Announcing: 10 Stories, 10 Lives, One Message Site

Written by: Kendra Davis, Program Specialist

In some parts of the world, youth, women, and families want to access family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) services, but they can’t because they face barriers such as discrimination by providers, skepticism due to misinformation about side effects, and lack of partner and family consent. Furthermore, youth are unsure where to get accurate information and may not know which adults and peers in their lives they can trust to help them. In 2021, Breakthrough ACTION launched the 10 Lives, 10 Stories, One Message competition and selected 10 winners that implemented social and behavior change (SBC) projects to dismantle the social barriers youth, women, and families face when seeking FP/RH services. A new Breakthrough ACTION microsite now serves as the home of the winning videos and stories.

On December 15, 2021, Breakthrough ACTION held a launch event showcasing the stories and videos of the winning organizations capturing an array of approaches to improve access to family planning through the power of SBC programming. Below are snapshots of each of the compelling stories written and produced by each winning organization’s staff members, Breakthrough ACTION, and the Radiant Media Collaborative team.

Videos

• The Grandmother Project-Change through Culture video highlights the power of grandmothers’ to be change agents in their communities and reduce the practice of child marriage and female genital cutting.
• The ZanaAfrica video showcases their popular and influential comic series that makes comprehensive sexual education more accessible.
• The Pathfinder International video demonstrates that coordinated efforts between the government of Pakistan and community leaders can shift gender norms and promote couples’ dialogue.
• The HealthRight International video shows how community-based SBC strategies can improve access to contraception in rural communities among women with disabilities.
• The SHOPS PLUS video explores how social media campaigns can make condom use more acceptable and help young adults make informed choices.

Written Stories

• The MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience tells a story of a mother-daughter duo and how SBC can promote women’s empowerment and improve adolescents’ access to FP/RH.
• The IntraHealth International story shares the program’s multiple complementary approaches such as with games demonstrated by trusted health workers to increase postpartum contraceptive use.
• The Institute for Reproductive Health’s story describes social network approaches to identify female and male influencers and facilitate the spread of new ideas and behaviors in Benin and Mali.
• GOAL Sierra Leone’s story follows an adolescent girl conquering social norms and preventing future unwanted pregnancies for herself and her peers.
• The Family Planning Association of Malawi story details how to generate demand for family planning and improve adolescent reproductive health by addressing youth myths and misconceptions about family planning.

This series of short and impactful videos and story briefs are available on the 10 Lives, 10 Stories, One Message interactive website in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.