 |
||||||||||||||
|
PSI Wins Population Institute's Global Media Awards WASHINGTON, DC, October 5, 2005 — PSI/Zimbabwe and PSI/Nepal have been awarded the 2005 Global Media Award for Excellence in Population Reporting. The prestigious award honors those who have contributed to creating awareness of population problems through their journalistic endeavors in a meritorious manner. PSI/Zimbabwe was awarded Best Combined Media Effort on Behalf of Population for the "Anti-Stigma!" campaign, which featured radio, print and television spots consisting of real life testimonials by HIV positive people. PSI/Nepal was honored in the category of Best Television Documentary for "Maan Ko Awaz, Have you heard me today?" a film about two families dealing with HIV/AIDS infections in Nepal. The programs are funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID). The Population Institute's Global Media Award for Excellence in Population Reporting is designed to encourage greater media coverage of population and development issues. It is awarded annually in 15 categories and decided by an international panel of distinguished judges. PSI was honored previously in 1999, when PSI/Bolivia received the award for Best Radio Program and PSI/Zimbabwe for Best Commercial Advertising Campaign. PSI/Zimbabwe's programs, which receive funding from DFID and USAID, often employ targeted media campaigns to increase awareness surrounding HIV/AIDS. The Anti-Stigma! campaign ("don't be negative about being positive") was produced in Zimbabwe over a three month period and has been featured in the mass media — television, radio, newspapers and posters — since May 2005. It was developed in close collaboration with people living with HIV/AIDS who face stigma on a daily basis. In what was truly a national and local effort, PSI worked closely with members of the New Life Centers, a post-test support club for individuals who have tested HIV-positive. The project marks the first time that HIV-positive Zimbabweans have been provided with a platform to discuss their status openly, and affirms that Zimbabwe is ready to challenge the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. PSI/Nepal, funded predominantly by USAID, is focused on delivering health products, services, and behavior change communication messages and skills to low-income and vulnerable populations. Originally produced to mark World AIDS Day in 2004, "Maan ko Awaz, Have you heard me today?" follows two young girls from a remote village who move to Kathmandu in search of a better life. They are faced with the consequences of unsafe sexual behavior when one, having taken employment at a dance restaurant, discovers that she has been infected with HIV. The documentary is used by PSI behavior change communicators as a tool for BCC activities in high-risk areas. Communicators undertaking outreach work in dance restaurants integrate viewings of the film alongside other awareness and advocacy activities. After the documentary is shown, PSI staff facilitate a discussion and Q&A session based on the situations and experiences shown in the film. Dr. Shyam Sundar Mishra, Director of the National Center of AIDS and
STD Control (NCASC) in Nepal, said "Each year the NCASC spearheads
a coordinated response to World AIDS Day activities. This Population
Institute Media Awards award is a win for all of Nepal and represents
successful partnership and collaboration in our coordinated fight against
HIV between development partners from all sectors of society — a true
public private partnership." PSI's receipt of the Global Media Awards demonstrates the utility with which popular media are increasingly being used as vehicles for social change. PSI's objective in campaigns such as "Maan ko Awaz, Have you heard me today?" and "Anti-Stigma!" is to introduce a dialogue. By documenting personal and true-to-life experiences, such campaigns facilitate comprehension and empathy in communities that might otherwise resort to fear and ignorance when confronted with the issue of HIV/AIDS. PSI/Zimbabwe and PSI/Nepal continue to be innovators in the field, introducing communication strategies to confront the changing face of the epidemic in an increasingly targeted way. — Carlie Danielson, PSI/Washington
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
