Dhaara Webinar on 24 July 2020: Counselling and Community Mobilisation in the New Normal… Reimagining SBCC
Counselling and Community Mobilisation in the New Normal… Reimagining SBCC

Across the globe we are experiencing various stages of lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt work and life. In ensuring delivery of services and reaching the community, many have found new and innovative ways of reaching out to communities, family, women and children who are in dire need.

Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) for COVID-19 response with particular focus on counselling and community mobilisation, which was the theme of the Dhaara webinar. Providing comfort and counselling to individuals and their families, providing right information, promoting safe behaviours, allaying myths, misconceptions, stigma, discrimination, fear and building community engagement and ownership to fight the pandemic was on the agenda of the Webinar. To strengthen our understanding as development practitioners, the webinar brought together professionals on Friday 24 July 2020.

INTRODUCTORY PANEL: COVID-19 Risk Communication & Community Engagement Reimagining Counselling and Community Mobilisation in South Asia

Panelists: Layla Saad, Senior Adviser, C4D (TBC), UNICEF South Asia Region; Siddhartha Shrestha, Chief, C4D, UNICEF India; Janine Schooley, Senior Vice President, Project Concern International (PCI).

The webinar started off with an introductory session given by Layla Saad, Senior Adviser, C4D (TBC), UNICEF South Asia Region, Siddhartha Shrestha, Chief, C4D, UNICEF India and Janine Schooley, Senior Vice President, Project Concern International (PCI). The session gave a brief over view of how the pandemic has pushed the social behaviour change into the limelight and how various multiform strategies are being devised around the various dimension of the pandemic. The session also highlighted how various platforms should be used such as digital and non-digital for maximising the dissemination of messages on COVID to various pockets of communities especially the vulnerable communities.

View the proceedings of the Introductory Panel Below





PANEL 1: Community mobilisation techniques and experiences in the ‘New Normal’
Panelists::
Sanjay Singh and Abhishek Singh, C4D Specialists, UNICEF; Aprajita Pandey, Founder and CEO, Haiyya; Nasreen Jamal, Chief of Project Umang, ICRW

Click to view Panel 1 Presentation

PANEL 2: Experiences in counselling and outreach through Helplines
Panelists::
Suriyakala and Susovan, Childline India Foundation (1098), Anupriya Singh, Cehat - Women Helpline (9029073154); Rajesh Kumar Rana, NACO Helpline (1097)