How To Develop Successful Awareness Campaigns
Professor Mohammad Ali, NOhep Bangladesh
Prof. Mohammad Ali is a NOhep pioneer and the founder of The National Liver Foundation of Bangladesh. Prof. Ali was invited to present ‘How to develop successful awareness campaigns’ at the World Hepatitis Summit in Brazil. The Liver Foundation has been carrying out innovative NOhep awareness campaigns throughout 2017, making a real impact on the ground and working to dispel common myths and misconceptions about viral hepatitis within communities, fighting against stigma and discrimination. And he wants you to know how you can do the same!
Earlier this year as part of their NOhep campaign leading up to World Hepatitis Day they organised ‘The Eliminate Hepatitis NOhep Drive’; a nationwide awareness campaign lasting 12 days which toured all 8 divisions of Bangladesh. They covered more than 2000 kilometres and distributed more than 30,000 leaflets in cities and rural areas of the country including a free Hepatitis B Screening of 120 orphan children in Sylhet.
The NOhep Roller Skating Rally on World Hepatitis Day (28th July) had hundreds of roller skaters, all in NOhep branded t-shirts, racing their way through Dhaka carrying flags and banners bearing the WHD “Eliminate Hepatitis” slogan. This initiative really caught people’s attention and led to an increase in inquiries from the public about viral hepatitis. That really is grassroots action at its best! It just goes to show that you don’t need unlimited resources to launch a successful awareness campaign. All the templates for t-shirts and leaflets can be found in the resources section of our website.
One of the biggest challenges facing Bangladesh right now is the influx of Rohingya Muslim refugees, among them there are an estimated thirty thousand pregnant women. As part of their ongoing NOhep campaign, they have conducted 300 free hepatitis B & C screenings for these women. Of those screened 9 (3%) were found to have hepatitis B, 24 (8%) were found to have hepatitis C and 3 (1%) were found to be co-infected.The Foundation has identified the need for wider awareness within this community and as part of their ongoing NOhep activism, they plan to offer free hepatitis B vaccines to newborns to prevent transmission of the disease during childbirth.
We are so proud of all the incredible work these guys are doing and we can’t wait to see what they get up to next!
Click the below links for all of Professor Ali’s presentations from the World Hepatitis Summit.