The Challenge

Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented need for Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) and Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) initiatives across Gujarat. The situation was exacerbated by:

• Vaccination Drive and Second Wave: The 2021 vaccination campaign followed by the devastating second wave demanded renewed messaging across health, nutrition, WASH, child protection, education, and social policy
• Massive IEC Material Production: The Government of Gujarat, through its departments, had produced a vast amount of visual communication content (audio, video, print) in collaboration with UNICEF, but this material was scattered and difficult to access
• No Centralized Repository: Despite the state generating a sizable amount of SBCC data, there was no centralized mechanism for storing, sharing, disseminating, and reusing IEC materials
• Multi-Department Usage: IEC materials needed to serve diverse government departments at village, taluka, and district levels
• Language Requirements: Materials needed to support Gujarati language along with English
• Mobile Access: Field workers and government officials needed access to materials through mobile browsers and a dedicated Android application

UNICEF Gujarat and the Department of Health needed a robust, interactive knowledge management repository that would serve as a one-stop solution for all IEC materials developed across Gujarat in multiple languages.

Velocity’s Solution

Scope of Work

Velocity designed, developed, and managed a fully functional IEC eWarehouse website and Android mobile application for the State of Gujarat, adapted from UNICEF India’s existing IEC eWarehouse platform with Gujarat-specific features and branding.

Key Features & Deliverables

• IEC eWarehouse Website: Open-source technology-based website serving as a one-stop shop for all IEC materials originating in Gujarat
• User-friendly interface for searching and downloading materials
• Meta Data tagging for cross-category and cross-department searchability
• Gujarati language support alongside English
• Responsive design for mobile browser access

• Rich backend administration panel for uploading and managing IEC materials

• User Account Management:

• Sign-up via Email ID and Password, Gmail ID, or Facebook ID
• Favorite marking for IEC materials
• Category subscription with daily/weekly update notifications for new content

• User profile management

• Android Mobile Application: Dedicated app for accessing and downloading IEC materials with:

• Data-aware downloading (prompts for WiFi vs. mobile network download)
• Offline access to downloaded materials

• Multi-lingual support

• Google Analytics Integration: Comprehensive tracking of page access, material downloads, and user engagement

• Multi-Lingual Support: Full Gujarati and English support for both web and mobile platforms (admin panel in English only)

• Ongoing Maintenance:

• Daily link validation and site administration
• Daily uptime monitoring and junk data cleanup
• URL validations and content management
• Bug fixing within 4-8 hours for critical issues, 24 hours for others
• Monthly functioning monitoring

• Audio-video footage hosting for 12 months

• Reporting:

• Monthly IEC eWarehouse operational reports
• Monthly Google Analytics reports on pages accessed, materials downloaded
• Content upload and management tracking

Technology Stack

• Open-source web technologies
• Android mobile application development
• MySQL / PostgreSQL database
• Google Analytics
• Social media authentication (Gmail, Facebook)
• Email notification system
• Cloud hosting for web and media storage
• Multi-lingual framework (Gujarati and English)

Implementation Approach

The project followed a structured delivery plan:

1. Deliverable 1: Requirement Document and Wireframes — establishing the functional and design specifications aligned with Government of Gujarat requirements.
2. Deliverable 2: Working website with admin panel for uploading IEC materials — core platform deployment.
3. Deliverable 3: Frontend website for end users with search, download, and subscription features — user-facing platform launch.
4. Deliverable 4: Monthly operational reports on IEC eWarehouse and mobile app with bug resolution tracking.
5. Deliverable 5: Monthly Google Analytics reports on content access and engagement metrics.

Regular travel by senior team members to Gandhinagar for meetings with government agencies covered design, implementation, troubleshooting, and maintenance activities.

The project was supervised by UNICEF’s C4D (Communication for Development) Specialist.

Key Outcomes & Impact

• Centralized SBCC Repository: Established Gujarat’s first unified digital repository for all IEC/SBCC materials, accessible to government departments at state, district, and taluka levels.
• Enhanced COVID Response Communication: Enabled rapid dissemination of COVID-related messaging on CAB-plus behaviours, vaccination uptake, and service delivery across Gujarat.
• Cross-Department Material Sharing: Meta-data tagging and category-based organization allowed materials developed by one department to be easily discovered and reused by others.
• Field Worker Access: Mobile app and responsive design enabled grassroots health workers and government officials to access IEC materials on smartphones, improving last-mile communication reach.
• Government Ownership: The platform was designed for eventual handover to the Government of Gujarat, ensuring sustainability beyond UNICEF’s direct involvement.
• Data-Driven Content Strategy: Google Analytics insights on material access patterns informed future SBCC content development priorities.

Why Velocity

Velocity was the natural choice for this engagement:

• IEC eWarehouse Platform Developer: Velocity built and maintained UNICEF India’s national IEC eWarehouse (www.unicefiec.org), making them the most qualified team to adapt the platform for Gujarat.
• Government Collaboration Experience: Track record of developing and deploying digital solutions in collaboration with government departments across Indian states.
• Multi-Lingual Development: Proven capability in building applications with regional language support including Gujarati.
• Android App Development: Demonstrated expertise in building mobile applications for field use with offline capabilities.
• UNICEF LTA Holder: Pre-qualified vendor under UNICEF India’s Long-Term Agreement ensuring streamlined engagement and established quality standards.