The National Centre for Health Promotion (NCHP) is a lead institution of the Ministry of Health in development and management of Behavioral Change Communications (BCC) and health promotion in Cambodia. The NCHP has 48 civil servants and 25 contracted staff assigned for management team, technical, administration and financial offices. The technical office oversights 5 units, including health communication unit, health training unit, environmental health unit, tobacco or health unit and monitoring and evaluation/primary health care unit. The NCHP is responsible to provide technical assistance and guidance to Health Promotion Unit of all Provincial Health Departments and Municipalities.

The National Centre for Health Promotion currently manages BCC for Health Project with financial and technical support from EU/UNICEF and the Behaviour Change Intervention Project with financial support from UNFPA/HSSP. The two five-year projects, 2005-2009, cover essential elements of ranging from development and management of mass media and community-based behavioral change communication interventions with aims to improve quality of health care delivery and health status of the population. The interventions focus on reproductive health and antenatal care, complementary feeding, consumers’ rights and providers’ rights and provider behavioural change interventions. The Projects also build capacity of health providers in development and management of BCC interventions including monitoring and evaluation.

From 1987-2001, with the support from Primary health Care project (CHP-PHC), the NCHP used innovative and community-based approach to design and manage the community-based campaign on antenatal care, working in partnership with the Kampong Cham Provincial Health Department in 3 Operational Districts (OD) of Thbomg Khmom, Ponhearkrek and Oraing Or. The objective of the campaign is to increase the number of reproductive woman to visit ANC at health center, increase the knowledge of reproductive women to understand the benefits of antenatal care visit and take iron/acid folic tablets before delivery and after delivery and increase the knowledge of men and reproductive women to understand the danger signs. The result of each evaluation of campaign activities showed that the number of reproductive women visiting antenatal care increasing from the baseline around 15% to 20% in catchments area of the campaign activities. Based on this success the project expanded the activities of campaign to Kampong Chhnang and Kampot provinces in Kampot Operational District and Kampong Tralach Operational District.

As stated in the Health Sector Strategic Plan 2003-2007, BCC has been defined as one of the priority areas and the three key strategies of BCC are also identified including: (1) Improve the sensitivity of health workers in services, (2) Empower consumers, to inform the consumers of the availability and scope of health services, and (3) Encourage healthier lifestyles and appropriate health seeking behaviour. From 2006-2009, the NCHP has been supported by HSSP-UNFPA to pursue Behavior Change Communication Intervention which particularly aims to contribute to increased utilization by women, men and adolescents of (a) quality reproductive health services; and (b) reproductive health counseling and service resulting in safer reproductive and sexual behavior. HSSP-UNFPA supported BCC Interventions is vitally respond to the BCC's key strategies of MoH to improve quality of Reproductive Health services as well as empower public to choose appropriate health seeking behaviour.

In 2006, RH/BCC Interventions are undertaken by the NCHP in collaboration with National Reproductive Health Programme of the National Maternal and Child Health Care (NMCH) and 18 ODs in 14 provinces. The achievement of this project comprised of the development of the BCC Policy, sensitization of through provision of training and community-based campaign on consumers’’ rights and providers’ rights (CRPR), conducted the BCC campaign at national and community levels on identified themes on reproductive health and monitoring and supervision of health promotion and BCC activities at provincial health and district health operation levels. During 4 years of the project, the NCHP conducted community-based campaigns at 12 ODs on four different themes namely dual protection by condom use, safe delivery, delivery by trained providers and consumers’ rights and providers’ rights. The results of campaigns were a total of 15,674 community men and women of reproductive age were involved in group discussion with volunteers on "condom for dual protection, safe motherhood, delivery by trained provider and consumers’ rights and providers’ rights ". Through follow up, it was found that there was an increase of condom sale reported by trained community-based distributors (CBD), as well as condom distribution by health centre staff, number of ANC check up, and delivery at health centres has increased and number of client used health center services has gradually increased.

Under support from the five-year EC/UNICEF Project, 2005-2009, the NCHP has designed and managed behavior campaign on promotion of antenatal care visit within one month of missing their period. The objective of the campaign is to encourage women pregnant women (age 15-49) visiting ANC within one month of missing their period increase to 25% by December 2009. The strategy of this campaign employed mass media and community-based approach. The community mobilization target areas were 7 provinces including Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, KampongThom, Kampong Speu, Oddor Meanchay, Stoeung Treng and Mondulkiri. It covered 17 Operational Districts, 140 Health Centers and 2,232 villages and 3,135,450 population of 15-49 year of age.

Based on the monitoring data collected from 7 provinces showed that women and pregnant women (age 15-49) visiting ANC within one month of missing their period increase from 5.63% to 38.04% during one year of campaign. This number showed that the campaign is highly successful because it exceeded the planned target of 25%. At the same time, the monitoring data showed that this campaign did not only increase the rate of the ANC visit within one month, but also increased the numbers of pregnant women who received ANC1, ANC2, ANC3, TT2, Iron tablets, acid folic and Mebandazol at the health facilities. With this positive trend, we expected that there will be an increasing number of pregnant women to deliver by skill health staff at health facilities, and this will result in the reduction of the maternal mortality rate in the near future.