Breakthrough ACTION Project

Breakthrough ACTION ignites collective action and encourages people to adopt healthier behaviors—from using modern contraceptive methods and sleeping under bed nets to being tested for HIV—by forging, testing, and scaling up new and hybrid approaches to social and behavior change (SBC). Firmly grounded in proven practices, Breakthrough ACTION works in partnership with governments, civil society, and communities around the world to implement creative and sustainable SBC programming, nurture SBC champions, mainstream new techniques and technologies, and advocate strategic and sustained investment in SBC. The work harnesses the demonstrated power of communication—from mass media to community outreach to user-driven social media campaigns—to inspire long-lasting change while also taking advantage of innovative approaches from marketing science, behavioral economics, and human-centered design. Breakthrough ACTION is an eight-year (2017-2025) project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to lead SBC programming around the world, led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs in partnership with Save the Children, ThinkPlace, ideas42, Camber Collective, International Center for Research on Women, and Viamo.