Community Video for Nutrition Guide

"SPRING and DG see this community-led video approach, with videos created by the community for the community, as a revolutionary tool for nutrition and health behavior change which blends innovative, low-cost, accessible technology with the strength of human-mediated interpersonal communication techniques. Although video provides a point of focus in this model, it is people and social dynamics that ultimately ensure its effectiveness."

This guide is a step-by-step reference to support the design and implementation of a community-led video project focused on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) behaviours. It is a product of a collaborative initiative focused on integrating content on high-impact MIYCN practices, including information on key hygiene-related behaviours, into an existing community-led video project, which is predominantly focused on promoting improved agricultural practices among small-scale and marginal women farmers participating in existing self-help groups (SHGs) in 30 villages in 2 blocks of Keonjhar District of Odisha, India. Ten MIYCN videos (click here to view the videos) were produced during the collaboration between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Strengthening Partnerships, Results, and Innovations in Nutrition Globally (SPRING) project and Digital Green (DG) - see Related Summaries for more details on this collaboration and its results.

The concept may be summarised as follows: "The process of producing and disseminating the videos often elevates the role and influence of positive deviants or early adopters, who are the video 'stars'. Community-led video has been shown to be highly effective as both a means of conveying information and catalyzing social change and individual behavior change for improved agriculture, livelihoods, and health behaviors. The videos allow community members to observe practices in their own geographical context, demonstrated in their own language and by someone of similar means. Seeing practices promoted by their neighbors, community members realize that they, too, have the means to implement them. At its core, this approach democratizes video, allowing communities to tell their stories while retaining the technical integrity of the information. The approach is feasible even in remote communities with limited Internet connectivity and irregular access to electricity."

This guide focuses on the 3 specific components of the SPRING/DG approach (Initiation, Production, and Diffusion) and goes into detail about the nutrition-specific adaptations of the DG standard model outlined in the DG standard operating procedures (SOPs), which can be accessed openly here. Not a comprehensive programming tool, the guide is intended to be used in combination with DG's SOPs and with video production, editing, and monitoring and information system (MIS) training manuals, all available through the DG website. Implementation tips are also included in each chapter, along with anecdotes describing specific challenges or experiences encountered while testing the approach. References are provided for the necessary formative research, training, equipment specifications, and other tools outlined in the appendices to this package as well as for the training materials, forms, and sample programme planning documents found in the DG SOPs. These tools are intended to be reviewed and adjusted or adapted to meet a project's specific needs and local context. To facilitate adaptation, each tool in the appendices is available to be downloaded in editable Word format.

The MIYCN-specific elements that make up the bulk of this guide are specifically noted in boxes at the beginning of each chapter and bolded in the figures detailing the steps of the approach. Although focused on promoting MIYCN, the guide builds on the DG agriculture-focused platform, to which other content can be added or emphasised, such as information promoting sexual and reproductive health and family planning, nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices, community institution building, government schemes, animal husbandry, financial inclusion programmes, nonfarm income-generating activities, and a range of other topics.