Suitable AV materials may already be available locally from places such as health education departments in ministries of health, NGO offices, and international agencies such as WHO, UNICEF, and UNDP. Seek out what is available and determine if the materials are appropriate to use under local conditions and with the THPs that you are training. It is often cheaper to purchase existing materials, if they are suitable, than to produce your own. Keep the following points in mind when determining if they are suitable for the trainees and their communities:

• figures and symbols must be recognizable to the audience;

• messages must be few and in the local language;

• pictures should illustrate one message at a time;

• pictures and words should be large if used in a group;

• any equipment that is used must be maintainable and power must be available, if it is required;

• the cost should be within the means of the agency.