Servaas van den Bosch
Servaas has 20 years’ experience as a media and communications professional in Europe and Africa. He is a prolific contributor to international outlets such as Reuters and Inter Press Service on trade, finance and development. He has contracted as a communications specialist for the United Nations, European Union, GIZ, USAID and the Millennium Challenge Account, as well as multinational corporations.
Servaas holds an MA degree from Groningen University in History & Journalism and a Postgraduate Diploma in Media Studies. His interests are emerging markets, communications for development (C4D) and national identity discourse. He is a Climate Change Media Fellow and in his spare time, he represents his country of origin The Netherlands as honorary consul in Namibia.
Tafadzwa Chirunda
Taffy is a behavioural scientist focusing on behavioural change interventions, research, knowledge and communications using methods from clinical and social psychology to understand, predict and change human behaviour.
Taffy holds a MSc. in Health and Social Psychology from the University of Maastricht, a BA in Psychology and Sociology from the University of South Africa and is a certified HIV/AIDSs counsellor. Her interest is in understanding how people’s personalities, cognitions and the social environment influence their health and social functioning. As an international consultant with over 12 years’ experience in sub-Saharan Africa, she is accustomed to working in multicultural teams, generating effective and creative interventions. Highlights include managing communication strategies and public outreach campaigns for GIZ, European Union funded projects, USAID, Global Fund, Millennium Challenge Account, SADC-COMESA-EAC.
Taffy uses a wide range of social and behavioural change (SBC) approaches to address change in social norms and structures, as well as individual behaviour. Planning behaviour change interventions using systematic theory and evidence-based planning. Whether clients intend to encourage pro-environmental behaviour, reduce teenage pregnancies, increase adherence to medication, develop public health messages, or nudge consumer choices, the method is the same. The collection, analysis of data from a broad range of sources is needed to identify the correct drivers of behaviour. Thereafter, the right change methods are translated into suitable applications while taking the context and culture into consideration.
Social Behavioural Change Communications (SBCC) approaches are pivotal in disrupting negative or undesirable behaviour patterns within societies and individuals. We design effective behavioural change interventions that are accountable and measurable and that go beyond messaging to catalyse community action.