The B.I.G Change Curriculum
The BIG (B: Begin to Question, I: Impart Life Skills and G: Go!) Change curriculum was developed for the facilitators of the Listening and Discussion Groups (LDGs) and is designed to support them to facilitate weekly sessions.
A Project of —
Nepal, Championing Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment, Participatory Media & Technology, Research & Learning, UK Department for International Development (DFID); Emory University; South African Medical Research Council (MRC)
Project Mission — Working with couples to prevent intimate partner violence in Nepal.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue that affects 1 in 3 women globally. Despite these numbers, little is known about what can be done in communities to prevent it. Change Starts at Home was created to address this. Focused on an innovative radio program and weekly (listening and discussion) group meetings, the Change Starts at Home approach uses media and peer to peer support to address social norms, attitudes, and behaviors that perpetuate and support intimate partner violence.
The BIG (B: Begin to Question, I: Impart Life Skills and G: Go!) Change curriculum is a comprehensive 9 month, a curriculum aimed at facilitating norms and behavior change amongst couples in a group setting. The curriculum was developed alongside the Change Starts at Home radio program and includes a listening and discussion section, group activities and take home tasks. Couples who took part in our Change groups experienced powerful, positive shifts in their relationships as one male participant describes
“The weekly meetings have been instrumental in changing my relationship with my wife. I have come to realize that I need to respect my wife and no longer exert power over her. These days I involve her in economic decision making as well.”