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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New HIV/AIDS Prevention Campaign Launched in TanzaniaMulti-Media “ISHI” Campaign Targeting Vulnerable Young AdultsDAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania—The Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) has launched a new HIV/AIDS prevention campaign called “ISHI” that is aimed at young people between the ages of 15 and 19. With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) is providing technical assistance to TACAIDS and the National AIDS Control Program to implement the ISHI campaign. JHU/CCP's Africa Alive! program (www.africaalive.org) is part of the core team managing the campaign and will help organize youth rallies. 
“Tanzanian youth are in serious danger because they underestimate their risk of contracting HIV—only 5% of all youth think they are at great risk," said Major General Retired Herman Lupogo, Executive Chairperson of TACAIDS. "However, at least 50% of young people are sexually active and most of them are practicing unsafe sex.” According to the 1999 Tanzanian Reproductive and Child Health Survey, only 11% of boys and 4% of girls currently report using a condom. ISHI is the first-ever, multi-media HIV/AIDS prevention campaign for youth aged 15-19. The comprehensive campaign includes television and radio advertisements, billboards, media competitions and coverage, brochures, music performances by leading Tanzanian artists, soccer matches, community rallies and referral to Voluntary Counseling and Testing and reproductive health sites. 
ISHI means "to live." The campaign's goal is to increase the number of young people who believe they are at personal risk for contracting HIV. "Why aren't young people changing their behavior?” said Lupogo. “Because many Tanzanian young people believe they can tell if someone is infected simply by their appearance! The reality is that you can't tell that someone is infected by looking at them." The main messages of the campaign are that "you can't tell by looking," and that young people have two choices to protect themselves from HIV—to either abstain from sex or use a condom every time. JHU/CCP is a pioneer in the field of strategic, research-based communication for behavior change and health promotion that has helped transform the theory and practice of public health communications. With representatives in more than 30 countries, JHU/CCP has been a leader in the development of projects based on systematic needs assessments and clear strategies for positioning and presenting the benefits of health interventions to appropriate audiences. For more information contact: Kim Martin at Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA. Tel: 410 659-6140; Fax: 410 659-6266 e-mail: press@jhuccp.org. WEB SITE: http://www.jhuccp.org PRESS ROOM: http://www.jhuccp.org/pressroom |
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