The Stop Diarrhoea Initiative: Implementing the 7-point plan for diarrhoea prevention and control in India and Nigeria

The Stop Diarrhoea Initiative (SDI), for the first time, fully implemented the 7-point plan for diarrhoea prevention and control proposed by WHO and UNICEF in 2009, serving as a precursor to the Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea. The programme was implemented in India and Nigeria, where over a third of global cases occur.

The SDI programme interventions were designed to improve all of the indicators in the 7-point plan through its holistic implementation. Frontline health workers and community volunteers, trained on the 7-point plan and equipped with the necessary tools, were fundamental to the implementation and sustainability of programme interventions. Social behaviour change communication interventions were the foundation of creating the desired changes in health seeking behaviours and preventative practices. In both countries, all programme activities were planned and implemented through the public system.
Advocacy work provided underlying support to all programme interventions through capacity building of communities and local government authorities, and was essential in ensuring ownership and sustainability of interventions.

This report documents how project targets were achieved, implementation processes in India and Nigeria, and recommendations for future programming.