C-Picks - Focus on HIV, Male Circumcision, and Multiple Concurrent Partnerships
 Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Issue 14 | October 18 2010 |
|
Focus on HIV, Male Circumcision, and Multiple Concurrent Partnerships C-Picks #14 begins with a spotlight on C-Hub, C-Change's online resource of communication materials for development. It follows with information and updates on HIV prevention and social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) focused on: male circumcision (MC) programmes in Kenya and Southern and Eastern Africa; multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP) activities in Namibia and South Africa; high-risk groups in Bangladesh and Central America; and youth populations in sub-Saharan Africa, Guyana, and Haiti. The issue concludes with a review of three educational HIV/AIDS resources. The Government of Kenya (GOK) through the support of the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (MOPHS), the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCOP) and Department of Health Promotion, and partners C-Change, CDC, FHI, PSI, and UNICEF as well as implementing partners (NRHS, IRDO, FACES, and the CMMB) has launched a Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) programme in Kenya. As part of the initiative, the National and Provincial Communication Sub-Committees on VMMC developed the VMMC Communication Toolkit to create and sustain demand for male circumcision and reinforce that, while MC reduces risk for men, it does not prevent HIV. C-Change presented the initial VMMC Communication Toolkit at the UNAIDS-PEPFAR Regional Meeting in Durban, South Africa in September 2010. Materials in the MC Toolkit include: a communication guide that builds upon the national strategy; billboards; posters; video vignettes; flip charts for health providers; radio spots; fact sheets for community, faith and business leaders; dialogue cards; and a handbook for community mobilisers. The Toolkit is available for download at http://www.c-hubonline.org/7815/?cp=14. Additional information about the C-Change programme in Kenya is available on the website. In Namibia, C-Change and partners launched the "Break the Chain" MCP campaign to meet urgent requests from civil society, private, and public sector organisations for effective tools to address MCP, a key driver of HIV in Namibia. The campaign materials are http://www.c-hubonline.org/7842/?cp=14.
Trouble reading this edition? View it online - http://www.comminit.com/en/c-picks-14.html?cp=14 ONLINE RESOURCE OF COMMUNICATION MATERIALS from C-Change 1. C-Hub: Communication Materials for Development HIV/AIDS Male Circumcision 2. Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) Communication Toolkit 3. Experiences in the Scale-up of Male Circumcision in the Eastern and Southern African Region 4. Clearinghouse on Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention 5. Print Media Reporting of Male Circumcision for Preventing HIV Infection in sub-Saharan Africa Addressing MCP 6. A Project to Break the Chain of MCP in Namibia 7. Break the Chain MCP Picture Codes 8. OneLove South Africa Interim Evaluation Addressing High Risk/Excluded Groups 9. HIV/AIDS Interventions: What Can Application of a Social Exclusion Framework Tell Us? 10. Addressing HIV in At-Risk Populations in Central America and Mexico 11. Partnership Defined Quality: A Methodology for Improving VCT Services Addressing Youth 12. Review of HIV Prevention Among Young People in Sub-Saharan Africa 13. Recommendations on HIV Prevention Among Young People in Sub-Saharan Africa Tools 15. "Positive Prevention" for PLWHA 17. Classroom Activities for HIV and AIDS Education ONLINE C-Change RESOURCE OF COMMUNICATION MATERIALS 1. C-Hub: Communication Materials for Development C-Change has launched C-Hub, an online resource of communication materials for development. C-Hub showcases the products and the processes of effective health campaigns. Each record in the C-Hub comprises a set of electronic files - video, audio, and print materials (e.g., posters, outdoor displays, pamphlets, flip charts, and radio & TV programmes/spots) and project descriptions, strategies, research, testing, and evaluation reports. Visit C-Hub to view and download communication materials and contact C-Hub if you would like help with uploading your project's materials. HIV/AIDS Male Circumcision 2. Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) Communication Toolkit The Government of Kenya (GOK) through the support of the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCOP) and Department of Health Promotion, as well as partners including C-Change, CDC, FHI, PSI, and UNICEF has launched a Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) programme in Kenya. As part of this initiative, the National Communication Sub-Committee on VMMC developed this toolkit to create demand for MC and reinforce that, while MC reduces risk for men, it does not prevent HIV. The Toolkit targets affected audiences in Nyanza province, which has Kenya's highest HIV prevalence rate at 15% and the lowest percentage of circumcised men [Ministry of Health, 2008]. Materials in the MC Toolkit include: a communication guide that builds upon the national strategy; billboards; posters; video vignettes; flip charts for health providers; radio spots; fact sheets for community, faith and business leaders; dialogue cards; and a handbook for community mobilisers. The Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Communication Toolkit is available for download. 3. Experiences in the Scale-up of Male Circumcision in the Eastern and Southern African Region This report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) of a sub-regional consultation held in Windhoek, Namibia, in July 2009, summarises progress, lessons learned, and future priorities from nine countries working to scale-up male circumcision for HIV prevention. All countries represented made progress towards establishing the necessary conditions to increase the availability of male circumcision services for HIV prevention. Countries have also faced challenges and constraints. Key constraints include: shortage of human resources for programming and service delivery; difficulties in accessing funds; challenges creating appropriate and effective communication messages - for example, that male circumcision is not a "magic bullet"; and delays in getting buy-in from 'gatekeepers' such as politicians and traditional leaders, which has been a time consuming process. Community engagement to influence behavioural change was also recognised as a challenge, as was addressing implications for women in rolling out male circumcision. For example, there may be a reduction in women's ability to negotiate condom use. 4. Clearinghouse on Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention This website, developed by Family Health International (FHI), is designed to generate and share evidence-based information about the role of male circumcision in HIV prevention. In its archives on policies and programmes, research, advocacy, training, and publications, it contains: a database of scientific abstracts and full-text articles; an inventory of research activities on male circumcision; tools and guidelines for provider training and programme scale-up; evidence-based protocols and guidelines; a compendium of better and best practices; summaries of advocacy issues and civil society engagement; an opportunity to sign up for an RSS feed on news related to male circumcision; a global mechanism for exchanging and integrating information on male circumcision programmes and associated services. 5. Print Media Reporting of Male Circumcision for Preventing HIV Infection in sub-Saharan Africa This August 2009 report, from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, presents the findings of a review examining the types, content, and accuracy of print media reports on male circumcision for preventing HIV infection among men in sub-Saharan Africa. The review involved a trilingual (English, French, and Portuguese) search between March 2007 and June 2008. In total, 412 articles were identified, of which 219 were unique and 193 were repeats. The researchers judged the accuracy of the report and determined the context, public perceptions, misconceptions, and areas of missing information in the print media. The study found that most articles presented circumcision for HIV prevention in a positive light. However, those that portrayed it negatively had an overall repeat rate 2.9 times higher than positive articles, suggesting an inclination to publish anti-circumcision articles or articles with a controversial viewpoint. The report also states that reports on male circumcision are few in the part of the world where its adoption could most markedly help curb the HIV epidemic. Addressing MCP 6. A Project to Break the Chain of MCP in Namibia Launched December 2009, Break the Chain is a USAID-funded and C-Change-supported national multi-channel SBCC campaign that addresses the practice of multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships (MCP) in Namibia. The initiative, which is being implemented by a wide range of civil society and Government of Namibia partners, has an emphasis not only on those who actively have MCP, but also on those who are passively connected. There is also targeted messaging for audiences more likely to practice MCP as a result of mobility (long-distance relationships), due to traditional reasons/beliefs (e.g., polygamy), and/or within the context of same-sex relationships (men who have sex with men [MSM]), and for people living with HIV (PLWH). The campaign was named first runner-up in the category "Multi-Channel Communication Strategy" for excellence in HIV and AIDS communication by AfriComNet in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August 2010. In a series of focus group discussions conducted three months into the campaign across Namibia, respondents describe the campaign as "new" and "different" and said that it made them re-evaluate their personal risk of HIV. 7. Break the Chain MCP Picture Codes As part of Break the Chain, C-Change Namibia and Nawa Life Trust developed this multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships picture code flip chart. Field workers and volunteers in Namibia are using it to create conversations for behaviour change that focus on the drivers of the HIV epidemic. The MCP picture codes generate discussion on the practices of multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships, cross-generational sex, transactional sex, and couples communication. Included in this resource are details about how a field worker or volunteer can use picture codes to address MCP. Suggestions are offered about how to get started, what kinds of questions to ask during a session, how to be a good listener, how to get everyone to participate, and organising sessions. 8. OneLove South Africa Interim Evaluation This fact sheet offers some key statistics, observations, and insights drawn from both a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the OneLove campaign in South Africa. The campaign was launched in January 2009 in South Africa as part of a Southern African regional campaign, and was integrated into the Soul City 9 multimedia programme. The main focus of the OneLove campaign is on the reduction of multiple and concurrent partnerships (MCP), identified as one of the key drivers of HIV infection in the region. In terms of impact, the campaign was responsible for a 6% (1,644,600 people) increase in knowledge around partner reduction or faithfulness to one partner. Behaviour change associated with OneLove was observed in condom use and intergenerational and transactional sexual relations. Addressing High Risk/Excluded Groups 9. HIV/AIDS Interventions: What Can Application of a Social Exclusion Framework Tell Us? Published in the Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition in August 2009 and based on research by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, this paper argues that the underlying exclusion of high-risk groups from HIV/AIDS interventions must be addressed if significant progress is to be attained in preventing an HIV epidemic in Bangladesh. Using a social exclusion framework, the paper identifies social, economic, and legal forces that heighten the vulnerability to HIV/AIDS of excluded groups, including sex workers, injection drug users (IDUs), men who have sex with men (MSM), and the transgender population (hijras/hijra population). The paper concludes with areas for research and policy action so that the social exclusion of high-risk groups can be reduced, their rights protected, and an HIV epidemic averted. 10. Addressing HIV in At-Risk Populations in Central America and Mexico This 2009 evaluation from the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) describes and assesses a 4-year project (2006-2009) designed to reduce the incidence of HIV in Mexico and 5 Central American countries - El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, and Belize. Groups within these countries who are most at-risk of HIV infection - female sex workers (FSWs) and men who have sex with men (MSM) - reportedly experience distinctive barriers to health services due to stigma and discrimination on the part of health providers and other gatekeepers. To address this problem, Population Services International's (PSI) Pan American Social Marketing Organization (PASMO) partnered with IRH in implementing USAID's Program for HIV/AIDS Prevention which sought to improve access, quality, and use of services for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among at-risk populations; and use behaviour change communication to promote healthier behaviours. Detailed outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations are noted. 11. Partnership Defined Quality: A Methodology for Improving VCT Services Partnership Defined Quality (PDQ), a methodology developed by Save the Children, is intended to improve the quality of and access to health services through better community involvement. This January 2010 brief details the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH)'s use of the PDQ methodology to improve voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) services in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador within the context of the above-mentioned USAID HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (see #10 above). The PDQ process brings together clients and health workers to jointly address fears, misperceptions, and other challenges and to develop a shared vision of quality VCT services. The goal is to have participants engage in sincere and respectful dialogue about quality concerns and to create a shared definition of quality. Some of the lessons learned include:
Addressing Youth 12. Review of HIV Prevention Among Young People in Sub-Saharan Africa This report, published in February 2010 by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), examines the use of a methodology known as the "Steady, Ready, Go!" approach, wherein different types of HIV interventions for young people in different settings are systematically reviewed alongside each other and graded for their effectiveness. This review (covering from 1990-2008) on the effectiveness of interventions in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce risky sexual behaviours and pregnancy, HIV, and other STIs among youth found that, despite 19 years of research, there is still insufficient evidence to recommend widescale implementation of the majority of the types of interventions that have been considered. The evaluators assert that "a one-size-fits-all intervention is unlikely to be the most effective approach, and careful evaluation of local risk factors and context is necessary to determine the optimal intervention. There is a growing consensus that to achieve HIV prevention in young people it is necessary to provide a range of tools and address a number of barriers, and to accomplish this it is necessary to implement interventions in different settings simultaneously..." 13. Recommendations on HIV Prevention Among Young People in Sub-Saharan Africa This document, published in September 2009 also by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), reports on a technical workshop organised by LSHTM and the Mwanza Research Centre of the Tanzanian National Institute for Medical Research. Held in 2009 in Tanzania, the objective of the workshop was to provide guidance and support for evidence-informed interventions to prevent HIV among young people in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report suggests that interventions to prevent new infections among young people must be designed both to reduce their risk of acquiring HIV, and also reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to others, which may require different approaches and designing interventions for different groups. The report also includes relevant findings from the updated systematic review of behavioural interventions in young people, called "Steady, Ready, Go!" (see #12 above). Recommendations are included for programme implementers, policymakers, researchers, and donors. 14. A Proven Multi-Country Peer Education Program and Community Mobilization Strategy for Youth HIV Prevention This document is an annual report on one year of the "Scaling Up Together We Can" programme, funded by PEPFAR and USAID and implemented through the American Red Cross by the Guyana, Haitian, and Tanzania Red Cross Societies. Scaling Up Together We Can is a 6-year effort to reach more than 1,060,000 youth ages 10 to 24 through interpersonal and participative approaches to relaying HIV prevention messages, community-based "edutainment" events, and mass media-based outreach in Guyana, Haiti, and Tanzania. Peer education, community and social mobilisation, and capacity building for the 3 national Red Cross societies are the primary strategies used to promote positive behaviour change among youth. This report details specific behaviour change strategies used, accomplishments in each country, and major issues and constraints met during implementation. Tools 15. "Positive Prevention" for PLWHA This booklet, published by Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAFAIDS) includes sections that discuss steps towards "positive" prevention for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA), including coming to terms with an HIV-positive status, dispelling myths related to HIV, adopting a lifestyle of positive prevention, and playing an active role in HIV prevention efforts in communities. It is designed for those who want to learn how they can take active steps to protect themselves, their partners, and their children from further transmission. 16. Guidelines and Activities for a Unified Approach to Sexuality, Gender, HIV, and Human Rights Education This Population Council resource is meant to help readers develop sexuality and HIV education curricula with an emphasis on gender and rights. It is intended to enable educators to teach young people about topics such as: gender norms; communication and decision making; sexual consent and coercion; fairness and human rights (including sexual rights); power and relationships; preventing HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unintended pregnancy; puberty; and social change. The first volume, Guidelines, includes seven content units, 22 fact sheets, “points for reflection” to foster critical thinking, and a module on advocacy. The second volume, Activities, includes 54 sample activities, a chapter on effective teaching methods, and an additional resources section. 17. Classroom Activities for HIV and AIDS Education This toolkit, developed by Education International, the Education Development Center, and WHO, is designed to help teachers address themes relating to HIV and AIDS with their students. Age-appropriate activities and lesson plan templates are provided for teaching students the skills they need to protect themselves from HIV and support those in their schools and communities who are living with HIV. The book introduces the teaching approach and methods, explains the use of the activities, and provides 7 to 10 activities in each of the following age groups: under age 10, ages 10-14, and ages 15+. Photocopy master sheets are included. C-Picks and SBCC Please visit the C-Picks website for more resources and information about social and behaviour change communication (SBCC). C-Picks continues to seek new knowledge and experiences in SBCC - case studies, strategic thinking, support materials, and other relevant documentation. Please contact cchange@comminit.com SBCC E-magazine C-Picks, supported by C-Change and implemented by The Communication Initiative, is an e-magazine on social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) case studies, reports, analyses, and resources in the health sector (HIV and AIDS, family planning and reproductive health, malaria, and maternal and antenatal health) and the environment and democracy and governance sectors.
This publication is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Agreement No. GPO-A-00-07-00004-00. The contents are the responsibility of The Communication Initiative and the C-Change project, managed by AED, and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. |
- Log in to post comments