About DC

Behaviour Change as a Catalyst to Sustainable Development

DC firmly believes that influencing behaviour change is critical to the success of an impactful program. Many programs run into cultural traditions and taboos that result in constituents resisting an initiative that might dramatically improve their lives. In many cases, the solution is a matter of sequencing, where opening constituents’ minds to a program’s promise precedes efforts to execute the program itself. At the core of most of our intervention designs is a process to encourage beneficial behaviour change, without taking the paternalistic approach of imposing the change on constituents. These could be a mix of approaches such as engaging constituents directly, by enlisting local, trusted peers to investigate cultural norms and elicit change from within the community; or to impact constituents indirectly, by incentivising critical collaborators to change their behaviours. The work DC does on empowerment is accompanied by collective action and broader engagement with the community. To help bring about behavioural change and build skills, young people are provided with extensive trainings and opportunities in smaller groups to engage in critical thinking and dialogues among themselves and with other stakeholders in the community. This approach is linked to Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs that promote Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH).