PEPFAR Project Description Health Communication Partnership (HCP)
Duration: October 2004 - June 2011
Partners: Avert Society, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Goa State AIDS Control Society (GoaSACS), Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS), National AIDS Control Organization (NACO)
Geographic Focus: Maharashtra State and National-level
Project Profile: The Health Communication Partnership (HCP) is a program designed to improve health through strategic communication. It is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP). JHU/CCP is implementing a communication program in Maharashtra State and at the National level under the Avert Project. In the first phase (October 2004 to July 24, 2007) JHU/CCP developed campaigns on youth, workplace and care and support for the State of Maharashtra, which were adapted by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) for national dissemination. In the second phase (July 25th, 2007 to June 2011), JHU/CCP is providing technical support to NACO, Maharashtra State and Goa State in the design, development and operationalization of a strategic communication program. The aim of the second phase of the program is to support the states and the national program in developing a communication response including communication messaging, product development and implementation under different thematic areas. The program will build on lessons learned to replicate and consolidate the current communication activities. The program will also build capacity for the successful and sustained implementation of the communication activities at the State and national level.
Key Ongoing Activities:
- Provide technical assistance (TA) to the development of District Communication Action Plans. This activity was started in Maharashtra and will be scaled-up to other states.
- Provide TA to the state and national level in designing an integrated communication program for vulnerable and most-at-risk populations (MARPs) on prevention, counseling and testing, and care and treatment services. This will include design, development and support for the implementation of communication activities.
- Develop and operationalize a capacity-building strategy on communication for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), State AIDS Control Societies (SACS), and the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO)
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the various communication programs implemented by the state
- Develop and implement an advocacy campaign on HIV/AIDS to address stigma and discrimination, including improving access to HIV/AIDS services
Project Achievements and Innovations:
- Developed campaigns on youth, workplace, and care and support. These were adapted by NACO for a national-level campaign
- Developed national campaigns for generating demand for integrated counseling and testing services. This campaign contained TV and radio spots, outdoor media (such as hoardings (bill boards) and wall paints), and mid-media such as posters and flip charts, all aimed to create awareness about Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) and the benefits of accessing services at Integrated Counseling and Testing Centers (ICTCs)
- Through a series of participatory workshops with community members from MARPs, developed a range of innovative materials to be used by NGOs with MARPs during their interpersonal communication interactions. The materials address specific issues that are of concern to MARPs and aim to motivate them to adopt safe behaviors
- Media advocacy workshops conducted for regional media agencies to promote sensitive reporting on HIV/AIDS issues
- Instituted an annual award for "Excellence in HIV/AIDS Reporting" for the print media in Marathi and English in collaboration with the Indian Express R.N. Goenka annual awards
- TA provided to NACO in designing ART advertisements for national campaign, development of HIV/AIDS panels for school education, and the development of training curriculum for training of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) officers of State AIDS Societies
- Produced a music video for World AIDS Day for young people that talks about adopting responsible behavior to protect themselves and their loved ones from HIV and AIDS. The music video has become the theme song for NACO. See the video.
- Member of the IEC and Youth Technical Resource Group at NACO
- A workshop on Leadership in Strategic health Communication was conducted by JHU/CCP for SACS, NACO and other partner staff. A simulated software called SCOPE that helps participants conduct evidence-based planning was developed and used at the workshop