Health
Health action with informed and engaged societies
Health
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
Time to read
less than
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 24 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

National HIV/AIDS Programme - Malawi

0 comments

This national education and communication programme emphasizes peer group education among high risk individuals such as bar girls, lorry drivers,commercial sex workers and STD patients. Behaviour change is the goal of the project and this is attained through focus on self-help and participation within communities in addition to traditional knowledge-based approaches to education.
Communication Strategies

Identification and training of key people within community groups effectively targeted the main issues. The first phase of the project trained 1,400 bar girls and some truck drivers as peer group leaders and educators. The project was based mainly on peer group education and communication strategies.
Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, STD's, education
Key Points

The peer education and communication strategy is based more on self-empowerment through providing skills and confidence to vulnerable groups than on fact based education. The constant reinforcement that people within the community can provide is thought to be much more effective than that of external health care workers. Each peer group leader was estimated to come into contact with 10 bar girls or truck drivers, giving coverage to approximately 14,000 of Malawi's estimated 17,000 bar girls.
Partners



European Union

Sources

Rex Winsbury, Action: The EC's response to HIV/AIDS in developing countries, 2nd ed. (Brussels: edit, 1994) 27.