If I kept it to myself - World YWCA

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If I kept it to myself At the Namibia Red Cross I managed a health and development communication partnership with a South African NGO called Soul City. This partnership aimed to encourage behaviour change through high quality communication tools including radio, television and print material. In Namibia, over 90% of the population cite radio as their primary source of information. Mass media reached the people and kept them informed, as well as influenced the public agenda. In relation to the HIV pandemic in Southern Africa, mass media has already proven to significantly increase public awareness and influence attitudes. My technical knowledge and experience with radio, television and print material development was a significant contribution to the five year Desert Soul, Health and Development Communication Project. In the two years I was there, we developed the media plan and mapped which vehicle to use for which audience, and which health and development topics were most relevant to the Namibian context. We researched and developed a brand for the project, which would be the driving force behind the credibility and recognition of the products. I coordinated formative research for the adult HIV and AIDS booklet, ‘AIDS Action Now!’ and commissioned the television aspect of the project, the production of a Namibian children’s segment. I negotiated the radio partnership and the layout of the print booklet, with over 1,5 million copies printed. The Desert Soul Project was created from the development, in 2001, of a youth booklet by the Namibia Red Cross called ‘Choose Life’. With 400 000 copies printed and distributed to all corners of the country, this booklet had the biggest print-run of any print material in Namibia. An evaluation of the booklet has shown that ‘Choose Life’ has been quoted by a majority of in and out of school youth as one of their primary sources of information on AIDS, issues affecting orphans and vulnerable children, and on general life skills. At the end of 2003, two years after joining the Namibian Red Cross I moved to Geneva, Switzerland to join the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Secretariat as Coordinator for the Federation’s global HIV and AIDS Anti-Stigma Campaign. ‘The truth about AIDS - Pass it on...’ campaign works to reduce stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) through partnerships with the global network of people living with HIV and AIDS (GNP) and its regional and national 72 affiliates. With advocacy for the human rights and empowerment of PLWHA as one of its main objectives, this campaign supports national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in making use of advocacy opportunities to reduce stigma in their communities. As coordinator of the campaign, I coordinate global coherence of Red Cross and Red Crescent anti-stigma campaigns, produce resource material, and support national societies in implementing activities. Since beginning work on the campaign, I have developed two communications packs, three campaign newsletters, and coordinated three key date events, which include supporting National Society events for World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day and World AIDS Day. At the XV International AIDS Conference, in 2004, I also contributed to our partnership with PLWHA and raised the significance of the greater involvement of PLWHA in all aspects of the HIV and AIDS response. The bulk of our anti-stigma work is implemented by volunteers and staff and aimed at reducing stigma within the organisation and in communities. With more than 200,000 PLWHA within the organisation, the Federation itself has had to go through a significant change process to become a better home for PLWHA and a better partner for GNP+. I help raise the profile of people living with HIV and AIDS by creating a platform for their voices to be heard at international fora. One such an event was the marking of the 10th anniversary of the greater involvement of people living with HIV and AIDS (GIPA) Principle on the 1st of December 2004 through a joint project with GNP+. I also support the voices of people living with HIV and AIDS through media materials including press releases, opinion pieces and stories for different internal and external audiences. I work very closely with young people in the Red Cross and Red Crescent who have great enthusiasm and commitment to the cause. In many countries our stigma reduction work is driven by young people who use innovative activities like ‘riding the bus’ in Jamaica, concerts, candle light marches and sporting activities around the rest of the world. Because of their enthusiasm, commitment and creativity, young people have been able to examine their respective contexts and identify issues of stigma, and ways these can be addressed in their communities. Because our movement is built on
Young women intervene in a world with AIDS volunteerism, our HIV and AIDS work is driven by committed and dedicated people in different communities around the world. National societies work with PLWHA, youth and community members through advocacy opportunities such as World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day or World AIDS Day, organising activities such as marches, speeches, concerts, community meetings and sporting events. They use the credibility of the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblem to show solidarity with PLWHA and through communication tools work to break down the myths and fears surrounding HIV. A recent evaluation of the Federation’s Global HIV and AIDS Programme has identified that the Red Cross and Red Crescent, because of its mandate as the largest humanitarian organisation in the world, is considered a logical choice to spearhead the fight against HIV related stigma in partnership with PLWHA. Two thirds of the 181 national societies have campaigned for the reduction of stigma with the support of the campaign coordinator in Geneva. The global anti-stigma campaign is appreciated by external partners who often utilise resources developed by the campaign. The strength of the Red Cross and Red Crescent network is its community base. With 97 million volunteers around the world it has household access to communities where most other organisations do not. National Societies work with community leaders and political leaders to advocate for the empowerment and involvement of PLWHA in their own care and in the overall HIV response. Red Cross and Red Crescent leadership has, from the Federation governing board level to National Society management level, stood side-by-side publicly with PLWHA leadership, giving the message that PLWHA are crucial to the global AIDS response. The anti-stigma campaign encourages and supports this work with resources and technical support to national societies and their partners. The greatest testimony to the success of the campaign impact is in the words of a woman living with HIV and AIDS in Savannakhet province in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic who explained that “until the Red Cross came to visit and bring these activities, our families would not let us eat or join the family or the community.” Born: 1979 Country: Namibia Organisations: Namibia Red Cross, IFRC Campaigns for: empowerment and dignity of women and girls; change behaviour and health care 73
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If I kept it to myself - World YWCA

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