First Steps: Selecting an Approach
- Consider existing IPC programs and research
Become aware of what approaches have been successfully and unsuccessfully
implemented in your country and/or with target groups with whom
you want to work. Understanding the useful and not so useful elements
of programs will enable you to either eliminate or replicate these
constructs based upon best practices.
At the end of this toolkit is an appendix of IPC "best practices."
A review of these programs is a useful first step.
- Evaluate individual country experiences
Try to identify IPC or PE programs that have been implemented
in your country. Examine these programs to understand their content,
successes, and lessons learned. It may be helpful to meet with
donors who support IPC and/or NGOs who have had experience implementing
such programs. It can also be beneficial to make site visits to
see these interventions first-hand. Such visits can help program
planners better understand how such programs might transfer into
a different context and they also help inspire creative, new ideas.
- Adapt previous experience to your needs
Based on what you learn from global and local experiences, it
may be possible to take existing manuals and programs and adapt
them to your needs. If this approach is taken, it will be important
to carry out the necessary formative research assessments and
pre-testing of materials to ensure that the program is indeed
appropriate to your unique setting.
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