#Inno4Dev UNDP Innovation Fund – UNDP / Global Fund Program
Communicating Results for HIV Key Affected Populations
Innovative Support to Reduce Barriers to Accessing HIV Services
Barriers to accessing services, including life-saving medicines, remain a significant challenge for Key Affected Populations (KAPs), who include those communities such as sex workers, people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men, who are most likely to be living with HIV. KAPs also include women and children in sub-Saharan Africa who are disproportionately affected by HIV and TB due to stigma and discrimination, compared with the general population.
Youth HIV Coordinators leveraging social media
In order to create greater demand for and access to services for KAPs, the innovation initiative has used a wide spectrum of communication platforms and social media tools to communicate services and results to and for KAPs in sub-Saharan Africa. It has also provided them with the opportunity create and participate in networks using social media to share information, advocate, network and monitor National HIV Programs including those funded by the Global Fund where UNDP is the interim Principal Recipient (PR). This has required relatively high-risk and innovative approaches that are adapted to address the challenges. The innovative initiatives are supported by visionary support from the Danish government, which has been co-financed and facilitated by the UNDP / Global Fund Program Team.
Youth E-Network for people living with or affected by #HIV
The Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV (ZNNP+) and Youth Engage National Youth Alliance (Y.E.) has established a Youth E-Network using social media platforms to enhance communication for youth living with, vulnerable to, or affected by HIV in Zimbabwe. The Youth E-Network was launched in October and uses the popular WhatsApp and increasingly twitter and facebook, to act as a catalyst for engaging and networking youth in Zimbabwe. The E-Network is being designed by the users themselves through an iterative process facilitated by ZNNP+ and Y.E. in partnership with the Zimbabwe UNDP country office.
World Aids Day 1 December 2014
It now comprises of a national network of HIV Youth Coordinators who use entry smart phones to create and support youth communities. For World Aids Day on 1 December, a national competition was successfully run to encourage youth to actively use social media across the country on issues related to.
“Innovation is helping us to keep our young people together on one platform where they are accessing information about their Sexual Reproductive Health needs at the click of a button; this activity has actually revolutionized our advocacy work.”
Youth Engage @YouthEngageInfo
World Aids Day Social Media Competition
“This will go a long way in addressing concerns and barriers to access HIV and AIDS services for the young people. The innovation has also illuminated ZNNP+ work as we now post and update our sites; website, Facebook, twitter and tumblr.”
Lagos Nigeria - Scaling up key population access to Treatment, Care and Support Services using social media
Innovative approaches have been used to create awareness of HIV and existing prevention, treatment and care services for key populations in Ikeja and Shomolu municipalities in Lagos State. The focus has been on men who have sex with men (MSM) and Female Sex Workers (FSW) who account for a high percentage of new infections in Nigeria. It has been designed to strengthen the capacity of peer led organizations to scale up existing services targeted at key populations most at risk of HIV exposure, at the same time being sensitive of the legal environment that impacts negatively on key populations.
Development and dissemination of simple HIV information and education series byNew HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Advocacy Society (NHVMAS) http://www.nhvmas-ng.org/website/ through consultation with the community and a Technical Working Group, developed simple (low literacy) HIV information and education material. The information was shared daily using innovative communication approach- What asp, SMS text messages and face book among the peer educators and their peers. The addition of three telephone handsets has increased the dissemination of the HIV information with key populations. The mobiles have been handed over to the peer educators within the anchor organisations who are provided with supportive supervision to ensure the mobiles and supporting tools are used to reach out to MSM and FSW.
South Sudan United Youth against AIDS (SSUYAA) – Juba
South Sudan United Youth against AIDS (SSUYAA) is a community based organization that works with the young people in addressing issues regarding HIV and AIDS. Its major focus is how the young people can adopt behaviours that do not negatively impact on their health. The target groups of young people include; in school and out of school youth; the motorcycle riders locally known as Boda-boda riders; and the young sex workers. Innovative approach includes the use traditional techniques in areas where there is limited / no connectivity.
Following ethnic tensions in South Sudan there has been an increase in Internally Displaced People (IDPs). This together with the rapid growth of Juba as the capitol of the youngest country in the world, has stretched HIV services. The innovative combination of developing a group of peer educators, who use role play, have helped develop and disseminate simple TV and Audio resources and have been combined with traditional knowledge and networks to reach more young people.
The innovation approach is strengthening the Centre for Sexual Health and HIV Aids Research (CeSHHAR) in Zimbabwe existing web -based and social networking resources to better support the ‘Sisters’ programme in Zimbabwe in order to enhance linkage to prevention and care and build social cohesion.
The CeSHHAR ‘Sisters with a voice’ group of sex workers saw that the communication forums would further support the following:
Provide security information: How to keep safe, alerts on violent clients, police arrests and “sex workers clean up operations”. It was also suggested that the forum should provide with safety codes that could be used in public places to alert each other of such.
Provide Educational Material/ Health updates, STI information to include pictures.
Updates on ‘Sisters with a voice’ clinic schedules.
Create a network that creates community / solidarity through socialising /communication.
Safer Sex Practices: Including video demonstrations how to use condoms especially female condoms.
Link to Income Generating Projects
Key Population Innovation - Emerging lessons
Innovation has provided the opportunity to address challenging issues in new ways. It has allowed Key Populations to be central to the design of the innovative approaches. As the entry costs drop and connectivity improves, social media has a rapidly growing contribution for the most vulnerable to access and shape the demand for HIV services.
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