Woza Asibonisane

Apply strategic evidence-based communications interventions at multiple levels for greater effectiveness and such evidence may be grounded in the social sciences or biomedical sciences as relevant to the context of the program;

1. Strengthen communities to lead and sustain comprehensive HIV prevention and sexual and gender-sensitive responses; and
2. Expand high quality and targeted community-based counselling and testing services that optimize effective linkages to care, treatment and prevention.

Strategic Communications

1. Increase the capacity of government and indigenous organisations to design, implement, manage and evaluate strategic communication interventions
2. Implement, monitor and evaluate high-quality communication interventions addressing combination HIV prevention designed to support South Africa's multisectoral response to HIV and GBV
3. Develop a national campaign targeting young women aged 15 - 24 and young men 15 - 34 that promotes HIV, STI, SGBV and pregnancy prevention, women's agency and uptake of treatment and treatment adherence.
4. Conduct and disseminate research to enhance strategic communication
5. Increase the number of evidence-based communication interventions during the life of the award

Campaigns conducted in the execution of this award include demand creation for Medical Male Circumcision ( link to the section under campaigns where we have this material), HIV testing and treatment, and Dual Protection.

Community Response

The programme strives to implement standardized, evidence-based models, tools and approaches across all programmes, focusing geographically on micro-epidemics in particular informal settlements; and doing what is core in relation to the reduction of new HIV infections and SGBV. Community Responses has the following goals and Objectives:

Goal1: Increased engagement by local leaders to mobilize communities to reframe social norms to support HIV and SGBV prevention

Objective 1.1: Increase the number of local leaders who publicly speak out on issues related to HIV prevention and SGBV
Objective 1.2: Increase the number of community leaders, and communities, who have developed and implemented activity plans to support community action for HIV and SGBV prevention.

Goal 2: Expanded Implementation of community-led interventions that utilize locally appropriate prevention strategies relevant to target audiences.

Objective 2.1: Improve the evidence base and tools for the implementation of the Communities Forward Programme
Objective 2.2: Increase the proportion of local organisations who are able to implement high-quality participatory dialogue to action activities
Objective 2.3 Increase the % of men, women and youth that practice HIV and SGBV prevention behaviours and use HIV and SGBV services

Goal 3: Effective Community Based Models for SGBV Prevention and linkages to SGBV services

Objective 3.1 Increase the proportion of Violence Free Communities
Objective 3.2 Increase awareness of PEP and SGBV Services within communities

Dreams

DREAMS is an ambitious partnership to reduce HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women in 10 sub-Saharan African countries. The goal of DREAMS is to help girls develop into Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe women. Girls and young women account for 71 per cent of new HIV infections among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. The 10 DREAMS countries (Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) account for nearly half of all the new HIV infections that occurred among adolescent girls and young women globally in 2014. This must change. DREAMS is about multiple solutions surrounding one problem. With support from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Girl Effect, DREAMS is delivering a core package that combines evidence-based approaches that go beyond the health sector, addressing the structural drivers that directly and indirectly increase girls' HIV risk, including poverty, gender inequality, sexual violence, and a lack of education.