Development action with informed and engaged societies
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
Time to read
3 minutes
Read so far

Onelove Campaign - Swaziland

0 comments
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 partnership (MCP). In order to discourage MCP, the campaign aims to highlight the dangers of MCP, promotes 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 modelling prevalent in Swaziland. The 5-year campaign, which forms part of a larger Southern African regional Onelove campaign, was launched in March 2009 and will run until 2012. The campaign activities include television and radio talkshows, public service announcements, outdoor media, public dialogues, a media competition, and a business sector component.
Communication Strategies

Since its launch, the campaign has made use of role models as a strategy to influence people's behaviour. It has used a mix of media including: radio and television talk shows; outdoor media - billboards, branded buses, and posters; pint media including business diaries, calendars, newspaper advertisements, and bar coasters; and public service announcements (PSAs). It has run a media competition for journalists on the best coverage on MCPs and related social issues.

As part of their social mobilisation activities, Lusweti, in collaboration with Khulisa Umtfwana, carried out community dialogues in March and April 2010. The campaign reached 2,320 people and 184 community leaders in communities in the four regions of the country. This constitutes the first phase of community dialogues. The objective of the dialogues thus far has been to establish community knowledge and understanding of MCP as well as establish their concerns on the issue of MCP. Upon completion of the first phase, two more rounds of dialogues will be carried out in the same communities, where communities will be expected to interrogate the concerns raised in the first phase, and map out plans on how to address these concerns and ultimately reduce the practice of MCP in their communities.

In February 2010, Lusweti released a booklet, "Love, Sex and You", which seeks to enhance public understanding of what constitutes a healthy love relationship between two people. About 220,000 copies of the booklet were distributed to 347 destinations nationwide between February and March 2010. According to Lusweti, there continues to be a constant demand for more booklets. The campaign also distributed the "Meet Joe" booklet to five of the country’s busiest border posts and to areas with a high density of migrant populations.

In March 2010, Lusweti premiered a radio drama series of 45 episodes called “Kuncono Munye” on the national radio station. The drama seeks to highlight the dangers of MCP, looking at how practices like transactional sex and intergenerational sex increase risk to HIV infection. The series also highlights the importance of condom use, and the importance of communication within relationships.

In April 2010, Lusweti premiered "Bloodlines", a local film aimed at raising awareness of the negative effects of having multiple concurrent sexual partners. The film tells the story of a promiscuous man who has to face the consequences of his infidelity when his son is seriously injured in an accident. The 24-minute film is part of the "Love Stories in a Time of HIV and AIDS" series, a collection of 10 short films produced in 10 Southern African Developer Community (SADC) countries as part of the Onelove Campaign. The full "Love Stories" series is being broadcast on Swazi television from April to June 2010.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS.

Key Points

HIV and AIDS is a major challenge to the general Swazi population, with an HIV prevalence rate of 26% among the 15-49 age group. The infection rate peaks at 49% in the 25-29 age group and 45% in the 35-39 age group for females and males, respectively. Among the key drivers of HIV in the country is the common practice of multiple sexual partners as noted in the 2nd National Multi-sectoral HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan, 2006 - 2008. Many of these partnerships are MCPs, where men have women/mistresses they have sex with regularly and frequently in addition to their official wives and regular girlfriends, a practice that has been fast-adopted by women as well. Many forums have affirmed that MCPs fuel the spread of HIV, especially given the fact that in most of these partnerships condom use is very low. According to research conducted by Lusweti, MCPs are perpetuated by dissatisfaction in relationships, especially sexual dissatisfaction, poverty and materialism, intergenerational sex, and culture and social norms.

Partners

National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Coordinating Assembly of Non Governmental Organisations (CANGO), SUSAH, SNYC, Swaziland Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SWABCHA), Church Forum, Alliance of Mayors' Initiative for Community Action on AIDS at the Local Level (AMICAALL), University of Swaziland (UNISWA), Mobile Telephone Networks (MTN), and PSSHAC.

Sources

Emails from Fortunate Twala and Zanele Zwane to Soul Beat Africa on January 13 2009 and October 24 2009, respectively; and OneLove Swaziland website, December 7 2009; and emails from Zanele Zwane to The Communication Initiative on May 14 and May 28 2010.

Teaser Image
http://www.comminit.com/files/One Love poster.JPG