Table 2.
Intervention tools and their application during the intervention
| Tool | Target population | Details | Purpose |
| Competitions for mothers and MaaSupervisors | |||
| Mother’s competitions* | Mother and children <5 years but specifically 6–24 months of age. | Three stages: (1) mothers who learnt the six behaviours and pledged to practice the behaviours (MaaFamboo); (2) mothers who demonstrated during a MaaSupervisor and a PHO visit a sustained practice of six behaviours (MaaSawaar); (3) mothers who did all the above and supported two other mothers to become a MaaFamboo (MaaChampion). |
To set graded tasks, provide general encouragement (contingent reward) for improved behaviour, prompt identification with a role model and by engaging community action to encourage a change of social norms. |
| MaaSupervisors competitions* | MaaSupervisors | Older respected woman who must encourage mothers (focus on a minimum of 10) of which 50% must achieve the MaaChampion status. | |
| Performing arts for all village members | |||
| Songs (at times combined with communal dancing)* | Mother of young children and all villagers attending meetings. |
Campaign song: information about the six behaviours and benefits of practices and specially explain the benefits of care and love in terms of a grateful child with a successful future. Pledged song: focused on nurture, disgust and purity to encourage mothers to pledge to carry out the practices. Welcome song: a cultural greeting song to welcome and honour the head of the village and those present, with elements of messages added. |
To engage communities particularly mothers and to make it easy for mothers to learn the behaviours form the songs. |
| Stories (portrayed in drama, animation and flip charts)* |
Story 1: story of MaaChampion heard from her grown up child who is now a successful doctor, proudly telling the story to her family. Story 2: story of Funtu about how villagers rejected her and how her child suffered, while meeting the MaaChampion and following her advice made her popular and a good mother. |
To stimulate the motivational drivers help mothers understand and remember the behaviours easily. To communicate the the behaviours in a graphically memorable and entertaining way. To prompt identification with the role model (MaaChampion) and consequences of not following the six behaviours. |
|
| Drama* | One drama: describing a day in the life of MaaChampion and Funtu. | ||
| Animations† |
Animation 1: choose soap.19 Shows a hand touching faeces and then eating with and without washing with soap first. Animation 2: SuperAmma.19 Shows a similar story to MaaChampion, but in an Indian village, with reference to handwashing with soap in general rather than references to food hygiene. |
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| Environmental cues for mothers | |||
| Posters, danglers and medals* | Mother of young children in the competition. | All had six key intervention practices graphically written on them. The mother’s posters, dangler and medals were all displayed around the house and kitchen. | To provide non-monetary incentives (contingent reward) for mothers. To provide visual reminders of the six key messages in the kitchen and household. |
| Plastic sheet | A 1.5×1.5 locally available sheet of plastic. | To provide a visual reminders of the message about drying pots and utensils on a clean surface. To facilitate this practice at the start of the programme when villagers do not have easy access to plastic sheets. |
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| Other tools for team members or villagers | |||
| Posters* | All village members. | Had six key intervention behaviours practices graphically written on them. | To remind and facilitate the mothers to perform the six key behaviours. |
| Flip charts* | Mother of young children and all villagers attending meetings. | The two stories and key behaviours were described in three different flip charts. | Visual aids for telling the stories in men and women’s discussion groups and to stimulate the motivational drivers. Mainly for MaaSupervisors to use during their home visits or community meetings to explain the behaviours. |
| T-shirts for the intervention team. | All village members. | Bearing project logo and title of MaaChampion. | To identify and formalise the intervention members. |
| Project banners | All village members. | A piece of polythene presenting six key messages and a photo of the MaaChampion on it, displayed temporarily in each village before the afternoon events. | To make villagers aware about intervention events and the six key behaviours. |
| Glo Germ* | Mother of young children and all villagers attending meetings. | Two adult volunteers: both rub the Glo Germ cream on their hands: one washes hands with soap and water, while the other with only water; then they put hands under UV lamp to show ‘glowing germs’ on the hands that did not use soap. | To use during the men and women’s group discussions to engender the motivational drive for disgust and consequences of not using soap. |