I-Kit for Ebola Preparedness

This Ebola Communication Preparedness Implementation Kit (I-Kit) is designed to provide national and local stakeholders, as well as programme managers, with "key considerations and a roadmap for instituting and implementing critical, relevant, practical and timely communication for responding to the threat of an Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak." The objective of the I-Kit is to guide countries in social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) and risk communication activity planning, including communication plan development for every stage of an Ebola response.

According to the publishers, Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3), "for any country facing a major health crisis, national preparedness plans need to include and support communication efforts. Integration of communication into the preparedness agenda from the outset ensures that preparedness communication is harmonised, relevant, timely, financially supported and aligned among all of the preparedness technical teams. Robust national communication preparedness plans maximize the effectiveness of Ebola communication and equip communication trainers and experts with a common set of tools and modules." The Kit can therefore be useful for: officials, policy makers, and leaders in ministries and other government entities whose countries are vulnerable to an Ebola outbreak; health communication experts in Ministries of Health and national or international organisations; communication and media stakeholders in the government and in national or international organisations; and for health communication trainers in national or global organisations.

Among other core components, this I-Kit contains the following:

• Background information on Ebola, SBCC and risk communication, including several theories identified during UNICEF/CDC-led regional Ebola communication preparedness workshops.
• Information on the development and operationalisation of country coordinating mechanisms for communication within the Ebola response.
• A review of the stages of emergency communication preparedness, and guidance for each stage, including key considerations.
• Key considerations and best practices for community engagement for Ebola communication.
• Information on conducting rapid assessments for effective Ebola communication responses.
• Key considerations for planning Ebola communication activities, particularly around establishing priorities and communication channels.
• A sample Ebola communication strategy that can be adapted to local situations.
• Guidance on options for communication responses in a variety of scenarios and response levels — provided in the form of an easy to use table, the options include appropriate and practical responses at the household, community, service and structural levels.
• Information for mobilisers about the best ways to prepare and mobilise Ebola emergency teams.

The I-Kit is divided into the following seven chapters:

• Chapter 1: Background and context
• Chapter 2: Ebola communication preparedness stages and guidance
• Chapter 3: Coordination mechanisms for Ebola communication
• Chapter 4: Conducting rapid assessments for Ebola communication responses
• Chapter 5: Community engagement through social mobilisation in the Ebola response
• Chapter 6: Key considerations for effective Ebola communication
• Chapter 7: Ebola Communication strategy guidance