Awareness raising campaign implemented by the Ministry of Health and UNICEF Montenegro from August 1 to October 31, 2009

1. “The Early Years – An Opportunity
of a Lifetime”
Awareness raising campaign implemented
by the Ministry of Health and UNICEF from
August 1 to October 31, 2009

2. OBJECTIVE:
“By December 2009, increase awareness by 20% of
Montenegro’s parents with children under the age
of 6 on key ECD issues defined by the survey
through an awareness raising campaign.”

3. KAP Survey in June 2009:
• KAP survey was conducted in June 2009 among 1,000 Montenegro’s parents of children under 6.
• Key findings showed that there are 3 main areas on which parents need to be better informed and
influenced in order to improve practices:
1.more active role of fathers in child’s upbringing
• 41% of mothers stated that they mainly visited the doctor alone;
• 59% fathers claimed not to know how the child was fed;
• 37% of breastfeeding mothers stated that no one helped them with nutrition and
breastfeeding, sterilization, cleaning, bathing the child;
• Only 7% of fathers teach a child his/her first moral principles, i.e. what’s good, what’s
bad – this is mother’s responsibility in 86% of cases.
2. alternatives to physical punishment
• 55% of guardians said that they had to hit their child at least once during the last week.
3.breastfeeding
• 63% of guardians agreed with the statement that Breast milk may be of such quality that
it fails to meet all the needs of the child for nutrients. 22% said it was not sure whether
to agree or not and only 15% expressed disagreement.

4. Target groups:
• parents of children under 6
• their opinion-makers – family members, friends
and experts (doctors, nurses, psychologists, etc.).

5. Communication Channels:
• The survey identified TV as the main source of information of the target
groups, while on the last place are books, magazines, brochures and
internet.
• The results of the survey indicated clearly the communication channels to
be used:
– 3 promotional videos (1 for each topic) were broadcasted for free on all TV
stations and in the cinema before the movies;
– billboards and city lights with key messages along the most frequently used
roads and in places with the greatest circulation of people in all municipalities
throughout Montenegro;
– live interviews on the most influential TV stations;
– print-ads and articles with key ECD messages in the most read daily, weekly
and monthly newspapers including a specific magazine for health
professionals.;
– Special events with sports and music celebrities, preschools and maternity
wards in the north, centre and south of Montenegro were organized every
month in order to remind the target groups and the media of the campaign
messages regularly.

6. Key messages:
A mother’s milk is the most complete form of
Mother’s milk – all a baby needs Every child deserves the best possible start to life
nutrition she can offer her newborn
Baby always has time for a cuddle The Early Years – An Opportunity of a Lifetime

7. Key messages:
Children always have
Active fathers strengthen children’s self- I always have time to
time to laugh
confidence laugh
Being a father is an opportunity Children always have time to
of a lifetime play
Active fathers strengthen
Children always have time to Children always have time to Children always have time for Being a father is an opportunity
children’s self-confidence
cuddle play a story of a lifetime

8. Key messages:
Talk to your children when
Children imitate the closest Talk to your children when they do something they do something wrong
ones wrong
Explain to the child rules and boundaries
Children learn to behave by imitating
Children imitate the closest
the closest ones
ones

9. Special events with celebrities
were organized every month in
order to remind the target groups
in various parts of Montenegro and
the media of the campaign’s key
messages

10. WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK 01-07/08/2009
Podgorica, July 31, 2009
Minister of Health Miodrag Radunovic and UNICEF Montenegro
Representative Noala Skinner launch the campaign
BEGINNING OF THE CAMPAIGN
“THE EARLY YEARS –
AN OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME”
UNICEF
Somalia, 1992 - HQ92-5103 / Press

11. ĐURO OSTOJID, BASKETBALL PLAYER, PROMOTES FATHERS
“My experience is quite fresh. However, as I
spend most of the time abroad, I have to say
that there is a visible difference in how much
time fathers abroad devote to raising their
children. Also, they are more dedicated during
pregnancy, when men need to help their
wives and pass together the weeks and moths
of expecting the beautiful moment. Definitely,
fathers should be involved in child’s
development the whole time. And all the
nights that you did not sleep can only bring
you more pleasure, not to think about how
much they will mean to the child and how
much you will help him/her to find the right
way through life.”
UNICEF
Somalia, 1992 - HQ92-5103 / Press
A preschool in Podgorica, August 5,2009

12. MILOŠ ŠDEPANOVID, WATERPOLO PLAYER, PROMOTES
ALTERNATIVES TO PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT
“We all come home stressed from work, but no
child deserves to be hit. If we as adults require
lots of attention on daily basis, then children
need it much more than us. The relationship
between spuses is the foundation of every family
and if this relationship is coloured with love,
patience and attention, this will be reflected to
children in the greatest measure. We cannot
change the child’s character, but we can help
him/her to learn what is “right” and what is
“wrong”.”
Sports Centre in Podgorica,
August 19, 2009
UNICEF
Somalia, 1992 - HQ92-5103 / Press

13. ANDRIJANA BOŽOVID, SINGER, PROMOTES BREASTFEEDING
Maternity ward in Bar,
September 8, 2009
”I breastfed my son for a year and these 12
months were a period during which the two
of us had a really special relationship. I will
never forget these moments, mines and his,
when I was holding him in my arms and he
was watching me. As he was growing, he was
kind of becoming more aware of this. You
need to be persistent when breastfeeding,
because you know that you are giving the best
to theUNICEF
child.''
Somalia, 1992 - HQ92-5103 / Press

14. VUKAŠIN POLEKSID, FOOTBALL PLAYER, PROMOTES FATHERS
“When I play for the club abroad, I
hang out with my child every day
after 4pm, as until then he’s in the
kindergarten. I try to use every
moment available to spend it playing
with him, telling him stories, visiting a
ZOO and the park, and so, our every
day is fulfilled.”
Montenegro Football Federation
Terrains, Podgorica, October 8, 2009
UNICEF
Somalia, 1992 - HQ92-5103 / Press

15. BASKETBALL CLUB “ULCINJ” PROMOTES FATHERS
Petar Jovanovid, basketball Dragan Radovid, trainer
player ‘’ I made a big mistake and I am
‘’I have a 4 year old son trying to correct it now and in
and my job is quite future. I would advice other
demanding. I find it hard parents not to make the same
not being able to be with mistake that I did, as I did not
him as much as I would have enough time to dedicate
like to, but I use every to my child. So, my message
moment I have to be with would be to use all the free
him, as being a parent is time you have to be with your
the most beautiful thing in Sports hall in a primary school child.”
the world.” in Ulcinj, October 16, 2009
UNICEF
Somalia, 1992 - HQ92-5103 / Press

16. PLJEVALJSKI TAMBURAŠI, FAMOUS MUSIC BEND, PROMOTES FATHERS
„We are honoured to support the
campaign of the Ministry of Health and
UNICEF “The Early Years-An Opportunity
of a Lifetime”. We hope that our time
spent with children today will influence
our citizens, current and future fathers in
Pljevlja. Campaign’s messages are that
children always have time to play, laugh,
for a story and to cuddle, and we would
like to add that children always have
time to sing. We are showing this today
in the preschool “Eko-bajka”, says
Ibrahim Ipko Gerina from Pljevaljski
tamburaši bend.
A preschool in Pljevlja, October 21, 2009
UNICEF
Somalia, 1992 - HQ92-5103 / Press

17. RAMBO AMADEUS, UNICEF NATIONAL GOODWILL AMBASSADOR,
PROMOTES ALTERNATIVES TO PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT
“Parents hit their children for two
reasons. The first one is because they
don’t have time and patience to talk to
them. The second one comes from
frustrations that parents live through at
work place, on the street, with friends
and in their environment, because they
don’t have the strength to cope with
this. They come home and only children
are not able to hit back. Too afraid to
confront adults, parents take it out on
their child.”
A preschool in Bijelo Polje,
UNICEF October 27, 2009
Somalia, 1992 - HQ92-5103 / Press

18. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION
Key findings of the survey among 1,000
Montenegro’s parents of children under 6 in
November 2009 show that
the campaign objective was achieved.

19. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION
Have you noticed in the past 3 months, that is, since August 1st, any campaigns
concerning children and their early development, either on TV, radio,
newspapers or billboards, through promotion of public personalities or
interviews?
No
28%
Yes 75% answer
72%
positively the
prompted question
72% of parents spontaneously cite our whether they have
campaign when asked if they have seen the campaign
noticed any ECD campaign lately. of Unicef and
Ministry of Health.

20. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION – COMMUNICATION
CHANNELS
Where, in which media have you seen or heard this campaign?
TV commercial 87%
3/4 noticed
promotional videos
Billboards or street posters 63%
and they were the
Discussions or interviews on
most noticed source of
27%
TV- with professionals information, then
Promotions by sportsmen, billboards and city
24%
singers and other celebrities
lights 63%, interviews
Ad in newspapers 22%
27%, promotions with
celebrities 24%,
Article in newspapers 20%
newspaper ads 22%
and articles in
Other 2% newspapers 20%.

21. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION -
BREASTFEEDING
95% of those who noticed the campaign
know that it covered breast-feeding.
Average grade on scale 1-5 for breast-
feeding promotional video is 4.8.
More than half of parents 58.3% were
stimulated by this campaign to think about
breast-feeding and 42% are under the
impression that concerning this issue the
campaign was addressing them directly.
26% of parents agree that breast-milk
contains all nutrients a baby needs, while
before the campaign only 15% knew this.
The percentage of those who disagree with
this dropped from 63% in the first survey to
53% after the campaign.
If they had another child, average duration
of breast-feeding would be 12 months, while
in the research before the campaign it was 9
months.

22. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION –
ROLE OF FATHERS
89% of those who noticed the campaign
know that it covered the role of fathers.
Average grade on scale 1-5 for role of fathers
promotional video is 4.7.
Almost 2/3 of parents 60.9% were stimulated
by the campaign to think about the father's
role and 43.9% were under the impression
that this campaign was addressing them
directly.
Campaign brought new information to 40%
of parents. As new information, they usually
mention importance of father's role.
When asked what attitudes were changed
due to the campaign, parents most often
refer to father devoting more time to children
18%.
When asked what behaviour changes
occurred due to the campaign, most
mentioned is that father devotes more time
to children 16.8%.

23. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION –
ALTERNATIVES TO PHYSICAL
PUNISHMENT
85% of those who noticed the campaign
know that it covered alternatives to physical
punishment. Average grade on scale 1-5 for
alternatives to physical punishment
promotional video is 4.7.
61.5% of parents were stimulated by the
campaign to think about alternatives to
physical punishment and 43.1% felt as being
personally addressed.
22% of parents say they had to hit their child
at least once last week, while before the
campaign 55% of parents claimed this.
76% of parents say they don't punish their
children physically, while before the
campaign only 45% of parents claimed so.

24. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION
Campaign brought new information to
40% of parents. As new information, they
usually mention: importance of father's
role, importance of breast-feeding and Majority of the population (80%)
different upbringing methods. liked this campaign in general.
Compared with the research performed
before the campaign, lower percentage 45% of parents were stimulated by
of parents would not change anything the campaign to think about ECD.
regarding raising their children - from
74% to 60%.

25. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION – ATTITUDE CHANGES
Did this campaign make you change any of your attitudes, in terms of early
child development?
It made me change
some of my attitudes
14%
Not at all, my attitudes
are somewhat
different, but I don’t
think I should change Not at all, since
them everything that I saw in
22% this campaign
coincides with the way
I perceive proper child
development
64%
14% of guardians say that this campaign changed their attitudes
towards upbringing of children.
63% say that there was no change because their attitudes are
already in accordance with those proclaimed by the campaign.
Others (22%) admit that their attitudes are somewhat different,
but they think that no changes are required.

26. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION – ATTITUDE CHANGES
When asked what attitudes were
changed, parents most often refer to
father devoting more time to children
18%, to talking more with children
17.6% and not hitting their children
17.4%.

27. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION – BEHAVIOUR CHANGES
Has this campaign influenced any changes to happen in your family, even the
tiniest, regarding the way you raise your child (either you or your spouse)?
Yes
19%
77% of those who haven’t
changed their behavior, state
that they are already behaved in
accordance with the proclaimed
attitudes, so there was no need
for any changes of behavior.
17% state that their behavior
No influence toward children is not in
81%
accordance with the proclaimed
in the campaign, but they think it
is correct and don’t want to
19% of target population claim to have
change it.
changed their behavior towards children
after this campaign.
3% say that they don’t know
how they would do this exactly.

28. CAMPAIGN EVALUATION – BEHAVIOUR CHANGES
Behaviour changes most mentioned
are: father devotes more time to
children 16.8%, parents talk to children
more 11.7% and parents don't hit their
children any longer 15.3%.