Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Cote d’ Ivoire, and South Africa net Awards for HIV and AIDS Communication in Africa

The African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet) will recognize five organizations and individuals for outstanding efforts to fight HIV and AIDS through communication, during an award ceremony to be held the evening of 4th June 2008, 6.00 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel Ballroom Kampala, Uganda.

The 2008 winners of the AfriComNet annual award for excellence in HIV and AIDS Strategic Communication in Africa include:

• an integrated social marketing campaign in Uganda that uses an entertaining approach to promote HIV/AIDS prevention and care, malaria prevention and treatment, family planning and child health;
• radio series from Zambia that features stories from people living with HIV/AIDS to combat HIV related stigma and discrimination;
• a radio soap opera from Rwanda designed to address priority social issues, including HIV/AIDS and reproductive health;
• a multi-channel HIV/AIDS campaign for youth in Cote d’Ivoire that promotes life skills and healthy behaviors; and
• a multi-country workplace HIV/AIDS program based on volunteer peer educators initiated in South Africa.

The 2008 winners in each of the four categories of mass media, multi-channel, interpersonal/community and social marketing were selected by a panel of communication experts from HIV/AIDS and communication organizations in the region. “The winners are excellent examples of the power of communication to combat HIV and AIDS in Africa, by keeping in tune what’s happening with the epidemic,’’ states Dr. Lorna Tumwebaze, AfriComNet Executive Director.

The AfriComNet annual awards was launched in 2007, to create a much needed space to share and encourage effective HIV/AIDS communication programming in Africa. The winning communication initiatives, all implemented in Africa, were monitored and evaluated to show that they have affected behavior and contributed to the prevention and mitigation of the HIV epidemic. The annual awards highlight cost effective, high quality, innovative and cutting edge communication strategies, tools and programs that can be easily replicated in Africa.

AfriComNet has over 750 members in 44 countries, comprised of individuals, associations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, community- and faith-based organizations and educational institutions. Its mission is to strengthen capacity in and commitment to strategic communication for health and development in Africa.

This year’s annual award is supported by the ROADS Project with funding from the United States President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief and the United States Agency for International Development for East Africa.