HIV/AIDS Theme Site – Where communication and media are central to HIV/AIDS – http://www.comminit.com/en/hiv-aids.html
1. Centre for Gender, Sexuality, and HIV/AIDS – Bangladesh
Since 2007, the Centre for Gender, Sexuality, and HIV/AIDS at BRAC University School of Public Health (BSPH) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has been working to create a climate of open discussion on sexuality and rights and to put in place mechanisms for monitoring influence on policy and practice. The Centre was created in the context of an environment of conservatism and a culture of collective denial of the existence of same-sex sexualities, which stifles public debate. Through capacity-building, research, information dissemination, and advocacy, the Centre aims to combat a lack of protection of sexual rights of homosexuals and transgendered people, which results in harassment, silence, shame, and fear…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/308219/347
2. HIV/AIDS Reporting
This 2009 guide, published by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), has been designed for journalists who are covering the global HIV/AIDS epidemic for the first time and for those who have covered it previously. The material in this edition covers a broad range of subjects, including the challenges of reporting on HIV/AIDS, treatment and prevention strategies, key figures in the struggle against HIV/AIDS, and global efforts to finance the campaign against HIV/AIDS. Information is included about the political and social aspects of the epidemic, intended to provide journalists with guidance about navigating these issues. Additionally, there is information about malaria and tuberculosis…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/305065/347
3. The Omaheke Health and Education Programme (OHEP) – Namibia
Supported by Oxfam, OHEP worked in the sparsely populated area of Omaheke in Namibia to reach mainly the mobile San population. The community-based health initiative sought to decentralise tuberculosis (TB) control services by focusing on a primary health care system where outreach activities as well the active participation of the community were used to help treat TB patients, educate communities, and identify potential TB patients requiring treatment…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/268861/347
4. TV Soap Operas in HIV Education: Reaching out with Popular Entertainment
This 2009 peer-reviewed report discusses soap operas as vehicles for HIV/AIDS education, offering case studies of 3 examples and lessons learned from their production and broadcast. The cases reviewed, all of which receive German financial support, are: 1) «Love as a Test» in Kyrgyzstan; 2) «Amor de Batey» in Dominican Republic; and 3) «SIDA dans la Cité» in Côte d’Ivoire…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/305154/347
5. Yeken Kignit – Ethiopia
Yeken Kignit («Looking Over One’s Daily Life»), developed by Population Media Center (PMC), is a serial radio drama that was broadcast in Ethiopia from 2002-2004. The drama was designed to address reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, early marriage, women’s empowerment, education of female children, and use of family planning. It was developed out of numerous discussions with a range of key stakeholders, from government representatives to local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and health researchers, to ensure that objectives and messages were appropriate for Ethiopia…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/274915/347
6. Promoting Healthy Relationships and HIV/STI Prevention for Young Men: Positive Findings from an Intervention Study in Brazil
This 2004 research update from Population Council/Horizons reviews a Horizons and Instituto PROMUNDO study that posits: 1) that young men can change their behaviour and develop positive attitudes through participation in group educational activities that encourage reflection about what it means to be a man, and 2) that reinforcing these messages on the community level will have additional positive impacts on these young men. The study looks at promoting social norms in favour of greater gender equity and attempts to measure changes in gender norms and their effect on HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) protective and risk behaviours…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/305506/347
7. Media and Behaviour Change: An Endline Evaluation of the STOP HIV Campaign in Nigeria (2005 – 2008)
The BBC World Service Trust (WST) launched the 3-year STOP HIV campaign in April 2005 in an effort to raise awareness and change behaviour around HIV and AIDS among young Nigerians aged 15-24. Funded by the United Kingdom (UK) Department for International Development (DFID) and carried out in partnership with the Nigerian Society for Family Health (SFH), the campaign included 2 weekly phone-in talk shows («Flava» and «Ya Take Ne?»), radio and television public service announcements (PSAs), a weekly TV drama («Wetin Dey?»), and film outputs (in partnership with the Nigerian video film industry, HIV- and AIDS-related messages were incorporated into the storylines of dozens of films)…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/305803/347
8. Back to Basics: HIV/AIDS Belongs with Sexual and Reproductive Health
This 2009 article explores and challenges the fact that the issue of HIV has come to be diverted from sexual and reproductive health – and even from other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – into a separate and often competing programme and funding stream. The authors trace the history of this divergence from the Programme of Action that was agreed upon at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the negotiators of which «knew that achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health and protecting reproductive rights is necessary to achieve all the other goals, including the eradication of HIV/AIDS…»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/305891/347
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Poll: From your regional context and perspective, which should be the priority focus for social norm change related to HIV/AIDS prevention?
393 votes as of January 25 2010.
29%: Condom Use
22%: One Sexual Partner
20%: Knowledge of One’s HIV Status
16%: Stigma
9%: Rights
4%: Male Circumcision
ADD your vote before we launch a new poll!
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/287727/347
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9. Integrating Sexual Health Services in Swaziland
This news piece published in 2009 explores complexities associated with a strategy that has been levied in an attempt to address the high prevalence of both sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV in Swaziland: integrating sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services. Ministry of Health figures indicate that almost 10% of the country’s population – more than 100,000 people – were treated for STIs in 2008, and preliminary data from a population-based survey show that 26% of Swazis aged 15-49 years are HIV-positive (per the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS)…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/305920/347
10. OneVoice South Africa
Formerly known as «dance4life South Africa», Onevoice South Africa is a non-governmental organisation working to provide an opportunity and a platform to young people in order to help them make informed decisions about their health and lifestyle and that of their communities. The project focuses on using creative approaches such as drama and visual arts to educate young people about issues such as sexual reproductive health and HIV prevention…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/132030/347
11. Soul Buddyz – Tomorrow Is Ours: Evaluation Report 2008
This report presents an independent evaluation of Soul Buddyz, a multi-media intervention designed for children aged 8 to 14 in South Africa. Soul Buddyz aims to focus on the promotion of children’s well-being through the provision of health information and skills to lead healthy lives, especially those which relate to HIV and AIDS and sexuality. According to the evaluation, conducted in 2006, Soul Buddyz was successful in achieving its primary intended outcome most relevant to HIV and AIDS, which was decreasing the stigma related to the disease and increasing knowledge of basic facts…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/278390/347
12. Uganda Program for Human and Holistic Development (UPHOLD)
The Uganda Program for Human and Holistic Development (UPHOLD), conducted from 2002 to 2008, was an effort to strengthen capacity in 34 districts for the improved delivery, planning, management, monitoring, and effective use of social services in 3 integrated social sectors: health, education, and HIV/AIDS. UPHOLD was committed to empowering families, communities, and institutions to improve the quality and use of services through value-added partnerships and using people-centred approaches for a sustained client-friendly environment…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/128800/347
13. Societies Tackling AIDS through Rights (STAR) – Angola, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, India, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Societies Tackling AIDS through Rights (STAR) is designed to be a comprehensive integrated methodology which combines the strength of participatory learning about HIV and AIDS with empowerment and social change. It focuses on relationships and communication skills with the intention of reducing HIV transmission, improving sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and fostering gender empowerment. This is combined with an approach to adult learning that seeks to enable people to plan their development activities based on the local reality…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/271534/347
14. Bridging an Inexplicable Divide: Integrating Reproductive Health Services and the Global HIV/AIDS Response
This article from a series on global AIDS issues published by the RH Reality Check website marks World AIDS Day 2009 with an opinion piece on the United States (US) response to integration of family planning (FP)/reproductive health (RH) services and HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment (subsequently referred to as RH-HIV integration). The author outlines the scenario of integrating «family planning and HIV/AIDS by having a family planning doctor actually working in the HIV counseling and testing centres. The same organization would then train family planning providers to offer HIV counseling and testing in other countries…»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/307607/347
15. Star School Project – Namibia, South Africa
The aim of the Star School Project is to build high school students’ inner strength, encourage them to believe in their dreams for the future, and support them to live an AIDS-free life. The programme, which is being offered in schools in South Africa and Namibia, includes a number of workshops in combination with regular and spontaneous programme activities that occur over a 3-year period. The programme is designed to inspire students to dream and have hope for the future, as well as strengthen their self-confidence and self-image…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/274158/347
16. The Astonishing Neglect of an HIV-Prevention Strategy: The Value of Integrating Family Planning and HIV Services
This article examines the neglect of one strategy for reaching the United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions (UNGASS) target of reducing HIV-positive births by 50 percent by the year 2010. According to USAID AIDSTAR-One: «The majority of the resources for PMTCT have been directed toward the provision of ARVs – such as the nevirapine regimen for HIV-positive pregnant women and their newborns. In contrast, preventing unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women – by increasing the voluntary use of contraception – has been undervalued and little-used…»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/307309/347
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NETWORK AND DISCUSS
http://groups.comminit.com/
New discussions and opportunities for social networking connections through The CI are available athttp://groups.comminit.com/
To join and contribute please see http://groups.comminit.com/ to browse the existing groups and click on «Request Membership» for any of interest to you. You will need to register/log in [see top right]. There is a process to get a new password if you have a log in for this new site, but have forgotten your password (see the «Request New Password» tab under Login). You may use your same username and password as you have on The CI website, but you must register and log in separately here, in order to join groups and start networking.
When you have logged in and joined the forums of interest, you can either reply to existing posts («Add a New Comment») or submit a new post («Submit a Post» in right side bar of each group).
You may also start your own group – on issues related to HIV/AIDS and Development, if you wish – which others may join and comment on («Create Group» in top right side bar).
Existing Groups which may be of interest:
HIV/AIDS Strategy: Future Directions
http://groups.comminit.com/node/306528
Ethics in Communication for Development
http://groups.comminit.com/node/300544
Human Rights and Technology
http://groups.comminit.com/node/302317
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17. Onelove Campaign Lesotho
The Onelove campaign in Lesotho was launched in January 2009. It forms part of the regional Onelove campaign which focuses on multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP) – identified as one of the key drivers of the HIV pandemic in Southern Africa. The Lesotho campaign activities include a radio and a television talk show, public service announcements (PSAs), a radio drama, and booklets and billboards. The campaign is run by Phela Health and Development Communications along with C-Change and its member organisations Soul City, Social Surveys, and CARE…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/285922/347
18. Onelove Campaign – Swaziland
The national Onelove Campaign in Swaziland, led by National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA) and rolled out through Lusweti Institute of Health and Development, seeks to reduce HIV prevalence by decreasing the number of people engaging in multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP). The campaign aims to highlight the dangers of MCP, promote positive dating patterns and good relationships, encourage single-partner relationships, build self-efficacy by showing life examples of good relationships and positive dating patterns, and counter negative relationship role modeling prevalent in Swaziland…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/286141/347
19. AIDS and Disability Campaign – Central America
In honour of World AIDS Day (December 1) and International Disability Day (December 3) 2009, the Inter-American Institute on Disability and Inclusive Development (IIDI) carried out an outdoor poster campaign in cities within 6 Central American countries. The purpose of the awareness/advocacy effort was to communicate – in a visual, public way – that people with disabilities should not be excluded in HIV prevention and care efforts; the assumption that they are not sexually active and therefore are at little or no risk to infection is, according to IIDI, erroneous and problematic…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/307502/347
20. The Role of Religious Communities in Addressing Gender-Based Violence and HIV
This report summarises the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, project titled The Role of Religious Communities in Addressing Gender-based Violence and HIV, which was designed and implemented in Africa by Futures Group International and Religions for Peace. Recognising the importance of collaborating to prevent and reduce gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV among women and girls, the initiative partners worked to improve the capacity of religious leaders and faith-based organisations (FBOs) to respond to GBV and its links to HIV…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/308178/347
21. Amor Youth Clinic Network – Estonia
Led by the Estonian Sexual Health Association (ESHA), Amor youth clinics are youth-friendly, free-of-charge sexual and reproductive health clinics. The clinics are specially designed to address the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people, both male and female, up to the age of 25 years. The clinics provide not only advice concerning contraception and testing for HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but also a chance to talk about relationships and sexuality with a professional…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/308221/347
22. Padare/Enkundleni Men’s Forum on Gender – Zimbabwe
In an effort to prevent HIV/AIDS, improve sexual health, and prevent violence against women in Zimbabwe, Padare/Enkundleni Men’s Forum on Gender seeks to encourage men to re-examine notions of masculinity in order to initiate change in their sexual behaviour and in their relationships with women. Padare argues that prevailing notions of male roles and behaviour can be changed, both through open dialogue with women and through critical self-examination by men themselves…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/271813/347
23. Desh Pardesh [At Home and Abroad] – India, Nepal
Desh Pardesh («At Home and Abroad») is an edutainment radio programme at the centre of a cross-border HIV/AIDS prevention initiative designed for Nepalis and Nepali migrants working in India. On air for 30 minutes each week, the programme reaches 5,000 people on the borders of Nepal and India. Designed to be linguistically and culturally appropriate, Desh Pardesh aims to reach migrants and spouses in India and Nepal with life-saving information. Desh Pardesh is a project of the international non-governmental organisation (NGO) Equal Access…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/308167/347
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Send us information about your HIV/AIDS communication case studies, reports, evaluations, thinking, and resources. Send to Deborah Heimann at dheimann@comminit.com
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Access all information on the issues you choose through a Theme Site on The CI:
Polio – http://www.comminit.com/en/polio.html
ICT4D – http://www.comminit.com/en/ict4d.html
Democracy and Governance – http://www.comminit.com/en/demandgov.html
Early Child Development – http://www.comminit.com/en/earlychild.html
Media Development – http://www.comminit.com/en/mediadev.html
Avian Influenza – http://www.comminit.com/en/avianinfluenza.html
Natural Resource Management – http://www.comminit.com/en/nrm.html
HIV/AIDS – http://www.comminit.com/en/hiv-aids.html
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from The Communication Initiative…where communication and media are central to social and economic development…
Partners: ANDI, BBC World Service Trust, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Calandria, CFSC Consortium, CIDA, DFID, FAO, Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano, Ford Foundation, Healthlink Worldwide, Inter-American Development Bank, International Institute for Communication and Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, PAHO, The Panos Institute, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, WHO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Website: http://www.comminit.com
Blog de Octavio Islas 