ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (October 5th, 2006) - Betengna, a new radio series that showcases the diaries of ordinary people living with HIV launches today in Ethiopia. The diaries narrate the everyday experiences and challenges of living with HIV in Ethiopia and will be broadcast weekly on three Ethiopian radio stations. The series aims to decrease the stigma and discrimination that HIV positive people face in Ethiopia by exposing the human face of living with the disease and providing a platform for creating discussion on these issues among the general public.
Betengna - which refers to a welcomed guest who often visits ones home - presents a unique insight into what it really means to be HIV positive in Ethiopia. Over time, the diarists cover a broad range of their everyday life experiences: teen pregnancy, relationships with partners, family, friends and their communities; cultural norms, gender differences, health and medication issues, diminished capacity, emotional and physical stress and living positively.
The project is run by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP) in collaboration with the National HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO) and funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is managed by the national AIDS Resource Center (ARC) in Addis Ababa and builds on similar projects run by CCP in Nigeria and Malawi.
“Our research elsewhere in Africa has convinced us that the diaries really can help reduce the stigma of being HIV positive,” claims Sofnias Nega of CCP. “For the very first time the audience will hear how very like themselves an HIV positive person can be. Over time, as the diary is broadcast, the listener can develop a relationship with the diarist, and share in their trials and challenges.”
Internews Network’s Local Voices project – which trains and mentors Ethiopian journalists and talks show hosts to improve their reporting on AIDS – has supported the initiative by providing intensive coaching on all aspects of radio programming.
The diarists are people who know their status and are willing and able to talk about their situation honestly, openly and with clarity, focus, and real emotion. Each 20-minute program consists of a short narrative diary and is followed by a feature that delves more intensely into major issues discussed in the diarist’s interview. “We have tried to get the production team to be as creative as possible,” says Sofnias Nega. “For instance, rather than just talking about good nutrition for people living positively, we’ve recorded on location in the market as the diarist shops for a healthy meal.”
The radio diaries will air on FM 97.1 Addis on Tuesdays and Fridays at 3:05pm, Radio Awassa FM on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:05 pm and on Radio Fana on Tuesdays at 6:40pm. The series will be piloted first on these radio stations and may reach a wider audience in the future through local radio stations. “This is an innovative approach to educate the public through an honest and open account of the human story of a disease and its physical and social expressions that we all can relate to,” says Dr. Tadesse Wuhib, Director of CDC-Ethiopia, “Through provision of a powerful insight into the life and emotions of someone living with HIV/AIDS, I am sure the stories will contribute significantly to the communities’ understanding of the severity and individual and communal susceptibility to HIV/AIDS and to the reduction of stigmatization and marginalization of PLHA.”
Since opening in 2001, the AIDS Resource Center has been providing an extensive range of information services on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and tuberculosis (TB). The ARC serves as a hub for a host of resources and services, such as a comprehensive multimedia library collection, high-speed Internet access for HIV/AIDS research, an HIV/AIDS website with searchable databases, and a materials clearinghouse. The center also runs the Wegen 952 national HIV/AIDS hotline and produces high-quality and culturally appropriate behavior change communication (BCC) materials on various health topics.
HAPCO was established in 2000 to coordinate and direct the implementation of the country's HIV/AIDS programs. In partnership with all stakeholders, HAPCO designed Ethiopia’s five-year strategic plan to combat the epidemic, and administers government grants for HIV/AIDS programs and research.
PEPFAR is a five-year, $15-billion U.S. government initiative to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic with the goals of treating two million HIV-infected people, preventing seven million new infections, and care for 10 million HIV-infected individuals and AIDS orphans. A significant amount of these resources focus on 15 of the most afflicted countries in the world, including Ethiopia. Since 2001 CDC-Ethiopia is supporting the Ethiopian government to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS, STI and TB and mitigate their impact through prevention, care, support, treatment and capacity building activities.
With representatives in more than 30 countries, Hopkins’ CCP partners with organizations worldwide to design and implement strategic communication programs that influence political dialogue, collective action, and individual behavior change; enhance access to information and the exchange of knowledge to improve health and health care; and conduct research to guide program design, evaluate impact, and advance knowledge and practice in health communication. www.jhuccp.org.
Contact:
Sofnias Nega
Bole Road, Dembel Building, 9th Floor
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: 251-11-5503584
Sofniasn@etharc.org
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