General data

The Healthy Life project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and is implemented by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) in Moldova. The first phase of the Healthy Life Project took place during the years 2016-2020. In the second phase, the project is continuing to support the Ministry of Health and, in close collaboration with national partners to prevent the major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through modern health promotion and improvement the quality of medical services for NCDs patients. The second phase of the project was initiated in October 2020 and will last until 2024.

The vision of the “Healthy Life Project to Reduce the Burden of NCDs” is that Moldova achieves its 2030 UHC and health related SDG targets, and that its people enjoy greater health and wellbeing. Following this vision, the goal of the project is to contribute to the improvement of the health status of the Moldovan population, especially in rural areas through the reduction of the burden of NCDs.

Three outcomes are defined to archive this goal:

• Outcome 1: National health institutions promote WHO best buys and work in an evidence-based and multisectoral manner to increase health literacy of the population
• Outcome 2: Quality integrated services, underpinned by regulations and education of service providers, improve the prevention and management of NCDs
• Outcome 3: People take responsibility for their own health, demand their rights, and hold decision-makers to account for reaching even the most vulnerable NCD patients

The Republic of Moldova still ranks among the countries with the highest burden of NCDs, expressed by the high overall morbidity and mortality of the population, which is the highest in the European region. Major noncommunicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer) are responsible for 87% of all deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of NCDs prevention, given that 90% of people who died from this infection suffered from NCDs.

NCDs are associated with the four known risk factors: behavioral, physiological, genetic, unchangeable. Strategies to reduce behavioral risk factors can prevent up to 80% of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease and diabetes and up to 40% from cancer. The estimates made by the Institute for Health Metric Sand Evaluation (IHME) show that the highest burden of disease in the Republic of Moldova is caused by high systolic blood pressure, dietary risks or unhealthy diet and tobacco use, followed by high BMI, alcohol, and higher fasting plasma glucose.

To date the Healthy Life Project in partnership with the National Agency for Public Health (NAPH) and other national partners facilitated the development and supported the running of three Communication Campaigns on nutrition titled "Choose what you eat!". These campaigns addressed the following issues: in 2019 the excessive salt consumption, in 2020 – the excessive consumption of trans fats, and in 2021 – the excessive sugar consumption, their damage to health, and especially its contribution to the emergence and development of NCDs. The three communication campaigns were of an informative and sensitizing nature and were carried out at national level for the general public.

The Healthy Life Project also facilitates health promotion activities at community and individual level. In this regard, the Project elaborated the Behavior Change Communication Strategy (BCCS) and Action Plan Framework on reducing dietary risk factors (salt, sugar, and trans-fats) of main non-communicable diseases based on the principles of social marketing. BCCS will be a tool for health promotion specialists at the national and local levels to implement the Behavior Change Communication Campaign (BCCC) at local level, involving the relevant local actors (e.g. the local public health, health sector, education, industry, HoReCa, trade, etc.) and using the social marketing principals in health promotion.

In this regard, the HLP is looking for a communication agency, with experience in social and digital marketing, to develop a creative concept and materials for Behavior Change Communication Campaign (BCCC) on reducing the consumption of salt, sugar, and trans-fats. The Campaign will be implemented in 7 raional towns and 14 pilot-communities as an extension of the 3 national information campaigns titled "Choose what you eat!", being complemented by a training/capacity building component.

Expected, single and overall result SOCO:

Target audiences to voluntarily change their eating behaviors, realizing excessive consumption of salt, sugar, and trans-fat as a key risk factor for the emergence and development of NCDs.

Specific objectives:

1. Raising awareness of the population about the impact of excessive consumption of salt, sugar and trans fats on health.
2. Contributing to the change in behavior regarding the excessive consumption of salt, sugar, and trans-fats.                                                                             Basic tasks:

In collaboration and on the recommendations of the Communication Specialist, the selected company/ agency will:

1. Develop a creative concept of the Behavior Change Communication Campaign (BCCC) on reducing consumption of salt, sugar, and trans-fats at raion/community level as an extension of the 3 national information campaigns titled "Choose what you eat!", based on the BCCS and Action Plan Framework.

2. Test the creative concept on a focus-group before the developing and production process.

3. Develop the message box of the BCCC based on BCCS and working group recommendations.

4. Develop a visual concept (branding) of the BCCC, based on the creative concept and ensure its approval before starting the development and production processes.

5. Make proposal for placement to be aired the video and audio spots on national and local TV and radio stations.

6. Develop 2 Action and Content Plans for 7 raional cities and 14 pilot-communities with the expected? results, progress indicators and budgets based on the Action Plan Framework as a component part of the District NCD Prevention Action Plans based on Heath Profiles.

7. Adapt the existing information materials of the 3 national information campaigns titled "Choose what you eat!", based on the creative concept of BCCC.

8. Develop and produce the new information materials for three marketing communication campaigns, planed in 2 Action and Content Plans (banners, videos, flyers, posters, infographics, posts on FB, frames, etc.) and approve them before they are disseminated and aired.

9. Conduct 5 workshops in creating, developing, and maintaining networks on Viber and Facebook for each of the two groups of public health specialists and members of communities’ coalitions.

10. In partnership with NAPH (central and decentralized structures), manage the implementation of the BCCC in the field.

11. Analyze the Google Analytics, Google Ads data from the prosanatate.md and ansp.gov.md channels, Google Display data and audience TV reports to elaborate/produce the quantitative and qualitative reports.

Requirements for candidates.

Experience required:

• Experience in developing creative concept for behavior changes communication campaigns based on social marketing principals, at least 3 years.

• Experience in producing information materials for communication campaigns based on social marketing principles, including web, printing, and video development, at least 3 years.

• Experience in conducting and measuring communication and digital marketing campaigns, at least 3 years.

• Technical equipment required for the production and post-production stages.

• Experience in development and implementation of communication campaigns in the health domain will be considered an advantage.

Necessary skills:

• Creative team to develop original and catching campaign materials.

• Capabilities and abilities in production of graphic and copyright, video, and audio materials.

• Capabilities and abilities to manage online networks and to do marketing analyses.

• Knowledge, capabilities to provide workshops to adults.

• Flexibility and mobility to do the final products that meets the requirements of the partner.

Deliverables.

Timeline:

This assignment will start as soon as the contract for the provision of services is concluded and will last until September 30, 2023.

All materials elaborated within the limits of the present contract must be handed over to the partner according to the deadlines indicated in the contract.

The application file shall contain:

• Company profile (short description 1 page, examples of similar campaigns – links);
• Copy of the company registration certificate.
• CVs of the key staff involved in the realization of the campaign.
• 3 creative briefs for BCCC.
• Financial offer. The prices will be indicated in MDL at the 0% VAT rate.

The file will be sent to the project to the email address: info@viatasan.md.

Application deadline: January 11, 24:00. Proposals received after that date will not be considered.

Candidates are kindly asked to present the offer in MDL for the realization of the products specified in the Terms of Reference:

More details about the services described above (communication campaign) you can request at the email address lilia.onea@viatasan.md