prioritized family planning on the national agenda in the history of the country.

Project Strengths

The IEC Subcommission is a coalition of 17 institutions from the public and private sector that work together for the promotion of reproductive services in Bolivia. The coalition demonstrated that open collaboration among inter-institutional agencies could be channeled effectively to produce positive results. Rather than competing for scarce resources, NRHP agencies were able to pool their resources and efforts for greater power and impact. Due to this collaboration, the materials were produced together and used correctly by all.

"Las Manitos" Campaign: Phase 2 (March - June 1996)

The newer campaign phase focused on the benefits of using contraceptive methods to prevent reproductive health problems such as unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. The campaign expanded the concept of reproductive health services from clinic sites to pharmacies where brand products are sold and self-instructional brochures, posters and pins displayed. This expansion of delivery points for public information and methods is expressed by the slogan "Reproductive health is closer to you, now." Analysis of unmet need and availability of services were instrumental to the design of the content of the campaign. The continuous coordination with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) working in population and reproductive health and the Ministry of Health ensured consistency between the campaign messages and services. The specific messages were designed following extensive formative research.

The national campaign included television and radio spots and variety of print materials. The target audience for these materials were urban men and women 18 to 35 from middle-low and low SES. The specific objectives of the campaign were:

1. To increase the number of clinic consultations on reproductive health; and



2. To increase the number of users of condoms, pills and IUD's.

The campaign was broadcast daily at the national level, and a detailed media plan was developed with the assistance of the Grey (Bolivia) advertising agency.