Aid in Action
The Power of Communication Helps in the Battle Against HIV/AIDS
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Thursday, July 16, 2009
Photo: USAID/East Africa
Winners of the 2009 AfriComNet Awards for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Communication in Africa.
The third annual African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet) Awards for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Communication in Africa, recognizing outstanding communication initiatives aimed at curbing the HIV and AIDS epidemic, was held in June in Namibia during the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Implementing Partners Meeting. The awards ceremony was presided over by Her Excellency Penehupifo Pohamba, Namibian’s First Lady, who emphasized the importance of communication in the fight against HIV/AIDS: “Without a permanent cure, prevention efforts, which rely heavily on well designed communication programmes, are our only weapon for stopping this catastrophe,” she stated.
The winners of the awards included The Speaking Book by the South African Depression and Anxiety Group; Dance4Life by Dance4Life South Africa; Exclusive Breast Feeding Tozodii from Zimbabwe; and Betengna Radio Diaries from Ethiopia.
Each year, AfriComNet, which is supported by USAID/East Africa through the nine-country transport corridor Regional Outreach for Addressing HIV/AIDS through Development Strategies (ROADS), Project calls for nominations of outstanding HIV/AIDS communication interventions in Africa. This year, 31 nominations vied for awards in four categories: best interpersonal communication effort, best mass media communication, best multi-channel campaign; and best social marketing effort. According to AfriComNet Chairman Peter Mwarogo, “We’re hoping that programs around the world can learn from these promising initiatives, which all have helped change people’s lives in a positive way.”
AfriComNet is an association of HIV and AIDS, health and development communication practitioners. AfriComNet was established in October 2001 in recognition of the severity of the continent’s HIV and AIDS pandemic and the need for high-quality strategic communication to respond to the crisis.