The purpose of the meeting with the elected village leader is to get a formal entry into the village. It is a good idea to get introduced to the sarpanch through a local NGO or a Govt. agency so that trust is built quickly. Convincing the village leader to support the campaign is probably the most critical factor in the outcome of the campaign. The results tend to be significantly higher when the village leader is actively involved in the campaign.

The flip chart tells the story of a ‘super village leader’ – who is active in doing positive things for his community and who supported the same campaign in his village by actively participating in it – coming door to door with the promoters to introduce the campaign to the villagers, speaking at the evening event etc. This tool was developed through active field testing and an emotional route that inspired the village leader through a role model worked most powerfully.