social mobilization
Social Mobilization1
INTRODUCTION
Background
The decade of the 80s was characterized by many as one of retrogression for development, especially in a large number of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Latin America and South Asia. In a bleak landscape dotted with setbacks in social and economic development, the Child Survival and Development initiative stood out as a beacon of hope and one of the few positive forward movements. The solid achievements of the Universal Child Immunization and Control of Diarrheal Disease programs have demonstrated that concerted efforts at mobilizing various elements of society for a common developmental goal can overcome long odds and reach goals hitherto thought unattainable in a limited time-frame of just a few years.
Though UNICEF has been the principal player in such mobilizing activities, similar efforts at involving various societal elements for development, albeit under different nomenclature, have also been advocated by various development organizations. For instance, WHO, a close partner with UNICEF in successful immunization and oral rehydration work, has in recent years used the term "Health Promotion" to denote its holistic approach to health education. Those engaged in family planning, nutrition and child survival projects have practiced development communication and used marketing techniques with varying degrees of success in what is generally referred to as Information, Education, and Communication (IEC).
Following the U.N. Children's Summit which called for accelerated action in development efforts, UNICEF decided to subject "social mobilization" to the rigor of an academic discipline with the view of examining its concept and improving its practice. In 1991, Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine was asked to undertake the task of developing a Global Social Mobilization Training and Research Program. The need for such a program was recognized by UNDP, WHO, UNFPA, PAHO,
INTRODUCTION
Background
The decade of the 80s was characterized by many as one of retrogression for development, especially in a large number of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Latin America and South Asia. In a bleak landscape dotted with setbacks in social and economic development, the Child Survival and Development initiative stood out as a beacon of hope and one of the few positive forward movements. The solid achievements of the Universal Child Immunization and Control of Diarrheal Disease programs have demonstrated that concerted efforts at mobilizing various elements of society for a common developmental goal can overcome long odds and reach goals hitherto thought unattainable in a limited time-frame of just a few years.
Though UNICEF has been the principal player in such mobilizing activities, similar efforts at involving various societal elements for development, albeit under different nomenclature, have also been advocated by various development organizations. For instance, WHO, a close partner with UNICEF in successful immunization and oral rehydration work, has in recent years used the term "Health Promotion" to denote its holistic approach to health education. Those engaged in family planning, nutrition and child survival projects have practiced development communication and used marketing techniques with varying degrees of success in what is generally referred to as Information, Education, and Communication (IEC).
Following the U.N. Children's Summit which called for accelerated action in development efforts, UNICEF decided to subject "social mobilization" to the rigor of an academic discipline with the view of examining its concept and improving its practice. In 1991, Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine was asked to undertake the task of developing a Global Social Mobilization Training and Research Program. The need for such a program was recognized by UNDP, WHO, UNFPA, PAHO,