In February 2011, the Mayer Hashi Project, in collaboration with the Bangladeshi Directorate General of Family Planning, launched district-level behavior change communication (BCC) campaigns in Barisal and Patuakhali with the goal of increasing use of long-acting and permanent methods of family planning. These launches represented the first two of 12 planned BBC campaigns this year.

The launch events were attended by almost 200 participants, including individuals from government, civil society and USAID, and religious leaders. The Mayor of the Barisal City Corporation chaired the launch ceremony in Barisal, with the Divisional Commissioner of Barisal as Chief Guest; the Additional District Commissioner chaired the ceremony in Patuakhali, with the Divisional Director FP as Chief Guest.

The BCC campaigns will include street drama, folk songs, documentary screening on local cable television and mobile van shows. In addition, print materials will be distributed for service providers. The campaigns will run for three months.

Prior to the campaign launch, the Mayer Hashi Project provided training to almost 1200 Government of Bangladesh health and family planning service providers of Barisal and Patuakhali districts on communication and demand generation techniques.

The Mayer Hashi Project is a four-year Associate Award, funded by USAID/Dhaka under the Global RESPOND Project. The project is implemented by EngenderHealth in collaboration with CCP, the Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP) and the Population Council. The project is tasked with addressing the need for family planning through expanding contraceptive choices and program services, and preventing post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) using clinical and community approaches in 21 districts of the three low performing divisions of Sylhet, Chittagong and Barisal.

In March 2011, behavior change campaigns will be launched in Borguna, Cox’s Bazar and Lakhmipur districts. A national level BCC campaign launch is planned for May.