The Sesame Workshop in India has launched a healthy habits campaign as part of Galli Galli Sim Sim (GGSS), the Indian co-production of Sesame Street. The GGSS Mobile Community Viewing (MCV) program trains local change agents to provide health information to slum neighbourhoods. They use a repurposed, GGSS-branded vegetable cart carrying a TV set and a DVD player showing segments on health and nutrition, followed by distribution of educational materials to children and caregivers. This slum roadshow also features activities such as mask-making and theatre. An evaluation of the program notes that exposure to the GGSS’s MCV is associated with increases in children’s knowledge of sources of milk (calcium), healthy foods, and steps of handwashing – as well as with caregivers’ knowledge of vegetables. This shows the importance of a mix of methods to reach the intended audience, based on how and where they seek health information.
Launched in 2006, Galli Galli Sim Sim (GGSS) is a broad-based, multimedia educational initiative for young Indian children modeled on Sesame Street, the US-based Sesame Workshop’s entertainment-education series for preschoolers. Created through a partnership between Sesame Workshop and Turner India, in creative collaboration with Miditech Pvt. Ltd., the television series aims to promote joyful learning of basic life skills – be they cognitive, social, emotional, or physical – for India’s children, and to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood development and education.
