Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary : the green pendelu and maternal health in Mali

This paper introduces the philosophy and elements of the DIORO approach in which indigenous cultural resources in Mali, including songs, singer/storytellers (griots) and traditional clothing, were used in a successful campaign to increase communication between husbands and wives regarding pregnancy and to improve health-seeking behavior during pregnancy. Assisted births in the project area increased from under 20% at the start of the project to 77% in the year after the IEC campaign was implemented