This case study and accompanying advocacy support image help increase country-level investment in social and behavior change (SBC) for family planning (FP) and health systems strengthening. Based on prior project experiences, Breakthrough ACTION uncovered several barriers to increased country-level investment in SBC. For example:
- Country-level decision makers often shape their FP investment decisions around the World Health Organization (WHO) health system building blocks; however, many do not link SBC explicitly across all WHO building blocks.
- Some decision makers associate SBC with a narrow scope of activities, such as mass media campaigns.
- Many decision makers gravitate towards status quo investment options that feel safe and familiar.
To address these investment barriers, Breakthrough ACTION developed this advocacy support image, which explicitly links SBC to all six WHO health system building blocks, broadens the perceived scope of SBC to include more than mass media campaigns, and links SBC to system-level outcomes.
The Rwanda case study concretely links SBC to system-level FP outcomes and continues to broaden the perceived scope of SBC approaches. These tools can broaden stakeholders’ mindsets around the use of SBC and encourage the adoption and investment of SBC approaches to improve FP and health systems strengthening outcomes.
