ABSTRACT
One has heard these familiar lines: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish, and you feed him for life. This underscores the crucial importance of self-empowerment; and one of the most effective and long lasting empowering tools is knowledge. This chapter traces the beginnings of nutrition-health education, its critical importance in the prevailing nutrition scenario of the country and the emergence of the behavior change focus in program settings. This is followed by an overview of experiences and lessons learnt from major international and national projects. Key elements in the design of a successful behavior change intervention are described with the hope that readers can apply this knowledge in their own settings.
