Social & behavioral change training workshop a step towards making a significant impact on community

The Social and Behavioral Change (SBC) strategy is emerging as an essential pillar for realizing the vision of becoming an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060. This strategy focuses on putting communities at the center of interventions, mobilizing them, influencing social norms, and promoting practices conducive to community development and well-being..

As part of implementing this vision, the Ministry of Communication, Information Technology, and Media, in collaboration with UNICEF through the Center for Information, Education, and Communication on Population and Development (CIEP), organized an SBC training workshop from October 22 to 26, 2024.

The activities were launched in the presence of the Minister of Communication, Information Technology, and Media, Mrs. Léocadie Ndacayisaba, the UNICEF representative in Burundi, France Bégin, and the Governor of Gitega Province, Venant Manirambona.

Executives from various social ministries, civil society organizations and NGOs, university delegates, and consultants attended these activities. A total of 32 people participated in this training.

In her opening speech, the Minister of Communication, Information Technologies, and Medias stressed the importance of collaborative work. “Social change is not the responsibility of an isolated individual or group. It is a collective effort that requires the commitment of all players: government, civil society, local communities, and development partners”, she declared.

The UNICEF representative stressed the importance of social norms in shaping the decisions we make at all levels, highlighting their influence on behaviors within families and communities. In her opinion, it is essential to transform social norms to reinforce the favorable behaviors of individuals, families, and communities, and to encourage them to become agents of change in their own environment for the good of communities in general and children in particular.

Questions, experience sharing, group and individual exercises, interactive activities, and plenary discussions fostered active collaboration between facilitators and participants.

Christella Kwizera, a participant in the training course, is delighted with the encounters she made: “I'm delighted to have discovered so many government agencies, local associations, and international organizations. The fact that there was a varied audience only enriches the plurality of ideas,” she confided.

“What motivated me to take part in this training is the indispensable role of the SBC approach in project implementation. After this training, I expect SBC to be popularized across all country development sectors to achieve the government's vision effectively. I intend to apply SBC approaches in my daily activities, especially Co-creation, which consists of consulting communities before any planning,” shares Gad Ndagijimana, a training participant.