Celebrity mobilization to raise support for polio eradication in high risk areas of western Uttar Pradesh, January 2008 Film personality Farooque Shaikh administering OPV to a child during his visit to Firozabad on 6 January 2008. Mr. Sitaram Mina, Commissioner of Agar Division, & local influencers are also seen in the picture. XR houses remaining in Firozabad urban were 396, 216 & 191 in Oct & Nov respectively (there were 2 rounds in the district in Oct), with XR houses expected to be lower during the current NID.

Farooque Shaikh’s visit to Lucknow on 24 – 25 November 2007 The event “Farooque Shaikh Meets Community Leaders” was jointly organized by UNICEF and the Islamic Centre of India at Eidgah Lucknow on 24 November 2007 with the support of the health department, Rotary, NPSP, Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Hamdard. About 100 key Muslim community and religious leaders from 30 priority districts attended the event and most of them were from western UP. The participants were encouraged to share the challenges which they face in the field. This and the presentations by Jamia Hamdard, JMI and AMU were helpful in equipping them with answers to various important frequently asked questions at the household level.

Polio advocacy on Idal Adha festival in UP, India, December 2007 4.5 million people were exposed to polio messages at Eidgahs/ Mosques on 21 December 2007 in 42 out of 44 districts which are covered by the Social Mobilization Network in Uttar Pradesh.

No. of Eidgahs / mosques promoting polio messages during Idal Adha, December 2007 Estimated No. of Eidgahs/ Mosques in 42 SMNet districts : 3,730 No. of Eidgahs/ Mosques where polio advocacy was planned: 1,951 (52.31%) No. of Eidgahs/ Mosques where polio advocacy done through / IEC materials & sermons: 1,728 (46.33%)

Re-call of polio messages by people at exit points of Eidgahs / mosques Total No. of people interviewed: 8,742 No. of people who could accurately recall polio messages*: 6,755 (77.27%) No. of people who could not re-call any message: 1,987 (22.73%) (* date of next polio round, content related to messages about polio in the Eid sermon, and in print materials displayed at the mosque)

Influencers’ orientations held in western UP in Dec 07 – Jan 08 1,821 influencers were oriented in 16 orientation events during 12 Dec 07– 5 Jan 08 in 14 priority districts, including Firozabad, Moradabad, J P Nagar, Rampur, Bareilly, Badaun, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Etah, Farrukhabad & Agra.