The ABCs of SBC

Every culture has foods that carry meaning far beyond nutrition. In Rwanda, milk has long symbolised prosperity and celebration. Eggs, on the other hand, were something to sell, not something many families thought to feed their young children.
So how do you change the meaning of a food?
We travel to Rwanda to explore the "One Egg per Child, Every Day" campaign, and the broader First Foods Africa initiative. Along the way, we discover why nutrition isn't just about what's available or what people know. It's about identity, emotion, social norms, and even marketing.
Featuring Rowena Merritt (UNICEF), Bhai Shelley (UNICEF Rwanda), and Alice Mwizerwa (Heza Initiative), this episode explores how social marketing techniques normally used to sell junk food were repurposed to make healthy foods desirable; how communities built their own poultry businesses to overcome local barriers; and why lasting behaviour change means creating demand that can outlive donor funding.
It's a story about far more than eggs. It's about what happens when healthy food becomes something people genuinely want - and how changing the meaning of a single food can help change children's futures.
Episode speakers:
Rowena Merritt - Social and Behaviour Change Specialist - Nutrition at UNICEF
Bhai Shelly - Former Social & Behaviour Change Chief, UNICEF Rwanda 
Alice Mwizerwa – Head of Heza Initiative
Resources:
First Foods Africa (UNICEF, Sept 2025).
One Egg per Child, Every Day (Rwanda, 2022–23)

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by UNICEF in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Hidden in Plain Sight, a celebration of the everyday heroes on the frontlines of public health outbreaks, or the first publication, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

This episode is in English and Spanish!
What if access to trustworthy health information was considered as important as access to healthcare itself?
In this special bilingual (English & Spanish) episode of The ABCs of SBC, recorded live at the 2026 SBCC Summit in Panama City, we explore one of the biggest public health questions of our time: what does it actually mean to ensure everyone has access to quality health information?
As social media, AI and digital platforms increasingly shape how people make decisions about their health, a new international Commission convened by Nature Medicine is working to define what "quality health information" really looks like, and how we can protect and promote it.
Featuring voices from across the Commission and UNICEF, this episode explores why accurate information alone is never enough. We discuss the roles of trust, culture, community engagement and social and behaviour change in helping people make informed decisions about their health.
A timely discussion on why quality health information isn't simply a communications challenge. It is becoming one of the defining determinants of health in the digital age.
Featuring:
Dr Scott Ratzan, Co-Chair, Nature Medicine Commission on Quality Health Information for All
Ben Johnson, Editor-in-Chief, Nature Health
Rafael Obregón, UNICEF Representative, Nicaragua
Massimiliano Sani, Global Chief of Social and Behaviour Change, UNICEF
Deepa Risal Pokharel, Senior SBC Adviser and Team Lead for Vaccine Acceptance and Demand, UNICEF
Show notes:
Quality Health Information for All Commission
UNICEF SBC Guidance
UNICEF Behavioural Drivers Model

¿Y si acceder a información de salud confiable fuese tan importante como el acceso a los servicios de salud?
En este episodio especial bilingüe (inglés y español) de “The ABCs of SBC”, grabado en vivo durante la Conferencia de Comunicación para el Cambio Social y de Comportamiento (CCSC)  2026 en la Ciudad de Panamá, exploramos una de las preguntas más relevantes en salud pública de nuestra época: ¿qué significa realmente garantizar que todas las personas tengan acceso a información de salud de calidad?
A medida que las redes sociales, la inteligencia artificial y las plataformas digitales moldean cada vez más la forma en que las personas toman decisiones sobre su salud, una nueva comisión internacional convocada por Nature Medicine trabaja para definir en qué consiste realmente la "información de salud de calidad" y cómo podemos protegerla y promoverla.
Con la participación de representantes de la Comisión y de UNICEF, este episodio analiza por qué la información verídica, por sí sola, no es suficiente. Abordamos el rol que desempeñan la confianza, la cultura, la participación comunitaria y el cambio social y de comportamiento para ayudar a las personas a tomar decisiones informadas sobre su salud.
Una conversación oportuna sobre por qué la información de salud de calidad no es simplemente un desafío de comunicación; y cómo se está convirtiendo en uno de los determinantes clave de la salud en la era digital.
Participantes:
Dr. Scott Ratzan, copresidente de la Comisión de *Nature Medicine* sobre Información de Salud de Calidad para Todos
Ben Johnson, editor jefe de *Nature Health*
Rafael Obregón, representante de UNICEF en Nicaragua
Massimiliano Sani, jefe mundial de Cambio Social y de Comportamiento, UNICEF
Deepa Risal Pokharel, asesora sénior de Cambio Social y de Comportamiento (SBC) y líder del equipo de Aceptación y Demanda de Vacunas, UNICEF
Notas del episodio:
Comisión sobre Información de Calidad para Todos
Orientaciones de UNICEF sobre SBC (Comunicación para el Cambio Social y de Comportamiento)
Modelo de determinantes del comportamiento de UNICEF
The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by UNICEF in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Hidden in Plain Sight, a celebration of the everyday heroes on the frontlines of public health outbreaks, or the first publication, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

Every three seconds, a girl under 18 is married somewhere in the world. While global rates of child marriage have declined, millions of girls continue to face pressure to marry before they are ready, often shaped by a complex mix of social norms, economic realities, family expectations, and gender inequality. Laws matter, but as practitioners working on the issue know, legislation alone is rarely enough to change deeply rooted behaviours.
In this episode, Qali explores what it takes to address child marriage through a social and behaviour change lens. From Nepal's Rupantaran programme, which helps girls build confidence, critical thinking skills, and aspirations beyond marriage, to Zambia's Coaching Boys into Men initiative, which challenges harmful ideas about masculinity, this conversation examines how change happens when entire systems begin to shift. Along the way, you'll hear stories of girls, boys, parents, religious leaders, and communities reimagining what is possible for the next generation.
You'll hear from:
Humberto Jaime, Chief of Social and Behaviour Change, UNICEF Nepal
Pragya Shah Karki, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Nepal
Edwin Mumba, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Zambia
Resources:
Rupantaran Programme, Nepal
Coaching Boys into Men, Zambia
UNFPA–UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage
The Child Marriage Data Portal 
Behavioral Surveys and Monitoring Tools for Child Protection and Harmful Practices | UNICEF SBC GUIDANCE 
Online Course: Summary of Exploring the Drivers of Behaviour: The Case of Child Marriage (English version)
Online Course: Résumé de Explorer les Facteurs Comportementaux : Le Cas du Mariage d'Enfants (French version)
The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by UNICEF in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Hidden in Plain Sight, a celebration of the everyday heroes on the frontlines of public health outbreaks, or the first publication, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

For decades, governments have tackled public health challenges with clear policies and well-funded campaigns, only to find that the outcomes don't always follow. Information alone rarely changes what people do. Across the world, behavioural insights units have quietly taken root inside governments, helping policymakers understand why people behave as they do, and what it actually takes to shift decisions in everyday life.
In this episode, Qali follows the setup of a new Behavioural Insights Hub in Sri Lanka, a partnership between the Ministry of Health and UNICEF. From the first week-long workshop with senior health officials, to early interest from the President's office, to the disruption of Cyclone Ditwah just as the work was getting underway, this discussion explores what it takes to build behavioural science capacity inside government, and why the slower work of testing, learning, and embedding new ways of thinking is where real change happens.
You'll hear from:
Dr Ranjith Batuwanthudawe, Director of the Health Promotion Bureau, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
Ukasha Ramli, Global Behavioural Science Lead at UNICEF
Ravinda Panchal Abeysinghe Wanninayake Mudiyanselage, Social and Behaviour Change Officer at UNICEF Sri Lanka
Dr. Senal Fernando, Medical Officer - Health Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka
Dr. Ganga Tennakoon, Registrar - Health Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka
Dr. Amanthi Bandusena, Consultant Community Physician - Health Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka
Resources:
Video on the Behaviour Insights training conducted in Sri Lanka 
Please email sbc@unicef.org to learn more about UNICEF's work supporting behavioural insights units inside government
The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by UNICEF in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Hidden in Plain Sight, a celebration of the everyday heroes on the frontlines of public health outbreaks, or the first publication, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.

A good school is a place where a child learns one powerful belief: I matter.
When children feel safe, heard, and valued at school, it can change everything - how they see themselves, how they learn, and how they imagine their future. Yet for millions of children around the world, violence remains a routine part of school life, shaping childhoods in ways that are both harmful and deeply normalized.
In this episode of The ABCs of SBC, we explore how social and behavior change approaches are helping to transform schools - and why ending violence in education systems is both possible and essential. Drawing on powerful stories and evidence from Uganda and beyond, we unpack what it truly takes to build a “good school.”
Qali is joined by three leaders working at the forefront of education and child protection:
Dipak Naker, Executive Director of the Coalition for Good Schools
Gemma Wilson-Clark, Head of Secretariat, Safe to Learn Coalition
Hope Wambi, Violence Against Children Prevention Coordinator at Raising Voices
Together, they examine why laws alone are not enough, how deeply held beliefs about discipline and power shape school culture, and what it means to take a whole-school, system-wide approach to change. You’ll hear how shifting social norms, redistributing power, and giving children real voice and agency can dramatically reduce violence — including evidence from the Good School Toolkit, which reduced corporal punishment by over 40% in participating schools.
From classrooms to communities to national policy, this episode shows that when schools change, childhoods change.
Resources:
Good Schools Toolkit
Safe to Learn Coalition
Coalition for Good Schools 
Raising Voices 
The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by UNICEF in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Hidden in Plain Sight, a celebration of the everyday heroes on the frontlines of public health outbreaks, or the first publication, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

We care about what you think — you can share your thoughts on the podcast using this feedback form. For all other inquiries, please contact sbc@unicef.org.