The overall goal of the campaign is to get men to reduce their number of partners, ideally to one. In order to achieve this, the One Love. Kwasila! campaign is designed to provide basic information about the risks posed by multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP), provoke thought and dialogue, and increase self-risk perception. The primary target audience of the campaign is married men aged 25 to 50 years. The secondary target audience is women aged 15 to 45 years (the wives and girlfriends of the primary target audience). The campaign will initially have an urban and peri-urban focus as HIV prevalence in these areas tends to be much higher than in rural areas.

The centrepiece of the campaign is a Zambian produced 10-part television edutainment miniseries called Club Risky Business, produced by Media 365, a local Zambian media house. It looks at how MCP is a major factor in spreading HIV in Zambia with each story showing the audience a different side of what drives MCP. David (the central character) uses his wealth to attract women and frequently exchanges gifts in exchange for favours. Sachi thinks that he is safe because he only has ‘one’ other partner besides his wife, and Charlie Lucky has multiple sexual partners but maintains that he is safe because he always uses condoms. The story is anchored around the local bar (Risky Business), that all three frequent and through their conversations the series explores the various social, cultural, and gender dynamics surrounding MCP, the riskiness of the sexual network, and the idea that a lifelong relationship can be happy and fulfilling. Club Risky Business is broadcast on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and MUVI TV. Three animated adverts (“animerts”), based on the three lead characters in Club Risky Business, are aired alongside the series and independently.

A discussion guide has been produced to accompany a DVD of the series. 1000 DVDs and discussion guides have been distributed to partners and DVDs are also being make available at Blockbusters movie rental stores. Screenings of Club Risky Business and facilitated discussions have also been organised at workplaces.

One Love Kwasila! produced a 10-week live talk show segment on ZNBC’s Mid Morning Show. This provided a platform for well known Zambians and public health professionals to discuss the campaign’s message in the context of HIV prevention.

In addition to airing radio spots on a variety of local stations, One Love Kwasila! produced a 12-week interactive radio talk show called Club Risky Business on Radio Phoenix, where listeners could SMS or call in with questions and comments. A 26-part radio drama series for national and community radio stations is in production. The show will incorporate an SMS competition and facilitated discussions with community leaders on MCP will be produced for radio to complement the drama series.

A number of print materials for various target audiences have been developed. The Men’s Health Kit, a counselling tool for health providers, has detailed illustrations of sexual concurrency versus serial monogamy and consistent condom use, explaining how the former results in increased risk of HIV. Community Health Information Cards designed for Neighbourhood Health Committees include simple information about MCP. You and Your Relationship(part of the Kwatu – Knowledge for Life series) is a magazine designed to inform the general public about the risks of MCP and how to improve relationships with primary partners. A brief newsletter for policy makers has been developed and distributed to political and religious leaders for advocacy purposes. Banners publicising the TV series and website have been placed strategically at inter-city bus-stops and public buildings across the country. Posters carrying key health messages have also been developed and distributed.

The One Love Kwasila! campaign has worked closely with Zambian press and received extensive coverage in local papers.

The campaign also has a One Love. Kwasila! website which offers, amongst other things, information about the Club Risky Business series, an HIV Risk Calculator, a list of VCT Centres, and information, blogs and articles related to HIV prevention. The campaign’s Facebook page (One Love Kwasila) serves as an active platform for fans to discuss key issues related to the campaign.

The Club Risky Business television show has a weekly SMS competition. By partnering with AfriConnect, One Love Kwasila! has also sent SMS messages publicising various interventions and calls to action to 10,000 individuals across Zambia.

The campaign also involves advocacy and awareness raising events. The Cabinet Committee on HIV in the Zambian Parliament received a briefing on MCP and the One Love Kwasila! campaign during their annual retreat. In April 2009, 34 of Zambia’s top musicians were oriented to MCP during a training for Health Ambassadors leading up to Zambia’s largest free music and arts festival and health fair: Rhythm of Life: Move to a healthy beat! Artists emphasised the benefits of partner reduction during the event, which attracted over 12,000 people and was broadcast live on ZNBC and MUVI TV. In August 2009, 40 religious leaders representing various faiths from across the country were oriented to MCP as part of a workshop organised by the Zambia Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Affected by HIV.

One Love Kwasila! has partnered with the Ministry of Communication and Transport, the Road Traffic and Safety Agency, Zambeef and private bus operators to brand 600 inter- and intra-city buses across the country and distribute 5,000 branded road tax discs and 5,000 bumper stickers. Buses with televisions will also carry the Club Risky Business DVDs for onboard entertainment-education.

An official song and music video was also produced for the campaign, which features popular Zambian musicians Slap Dee, Ruff Kid, P Jay and Chaklet. Click here to view the music video on Youtube.

A feature film on MCP is currently in production.

HIV/AIDS

In Zambia the national HIV prevalence amongst 15 to 49 year old Zambian adults is 14.3 per cent and MCP has been found to be a principal driver of HIV infection in Zambia. As a social phenomenon, MCP relates to having more than one recurrent sexual partner at a time. If a number of individuals in a community are involved in MCP relationships, a web is created. This network allows for the easy spread of the disease, fuelling the epidemic. One of the main reasons for this can be found in the way the HIV virus reproduces. When someone is initially infected with HIV, a surge of the virus is experienced in the infected individual for between three to six weeks, yet current testing methods will find no traces of the disease during this ‘window period’. The rapid growth and intensity of the HIV viral load makes it easy at this time to pass the virus from one individual to another, through the exchange of bodily fluids such as blood or semen. If this individual is involved in a network of sexually active, unprotected people, the disease can then spread like wildfire.

The Health Communication Partnership Zambia’s Endline Survey (conducted in July 2009) found impressive exposure to the campaign during its first four weeks. Forty-nine percent of urban television viewers recalled the campaign slogan (One Love Kwasila!), while 32 percent had seen or heard of the Club Risky Business television show. This survey did not include Lusaka. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the One Love Kwasila! campaign are planned for 2010.