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KATHMANDU, Nepal PSI joined forces with the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control (NCASC), J.W. Thompson Nepal and Family Health International to develop and deliver a national celebrity multimedia campaign in Nepal. Using the tag line "Let's start talking about HIV/AIDS today," HIV/AIDS messages were designed to de-stigmatize HIV/AIDS and people living with HIV/AIDS, dispel myths surrounding HIV transmission and promote healthy behavior. The campaign kicked off with the first FIFA World Cup games in May 2002 and ran through December. It featured Nepali celebrities including movie stars, pop singers, comedians and the captain and coach of the national football team. In a country-wide effort, the campaign was launched simultaneously on national television, national and regional radio stations, national and regional newspapers and periodicals, billboards throughout Kathmandu, posters and complemented by special media PR events. Though HIV/AIDS prevalence in Nepal is less than 1% of the general population, rates are escalating among high-risk groups, and the country is now considered to be suffering from a concentrated epidemic. In the capital of Kathmandu, over 15% of sex workers and 49-68% of intravenous drug users are HIV positive, both significant bridge populations to the general public. In addition, large numbers of young sex workers and male migrant workers (more than a million annually) who cross the Indian border for work also engage in high-risk behavior and put themselves and their families in Nepal at risk. Prior to the collaborative campaign efforts, newly erected condom billboards had been taken down within 36 hours of their debut and television public service announcements were taking more than 15 months to receive approval from government agencies. In response to such setbacks, the campaign attempted to improve the HIV/AIDS policy environment in Nepal. Notably, not a single negative comment was received from the public about the campaign during its entire 8-month run. The campaign broke new ground on several fronts for Nepal. It was the first time:
The campaign complemented the MOH/DHS/NCASC "Nepal AIDS Awareness Year 2059" (2002-03), launched to help accelerate the national response to HIV/AIDS, and included ten key HIV/AIDS messages to policymakers and stakeholders. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations conducted showed positive outcomes of the campaign in terms of reach and advocacy objectives. The Government of Nepal, and a variety of other stakeholders, felt the campaign had a strong impact on destigmatizing both HIV/AIDS and people living with HIV/AIDS and that awareness and understanding had been improved, according to one study. A national quantitative study indicated that spontaneous awareness of the campaign was 39% among the total population and 44% among youth, an important secondary target of the campaign and one of the key high-risk groups for HIV/AIDS transmission in Nepal. Prompted awareness was 79% and 86%, respectively. The campaign has been nominated for the Global Health Council's "Excellence in Media Awards" and has been submitted as an abstract for the 7th International Conference of AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Japan in November as well. The Government of Nepal has asked PSI to roll out the campaign to more rural and remote areas. Meera Vohra, PSI fellow in Nepal
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