Despite the many interventions to address Malaria in Uganda, many people still suffer from it. Additionally, net usage, comprehensive knowledge levels as well as adoption of the malaria prevention behaviors and practices remain considerably low in certain regions of the country. With that background, USAID Social and Behavior Change Activity (SBCA) contracted S4P Group to help develop and rollout interventions that would help improve the indicators.

S4P Group utilized HCD approaches and processes to design an integrated cascade approach to address factors influencing adopting promoted behaviors. S4P also utilized a three-pronged multi-sectoral approach to achieve change in the intervention areas, including mass media, district leadership involvement, and community engagement. Some of the activities that led to project success included revival meetings, home visits, and activations in hotspots.

The S4P Group human-centered approach created an opportunity for innovation and quick thinking to ensure that an important aspect of the program design was not failed by the reality on the ground. In addition, our style of localized community interventions heightened the attractiveness of the activities, drawing in those who had initially been uninterested in previous malaria sensitization activities. The Malaria Spin-the-Wheel game was developed as the campaign centerpiece intervention which became a hit in the communities. It was also recommended for adoption by all malaria programs at health facilities and schools to ensure interactive and educative sessions.

As a result, there was an increase in knowledge of fever as a main cause of malaria from 59% to 64%, favorable attitudes towards net use improved from 78% to 94%, risk perception for malaria increased from 54% to 76% the percentage of priority audience members who get appropriate treatment for malaria when sick increased from 72% to 91%, the percentage of priority audience members who sleep under an ITN for the entire night when there are few mosquitoes increased from 74% to 95%, among others in the districts where the interventions were rolled out.