Call for Proposal on Solutions to Real-Life Community Health Challenges (Students Only)
Ahead of the International Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Summit scheduled to hold in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from the 8th to the 10th of February, 2016, SBCC is on the lookout for three (3) teams who will submit credible proposals on innovative, feasible and sustainable health communication interventions.
The proposal is part of the international SBCC Lion’s Den, a Health Communication case competition, open to undergraduate and graduate students who will work in interdisciplinary teams to submit proposals on feasible health communication interventions that will be targeted at real-life community health challenges and grounded in proven SBCC frameworks and theories.
The teams will be selected to have representatives attend the SBCC Summit where they will receive feedback, guidance and mentoring to further refine their proposals and then present them before a panel of health communication experts. The team with the strongest proposal and pitch will receive $5,000 to further develop their concept and implement a small-scale, six-month pilot project in their local community to demonstrate “proof of concept” and the potential of the project to be implemented and scaled.
SBCC is looking out for proposal(s) that:
- Demonstrate how SBCC can be used to influence positive health outcomes.
- Focus on hand-washing as an intervention area that address a related health topic.
- Present a community-level solution to an identified health challenge.
- Use an interdisciplinary approach to SBCC.
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
- Proposals should be no longer than five (5) pages in length and written in English. Each proposal should include a narrative of the team’s approach, including the following:
- Background on the target community and the challenges it faces with regard to hand-washing
- Description of the proposed intervention and desired behavioral outcomes, including its underlying theoretical basis and intended target audience
- Clearly articulated qualitative and quantitative outcome indicators that are realistic and achievable within a six-month timeframe
- A high-level, six-month work plan and budget
- A simple, focused monitoring and evaluation plan with the purpose of demonstrating “proof of concept”
Teams and proposals that demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach, combining complementary talents and methodologies from communication, public health, business, technology, and other relevant fields, are preferred. Identification of a local non-governmental, civil society or faith-based organization with whom the project would be implemented is not required but highly encouraged.
Proposals must be based on evidence and developed using proven health communication theories and frameworks. A curated suite of high-quality materials and resources can be found on the Health Compass website and used as reference.
Plagiarism is unacceptable and will result in immediate elimination. Proposals must outline an original idea and approach developed by the team.
Financial
The winning team will be awarded $5,000 to further refine their idea and implement a six-month pilot project. Each proposal must include a high-level budget in US dollars showing how the money will be used to implement and evaluate the intervention.
Selection
The competition will be administered in two phases. During the first phase, student teams will work together to submit their written proposal to the committee via email. The committee will review the proposals based on the guidelines and criteria outlined above and select a total of three finalist teams. These teams will move in to the second phase of the competition where they will refine and present their proposals at the SBCC Summit. There are no restrictions to the size of each team; however, the committee will only cover travel expenses for three members per team.
While at the SBCC Summit, finalists will have the opportunity to network with and learn from SBCC experts and practitioners from around the world. They will also have access to mentors who will provide the teams with feedback on their proposal and final presentations. Guidelines for final presentations will be shared with finalists upon notice of selection. A panel of health communication experts will judge the final presentations during an event open to all SBCC Summit participants.
The winning team will be expected to submit a “proof of concept” report six (6) months after beginning implementation of their project that captures key lessons learned and demonstrates feasibility and potential for sustainable replication and scale.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION AND DEADLINE
Any questions related to this call for proposals must be submitted by email to info@healthcommcapacity.org by Monday, December 14, 2015, 12 PM (noon) GMT.
Answers will be provided by Wednesday, December 16, 2015.
All final proposals are due by Friday, January 8, 2016 and must be submitted via email to info@healthcommcapacity.org.
Proposals must be submitted in English and include the following:
- Technical and financial proposal
- Brief biography of each student team member.