Communication for Change (C-Change) is USAID's flagship program to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of behavior change and social change communication as an integral part of development efforts in health, environment, and civil society. C-Change works with global, regional and local partners to use communication to change behaviors and social norms, supported by evidence-based strategies, state-of-the-art training and capacity building, and cutting-edge research. The ultimate goal is the improved health and well-being of people in the developing world.

The program works in all the major health areas, including:

• Family planning and reproductive health
• HIV and AIDS
• Malaria

The program can also provide communication support to other sectors, including environment (e.g., biodiversity conservation and energy use efficiency), civil society, and water and sanitation.

C-Change works to achieve:

Evidence-based communication programs carried out at scale. C-Change will achieve large-scale, population-based impact by applying integrated communication approaches at national and regional levels. Major strategies include:

• Enlisting and strengthening the behavior change communication (BCC) skills and programs of NGO networks
• Engaging the media to stimulate social action
• Strengthening district and community planning for BCC
• Building system-wide coalitions and commitment to BCC programs

Communication skills and knowledge transferred to developing country institutions. In each country where the program operates, C-Change will build the capacity of NGOs and networks, using a competency-based approach to training that includes both technical and management skills. Major activities include:

• Developing and strengthening communication courses in academic institutions
• Developing local networks of communication excellence among research institutions, advertising and public relations firms, and NGOs
• Supporting the design of tailored BCC strategies with measurable benchmarks

State-of-the-art information and research in communication applied to implementation. Through its global research agenda, C-Change is generating lessons learned to improve communication for behavior and social change. A critical challenge for C-Change is how best to facilitate social change that integrates findings from research, implementation, and evaluation activities. Major cross-cutting research questions include:

• Understanding how social norms change and developing ways to facilitate this change
• Improving interaction and communication among organizations around common goals and building social capital
• Demonstrating the application of innovative social change approaches
• Developing valid, reliable indicators