Study overview
RTI
This was a follow-on study to a trial that tested the effects of an SBCC intervention promoting ASF consumption by children in households that received an exotic or crossbred cow through the Government of Rwanda’s Girinka “One Cow Per Poor Family” program (NCT0345567) [The follow-on study used a pre/post evaluation design because the trial (referred to henceforth as the initial study) had already enrolled all Girinka and Girinka-eligible households with a child in the target age range in the two districts and provided an ASF SBCC intervention to the women in those households. Therefore, no comparable control group for the follow-on within the districts was available. The follow-on study was conducted from 2020 to 2021 and targeted ASF-related SBCC specifically to fathers. It included men from all study arms in the initial study. Three Stones International, in collaboration with the National Child Development Agency and the Rwanda Biomedical Center, designed and implemented the SBCC intervention encouraging men to support milk and other ASF consumption by their children.The intervention was evaluated by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), RTI International, and the University of Rwanda using baseline and endline surveys with a cohort of fathers from the initial study. Qualitative data were collected from fathers, mothers, and program implementers at endline to gather information about the feasibility and acceptability of the SBCC intervention.