“Tuko Wangapi? Tulizana” Campaign

Concurrent sexual partnerships, or having more than one sexual partner at one time, are believed to be a major driver of new HIV infections in Tanzania, where HIV prevalence is an estimated 5.7% (THMIS 2007-08). While 20.7% of male and 3.5% of female TDHS 2010 respondents reported having two or more sexual partners in the last 12 months, other studies using alternative methods to measure concurrency estimate even higher levels of overlapping partnerships.

In order to address this issue of concurrency, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) and the Tanzanian Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) together with The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (JHU•CCP)and Population Services International (PSI) through funding from USAID and KfW have developed the national Tuko wangapi? Tulizana How many are we? Settle down) campaign.

Tuko wangapi? Tulizana targets sexually active men and women ages 25-39 in urban and peri-urban areas. These individuals may or may not realize they are part of a sexual network; some may knowingly have more than one sexual partner, others may be faithful to a partner that is not faithful to them. The campaign aims to increase knowledge of what a sexual network is and why it is risky, and examine the health, social, emotional and other consequences of concurrency. It encourages the audience to think critically about and discuss their own and their partners’ sexual history and behavior, with the ultimate goal of reducing overlapping sexual partnerships.

Tuko wangapi launched on May 31st, 2012. Key campaign channels include radio and TV spots and interactive programs, print and social media, SMS and community outreach.