Development and Production of a Social and Behaviour Change Communication Package to Improve Vendors’ Handwashing in Traditional Food Markets in Cambodia

In Cambodia, traditional food markets (TFMs) play an important economic, cultural and social role and are sources of livelihood for millions of people in urban and rural areas. They can provide access to safe, healthy, nutritious and culturally appropriate food while promoting health and prevent diseases, especially among the most vulnerable groups.

As guided by the Law on Food Safety in Cambodia, safer traditional food markets are integral to implementing and maintaining food safety practices as well as reducing the risks of zoonoses under a One Health approach in Cambodia. In collaboration with relevant Ministries and with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), Ministry of Health has developed a national manual “Five Keys for Safer Traditional Food Markets”, adapted from "Five Keys for Safer Traditional Food Markets: Risk Mitigation in Traditional Food Markets in the Asia Pacific Region".

Cambodia’s “Five Keys for Safer Traditional Food Markets” manual aims to support and guide local inspectors, local authorities, market communities and consumers in transforming traditional food markets into safer and healthier places.

To support the application of the manual, WHO is collaborating with the Department of Drugs and Food (DDF) and the National Centre for Health Promotion (NCHP) of the Ministry of Health (MoH) to apply behavioural insights in carrying out an intervention plan to improve handwashing practices of market vendors in two target provinces – Kampot and Siem Reap.

This Request for Proposal specifically covers the development and delivery of the SBCC package for improving vendors’ handwashing. It aims to address knowledge gaps, strengthen social norms and provide vendors with cues and recognition mechanisms that help enable better handwashing practices. These SBCC outputs will be critical to influencing behaviour change for safer traditional food markets in Cambodia, starting with more visible, routine and socially reinforced handwashing practices among vendors.