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Onelove Campaign Lesotho

Country

Lesotho

Programme Summary

The Onelove campaign in Lesotho was launched in January 2009. It forms part of regional Onelove campaign which focuses on multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP) identified as one of the key drivers of the HIV pandemic in Southern Africa. The Lesotho campaign activities include a radio and a television talk-show, public service announcements (PSAs), a radio drama , and booklets and billboards. The campaign is run by Phela Health and Development Communications along with C-Change and its member organisations Soul City, Social Surveys, and Care.

Communication Strategies

From February to September 2009, 12 60-minute talk shows were broadcast on the national radio and television stations in Lesotho. The format of this show is a combination of recorded personal stories, and live discussions between a presenter, an expert, and telephone call-ins from members of the public with a story to share. In all the shows a total number of 124 Basotho women and men called in to air their opinions on different topics that were discussed. All the shows were recorded on CD and DVD. Working with one of the popular local jazz musicians, Phela also developed a Onelove song which was used as a signature tune on the shows.

Four public service announcements (PSAs) were created and were broadcast on the national radio station (Radio Lesotho) as well as on three other radio stations, namely Moafrika Fm, Harvest Fm, and a popular youth radio station PC fm. Two new PSAs dealing with migration and inter-generational sex have been developed and will also be aired.

Five billboards with five different messages on MCP were developed and erected in all the district towns of Lesotho. The messages on these billboards covered issues such as intergenerational relationships, and cultural practices related to extra marital affairs. These billboards were removed in June 2009, and new ones covering issues of alcohol abuse, communication about sexuality, HIV and STIs, and intergenerational sex have been developed to replace them.

The campaign is also distributing a 4-page pamphlet on Onelove, which gives basic information on MCP and is meant to raise awareness of the link between the high incidence of HIV and the practice of having multiple concurrent partners. The pamphlet is inserted inside Phela's booklet "Men, Women and HIV and AIDS". Click here to download the pamphlet in PDF format. A new Onelove booklet is in the process of being developed and is due to be distributed in November 2009.

A Onelove radio drama was broadcast in October 2009. This 45-episode drama aimed to encourage people to reduce the number of partners. After every fifth episode of the radio drama, a competition was run where listeners could answer a question by SMS and receive a prize. According to the organisers, the response to the competition was immense, which they believe is an indication of the popularity of the show. The drama is supported by a marketing campaign that includes radio, sports events, and newspaper adverts.

Phela, in partnership with C-Change has established a community outreach programme to complement the media components. 560 community dialogue facilitators in different parts of the country were trained. These facilitators carry out dialogues in their respective communities over a period of 8 weeks. The facilitators have mentors who monitor and spport them on a continuous basis. Plans are underway to expand this activitiy and for new groups of facilitators to be trained.

A 15-minute video documenting the successes of the Onelove activities since its inception in February 2009 was also produced. In addition, in February 2010, a short film will be released along with 8 other short films produced by the other Onelove campaigns in the region.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS

Key Points

Lesotho is rated the country with the third highest prevalence, now estimated at 29%. It is further estimated that one in three people between the ages of 15 and 49 years in Lesotho is HIV positive. The prevalence is particularly high in urban areas with levels at 28.8% compared to 21.8% in the rural areas, with a considerable variation in prevalence rates by district.

Partners

C-Change, Soul City, Social Surveys, and Care.

Contact

Phela Health & Development Communications - Onelove Campaign

Private Bag A194

Maseru
Lesotho
Tel: +266 22 327 502
Fax: +266 22 327 503

Source

Email sent to Soul Beat Africa from Hope Dolo at Phela Health and Development Communication and email from Hope Dolo on October 22 2009.


Placed on the Soul Beat Africa site February 13 2009
Last Updated November 04 2009



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