Mongolia is one of the three countries taking part in the UNFPA-supported Asia Regional Project "Increasing Male Involvement for RH through Effective BCC Strategies (RAS5R304).

On 31st May and 2nd June, JOICFP gave Approduction training at the National Center for Health Development (NCHD), MOH, Ulaanbaatar, to facilitate media tool development for the project.

To date, NCHD has been developing a communication strategy by identifying issues and expected outcomes. As a part of this overall framework, they have been planning to produce media tools to help volunteers and advocate the importance of male involvement in reproductive health. Three, 30-second TV spots will be developed along with three corresponding billboards in the project communities.

The training aimed to assist the project personnel in developing media tools to promote male involvement in RH by delivering information on how to indentify communication elements, how to use JOICFP's BCC templates, and how to logically develop media tools specifically for male involvement.

Participants included project personnel, male educators, and NCHD staff.

Atsushi Yoshino, Director, Media Communications, JOICFP, explained basic theory on information cells (minimum units of information that can be used in different media), and how value can be created through option creation.

Yoshino outlined communication elements, such as goal, destination, routes and obstacles, and introduced the participants to 'BCC Power Models', templates that help development of communication strategies. The trainees made presentations using Power Models, which were evaluated by Yoshino.

Yoshino delivers training on Approduction

The participants also learned the value of identifying a measurable and concrete communication goal as the key to effective BCC media tool development.

The second day saw Yoshino explain multi-solution technology, focusing on DTP and DTV by combining information cells. Yoshino emphasized that though tools may be made on computer, they must be appropriate as end users often have no electricity or limited computer skills.

To make the communication interventions effective and efficient, Yoshino said there must be a balance between emotion and awareness, interactive and one-way communication, and mass and individual communication.

The Power Models are designed to assist the users in finding logical gaps in BCC interventions, thereby catching problems before they arise.

Yoshino also explained the value of having a common motif, or logo, that could be used in a variety of situations, such as posters, flyers, bags, caps, and other publicity material.

One of the participants giving a demonstration
using what had been learned

The participants are expected to continue working with Power Models to strengthen BCC interventions for male involvement.

All of the trainees expressed their thanks for the workshop, and indicated their desire for more training.