Abstract

This paper describes and analyses the needs assessment, planning, structure and development of a community-based health promotion intervention in rural Nepal. This intervention, funded by a UK charity called Green Tara Trust differs from many interventions in industrialised countries where a new health promotion intervention is introduced in the context of a complex pre-existing mixture of health education and health promotion interventions. The health promotion intervention is fairly unique in Nepal, as it is: (a) multidisciplinary; (b) theory-based; and (c) evidence-based. The intervention started with a community-based needs assessment and a consultation around the first design by funders and academics in conjunction with local policy makers and participatory activity. Where possible, Green Tara incorporated the diverse/changing needs of the local communities and made best use of the existing resources whether these were delivered by the government or by non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Helping to improve the local maternity service provision and advocate its uptake makes it much more likely that the intervention becomes sustainable compared to the introduction of an expensive external intervention which is new to the community.