PSI

PSI/Caribbean has operated a regional condom social marketing program for HIV&AIDS prevention in the English-speaking Caribbean since 2005. Headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago, PSI has offices in Antigua/Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Suriname, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, St. Kitts/Nevis and St. Maarten. PSI/C employs an innovative private and public sector approach to condom social marketing that builds on current capacities and product lines, increasing access, marketing high quality products, and promoting positive behavior change around correct and consistent condom use by high risk target populations. PSI/C works closely with all HIV&AIDS prevention stakeholders, including the public, non-profit and for-profit sectors in order to ensure access to affordable and high quality health products and accurate health information with a focus on reaching those with high risk behavior.

Health Areas

HIV

Health Impact

PSI/Caribbean estimates that in 2010, its products and services helped avert:

• 42 HIV & TB DALYs1
• 99 Reproductive Health DALYs
1. 1. Source: The DALY (Disability-Adjusted Life Year) is a widely-used, credible metric that was first developed by the World Bank and is now routinely relied upon in the public health community.

Health Interventions

• Male Condom
• HIV Risk Perception
• Concurrent Sexual Partnerships
• Family Planning/HIV Integration
• Men Who Have Sex with Men
• Sex Workers
• Uniformed Services Personnel

Improving Health in Caribbean

HIV/AIDS

According to the US Global Health Policy April 2009, an estimated 250,000 people are living with HIV in the Caribbean, a disturbing figure which includes the 20,000 people who became infected in 2007 alone. The predominant mode of HIV transmission is heterosexual intercourse, with new HIV infections among young women now surpassing those among men in many countries. PSI/C seeks to reduce risk and promote sexual health among the target populations through behavior change communication activities and messages designed to respond to key behavioral determinants such as the ability to use a condom correctly, personal risk perception, concurrent partners, social support (for youth), and in the support of uptake of reproductive health services. PSI/C has built strong partnerships with leading commercial networks and infrastructure. PSI/C’s work in the region has focused on underserved target groups particularly youth, Spanish-speaking sex workers, MSM and uniformed populations (UP).

Target Populations

High risk sexually active populations including men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, men in uniform and youth in difficult circumstances