Campaign: 'Taiyyar Raho, Taiyyar Karo' (Prepare and Be Prepared)
Developed by: USAID funded ITAP Project
For: MOHFW, India
Year: 2011
Two 30 second TVCs on Menstrual Hygiene for Adolescents and to promote the Socially Marketed 'Freedays' sanitary napkin
ITAP Details: The Innovations in Technical Assistance Project (ITAP) is led by Futures Group International, in partnership with Johns Hopkins Centre for Communication Programs (CCP), in order to strengthen the Innovations in Family Planning Services. IFPS is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in India addressing family planning (FP), and reproductive and child health (RCH) in three northern states – Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand.
CCP, as the lead partner in developing Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) strategies, provided technical assistance to the Government of India; Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand including the Ministry of Health and family Welfare (MOHFW), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the state health societies.
Background: In India, menstruation and menstrual practices are clouded by taboos and socio-cultural restrictions for women as well as among adolescent girls. Limited access to products for sanitary technology, and lack of safe sanitary facilities could prove to be barriers to increased mobility and the likelihood of resorting to unhygienic practices to manage menstruation. Traditionally in India, it appears that there are three primary strategies: use of old clothes as pads by recycling them, no protection, making disposable pads with material at home.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the lack of access to menstrual hygiene (which includes sanitary napkins, toilets in schools, availability of water, privacy and safe disposal) could constrain school attendance and possibly contribute to local infections during this period. Therefore, creating awareness and increasing access to the requisite sanitary infrastructure, related to Menstrual Hygiene is important. The GoI’s commitment to ARSH in RCH II recognizes the importance of influencing the health seeking behaviour of adolescents.
The campaign: ITAP developed two TVCs and two Radio spots to help adolescents understand that menstruation is normal , that hygiene is very critical and sanitary napkins are a hygienic way to managing periods. The first commercial is for 10-14 year olds and the second is for older girls. Formative research help address the key barriers to positive behaviours and triggers for communication. The commercials were pretested and findings incorporated.
