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,Acknowledgements
This document was prepared by Elayne Clift for the World Health Organization. It draws extensively
from the contributions provided by the following:

Nancy Ali, Adrienne Allison, Premila Bartlett, Lydia Clemmons, Sylvie Cohen, Carol Corso,
Dana Faulkner, Warren Feek, Claudia Fishman Parvanta, Donna Flanaghan, Dennis Foote, Elizabeth
Fox, Jeff Gray, Marshe Griffiths, Pam Harper, Rene Jaimes, Jeff Jordan, Marge Koblinsky, Susan
Krenn, Nazo Kureshy, Craig Lefebvre, Mary Luke, Irma Manoncourt, Asha Mohamud, Mona Moore,
Ruth Mota, Gail O’Sullivan, Reynalda Pareja, Warren Parker, Peggy Parlato, Alice Payne Merritt,
Annie Portela, Peter Purdy, Mark Rasmuson, Marilyn Rice, Penelope Riceborough, José Rimon II,
Gary Saffitz, Beverly Schwartz, OJ Sikes, Carlos Ugarte, Margaret Usher, Mitchell Warren, and Kim
Winnard.

WHO gratefully acknowledges the special contribution of people in the field who took the time to
respond to a WHO questionnaire. Pam Harper of AVSC International (now renamed EngenderHealth)
and Penelope Riceborough of Pathfinder International, sent the survey out to various field sites.

WHO is also grateful to Marilyn Rice, formerly WHO/TSS Specialist in Health Promotion and
Education in Reproductive Health, for sending the survey to the WHO regional offices and to UNFPA’s
country support teams, as well as for providing guidance throughout the document’s development.

This document has been printed by the Department of Reproductive Health and Research of the World
Health Organization to contribute to on-going discussion and analysis of the different approaches for
working with individual, families and groups to improve reproductive health. The views expressed herein
are those of the author. Additional activities are planned to allow for the presentation of other
perspectives.

Finally, WHO wishes to express its gratitude to the Government of Japan and The World Bank for their
generous contributions which made the development of this document possible.




Cover design: Máire Ní Mhearáin
Editing: Catherine Hamill
Support for final production: Catherine Legros


© World Health Organization, 2001

This document is not a formal publication of the World Health Organization (WHO), and all rights are reserved by the
Organization. The document may, however, be freely reviewed, abstracted, reproduced and translated, in part or in
whole, but not for sale nor for use in conjunction with commercial purposes.

The views expressed in documents by named authors are solely the responsibility of those authors.

,Further copies of this document are available from Department of Reproductive Health and Research,
World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland or via e-mail from:

, Contents

List of abbreviations

Preface

Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 1

What is Information, Education and Communication? ................................................................. 3

IEC Lessons Learned.................................................................................................................... 3
Lessons Learned - General............................................................................................................3
Planning a Strategy........................................................................................................................4
Implementing a Strategy.................................................................................................................6
Monitoring and Evaluating a Strategy .............................................................................................8
Training.........................................................................................................................................9

Lessons Learned in IEC Specific to Reproductive Health........................................................ 11
Peer education, support groups, counselling and interpersonal communication...............................11
Gender considerations .................................................................................................................12
Women’s concerns ................................................................................................................12
Men as partners ....................................................................................................................14
Youth as an audience...................................................................................................................15
Negotiation/Life skills ..................................................................................................................17
Religious Institutions ....................................................................................................................17
Building Partnerships for Integration through IEC..........................................................................17

Conclusions................................................................................................................................... 20

Appendix 1: Theoretical Perspectives B Understanding IEC in the Larger Context ............... 22

Appendix 2: Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................... 24

Appendix 3: Information sources ................................................................................................ 28
Materials consulted......................................................................................................................28
Key organizations contacted........................................................................................................33

References ................................................................................................................................... 35