For generations, harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage have been justified as traditions of identity and belonging, and have, at times, been linked to misinterpretations of religious text – even as they cause life long harm. Today, faith leaders across Africa and the Middle East are reshaping these beliefs from within their own communities, using their moral authority and influence to redefine these traditions and protect the next generation.

In this episode, Qali Id speaks with faith leaders and UNICEF specialists from Uganda, The Gambia, and Iraq to explore how faith engagement is helping end harmful practices, in particular FGM. From sermons that reinterpret religious teachings, to interfaith alliances confronting resistance, to tea-circle conversations that replace top-down campaigns, this discussion reveals how transformation takes root when it begins within communities themselves.

You’ll hear from:

• Sheikh Abdallah Sabila, Imam and advocate from Uganda
• Dr. Nassim Majidi, Director and Co-founder of Samuel Hall, Kenya
• Momat Jallow, SBC Specialist at UNICEF The Gambia
• Hadeer Albo Heae, SBC Manager at UNICEF Iraq

Resources:

• Please email [email protected] to be the first to read the new UNICEF Faith Engagement guide on Harmful Practices, developed in collaboration with Religious for Peace and Samuel Hall, when it is released later this month. We'll add the link here when it's released too.
• Do you want to learn more on how does Social and Behaviour Change supports interventions in Child Protection? Tune in to our ABCs of SBC podcast’s episode on SBC in Social Norms and Harmful Practices, SBC in Preventing Violence Against Girls, Boys and Women, and SBC in Online Child Protection.

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 Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, 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 [email protected].

Sudan is living through war and mass displacement. Yemen faces one of the world’s longest-running humanitarian crises. And in Moldova, far from active conflict but still grappling with inequality, Roma communities remain excluded from the very systems meant to serve them. Across these vastly different contexts, one question emerges: how do communities themselves step in to sustain and shape the systems around them?

In this episode, host Qali Id speaks with UNICEF SBC specialists from Sudan, Yemen, and Moldova to explore the unexpected power of trust, local leadership, and cultural respect in strengthening systems. From youth-run resistance committees, to volunteer health networks, to trusted Roma leaders bridging gaps in access, this conversation highlights how Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) enables communities not just to survive—but to lead the way toward more inclusive and resilient futures.

You'll hear from:

• Maha Abasher Khalid Osman, SBC Specialist at UNICEF Sudan
• Cristina Stratulat, SBC Officer at UNICEF Moldova
•  Abdullah Alshehari, SBC Specialist at UNICEF Yemen

Resources:

• Harnessing community engagement and multisectoral SBC approaches to address vaccine hesitancy in Moldova | UNICEF Moldova
• Home | UNICEF SBC GUIDANCE 

Related episodes:

• Episode 5 - SBC in Support of System Strengthening (Apple) (Spotify) 
• Episode 11 - Community Delivery Platforms (Apple) (Spotify)

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 Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, 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 [email protected].

The internet is where kids learn, play, and connect, but it’s also where they can be bullied, exploited, surveilled, and manipulated. As digital threats evolve faster than the systems designed to protect children, how do we keep them safe in a world that’s always online?

From outdated legal frameworks to overwhelmed parents and disconnected protection services, this episode highlights not just the risks children face online, but the opportunities to involve them and their caregivers as co-designers of safer digital spaces, and how SBC offers a way forward.

You'll hear from:

• Afrooz Kaviani Johnson, Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF Headquarters
• Mahwish Saeed Syed, SBC Officer at UNICEF Pakistan
• Saji Thomas, Chief of Child Protection at UNICEF Gulf Area Office

Resources:

• “Digitial Parenting” on the Parent Hub
• Explore how UNICEF is tackling violence and exploitation in the digital environment, including a range of actions for parents, governments and companies to keep children safe online.

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 Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, 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 [email protected].

What if healthcare systems weren't just centralized services but dynamic partnerships rooted in trust, relevance, and equity? 

That’s the driving vision behind Community Delivery Platforms. In this episode we talk about collaborations among governments, local communities, UNICEF, and partner organizations to make essential health and nutrition services accessible to every mother, child, and household, no matter where they live. 

Join host Qali Id as we unpack the strategies, struggles, and successes of community delivery platforms, with insights from:

• Afrika Mukaneto, SBC Specialist, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia
• Waqas Shafi, SBC Specialist, UNICEF Pakistan
• Bridget Job Johnson, Chief of SBC, UNICEF Bangladesh

Want to learn more about how SBC can be used to strengthen systems? Check out episode 5, on SBC in Support of Systems Strengthening. We’ll also have another episode coming out soon on Community System Strengthening - stay tuned. 

Resources:

• Community Health and Delivery Partnership website
• Aalo Clinic offsetting the burden of health care costs in the slums of Bangladesh | UNICEF Bangladesh
• Community leaders come forward to protect at-risk families against dengue | UNICEF Bangladesh

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 Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, 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 [email protected].

In this episode, Qali dives into the unfolding mpox outbreaks in Central and West Africa. With new patterns of transmission, rising child mortality, and deep-rooted stigma, frontline responders in DRC and Burundi are rewriting the old playbooks in real time. Join UNICEF SBC experts as they unpack what worked, what fell short, and how communities, digital tools, and gender-aware strategies are shaping the response. This episode unpacks the opportunities taken, missed, and what must be done to prepare better for the next outbreak.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Vincent Petit, UNICEF SBC Global Lead
• Gaoussou Nabalom, SBC and Risk Communication and Community Engagement Coordinator, UNICEF Burundi
• Norman Muhwezi, former UNICEF OIC Chief of SBC in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Innovation Specialist

Resources

• Risk communication and community engagement for mpox vaccination in eastern DRC
• Mpox, mining, and vulnerabilities of women and children in eastern DRC
• Meeting report: Mpox and discrimination in African settings
• How to achieve and sustain high uptake of mpox vaccination in outbreak settings
• How to Address stigma during mpox response
• Guidance for RCCE practitioners on mpox (ENG and FRA)      
• 5 Tips for CHW and Vaccinators (ENG and FRA)

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 Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, 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 [email protected].

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI), a global initiative to get vaccines to every child, everywhere. While much progress has been made over the last 50 years, there is still much more work to be done to ensure equitable access to vaccines for all.

In this episode, Qali speaks with immunisation experts to understand what Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) can bring to the challenge of reaching everyone and navigating vaccination in a world still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Francine Ganter Restrepo, SBC Specialist, Immunisation and Health, UNICEF East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO)
• Heidi Larson, Founder and Director of The Vaccine Confidence Project
• Dr. Saad Omer, Dean, Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health

Resources (in order of mention)

• Global immunization efforts have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years, UNICEF Armenia
• NYHQ ED Russell World Immunization Week 2024
• 50th Anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization
• Finding the missing link: Improving vaccination coverage in zero dose communities with human-centred design, UNICEF 
  • Final Report
  • Executive Summary
• Humanly Possible: Immunization for all, UNICEF
• SBC in Support of System Strengthening

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 Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, 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 [email protected].

It is estimated that globally, 1 in 7 young people between 10 and 19-year-old experience mental health conditions that remain largely unrecognized and untreated. How can something so prevalent often remain invisible? What can SBC do to bring mental health forward and connect those struggling with the support they need? 

In this episode, Qali speaks with experts working to improve Mental Health and Psychosocial Support across Africa. Listen in to see what methods, interventions and priorities are driving mental health programmes in societies where challenges such as stigma take precedent.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Sergiy Prokhorov, SBC Specialist, Previously UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO)
• Joanne Lee, Mental Health Specialist, UNICEF ESARO
• Bhai Shelly, SBC Specialist, UNICEF Rwanda

Resources (in order of mention)

• Mental health of adolescents, World Health Organization
• Concern grows in Kenya after alarming rise in suicide cases, The Guardian
• UNICEF SBC Toolkit for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
• Talking in Circles (pg. 24) in UNICEF’s latest issue of Change Magazine

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 Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, 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 [email protected].

How can we adapt SBC approaches to speak to the different cultures and languages of the people we serve? For example, what does human-centred design look like in Indigenous communities, where writing and drawing are uncommon modes of communication?

In this episode we dig into one of SBC’s superpowers—to connect with communities, unearth local insights and drive solutions rooted in what people value and how they operate. In this episode, Qali speaks with SBC practitioners in South Sudan, Nicaragua and Afghanistan to explore what localization looks like in action.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Gema Espinoza, SBC officer at UNICEF Nicaragua
• Emma Mafara, SBC specialist at UNICEF South Sudan
• Rahmatullah Niazmal, SBC Specialist at UNICEF Afghanistan

Resources (in order of mention)

• SBC WORKS! Using the Behavioural and Social Driver Model to Address Gender Inequity for COVID-19 Vaccination in South Sudan
• HCD4health
• Guía de Reflexiones Bíblicas para el cuidado de la Infancia y las Familias
• Finding the Missing Link: Improving Vaccination Coverage in Zero Dose Communities
• Grandmothers for the greater good, UNICEF Afghanistan
• A polio survivor working against all odds to save lives for others, UNICEF South Sudan
• Integrated Community Mobilization Network, UNICEF South Sudan
• Reimagining Progress (p.60) in UNICEF’s latest issue of Change Magazine

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 Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, 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 [email protected].

How do you say hello? Do you shake hands? Do you give a kiss on either cheek? Do you bend at the waist to give a bow? These gestures are automatic. We may not even notice we do them at all.  

This episode is about Social Norms, the unwritten rules that dictate everything we do - from how we greet each other to how we raise and view our children. Can Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) help protect children from harmful practices held together by deeply entrenched social norms? 

In this episode, Qali speaks with experts who have dedicated their lives to researching and working with communities to prevent harmful practices upheld by social norms.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Zemzem Shikur, Child Protection Specialist and Focal Point for Community Engagement at UNICEF Ethiopia
• Dr. Ben Cislaghi, Humanising Development Collective and Child Frontiers
• Joyce Odame, Child Protection Officer and SBC Focal Point for Community Engagement at UNICEF Ghana 
• Josue Ango, Child Protection Officer at UNICEF Burkina Faso

Resources (in order of mention + more!)

• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), UNICEF Data
• Using social norms theory for health promotion in low-income countries
• Directoriate engages Communities on child Marriage
• See Married off in Mozambique (pg. 20) and Talking in Circles (pg. 24) for interventions that deal with social norms in UNICEF’s latest issue of Change Magazine
• Social Norms Tool
• For an easy overview of social norms are and are not, see Defining Social Norms and Related Concepts (UNICEF, 2021)
  • English
  • French

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 Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, 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 [email protected].

Systems - you may not see them or feel them but they’re there. When vaccines feel out of reach or voting too arduous a task, it means our systems may need some TLC, R&D and perhaps, SBC?

If you’ve ever wondered about the systems that get vaccines to your arm, mail to your door, and food on your plate - this episode is for you. Qali speaks with Vincent Petit, Global Lead of Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) at UNICEF on why SBC is key to strengthening our systems and preparing for the crises to come. 

Resources (in order of mention)

• Pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: an exploratory analysis of infection and fatality rates, and contextual factors associated with preparedness in 177 countries, from Jan 1, 2020, to Sept 30, 2021
• System Strengthening

Keep an eye our for the launch of UNICEF SBC’s upcoming magazine on sbcguidance.org or follow Vincent on LinkedIn for updates.

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 Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, 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 [email protected].