(Information
Education Communication) through Community Participation
DANLEP has very successfully developed, together with the dedicated
grass-roots leprosy workers and the health educators, a combined
media mix based on the local perceptions of illness. From the beginning
DANLEP emphasised the use of indigenous media and community based
organisations for creating awareness and disseminating information
about leprosy among staff and public.
Community involvement based on intensive communication between
groups from the society and leprosy staff has provided an open
platform for questioning and removal of doubts.
Demystification about leprosy by providing correct knowledge
proved to be a stepping stone in critical awareness-building with
a collective commitment to work for those who need it most - the
people afflicted with leprosy.
Through residentail camps, the people's representatives and
other professional groups realised that they too can touch leprosy
patients, examine them and even sit and eat with them just like
the leprosy staff.
Planning and organisation has become a joint effort, the community
takes responsibility for raising the human and material resources
while Danlep provides the technical inputs.
In Madhya Pradesh, the "Janbhagidars" (Community
volunteers) and in Orissa, the Youth and Women Social Communicators
have been trained as well as the leprosy workers.
In Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), girls and boys have been mobilized
through the Bharat Scouts & Guides and went from door to door
raising awareness on leprosy.
In Deogarh (Orissa), social mobilization for leprosy elimination
energised a village community to such an extent that they have
now taken up the entire health programme.
Pro-active community involvement has led to a marked increase
in voluntary reporting of cases.
Danlep has consciously drawn on local folk media such as songs,
dance recitals, story telling and drama as a means of IEC. This
also proved to be an excellent way to involve women. One such medium
that gained considerable momentum is the "Street Play"
known as
"Patha-Pranta Natak" in Orissa
"Nacha" in Madhya Pradesh
"Karagattam" in Tamil Nadu
Kala-jatha in Chhattisgarh
Plays that involve real people, sometimes the patients, and depict
real life situations in familiar environs, enacted by local boys
and girls and at times even by the leprosy workers have proved an
unparalleled method of promoting community action. At the end of
the plays men and women come forward to get their patches examined.
There is an abundant record of detection of both MB and PB cases
after street plays.
A note on Trialogue and the trialogue training module.
