The African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development recently recognized the “Break the Chain” campaign for its excellence in HIV and AIDS communication, and many Namibians have taken the campaign’s message to heart.

As first runner-up in the “Multi-Channel Communication Strategy” category, the campaign utilized highly visible mass media and a simultaneous community-based strategy involving interpersonal communication interventions to increase HIV awareness and convince Namibians engaged in multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships to seek testing and counseling services.

“The other [HIV] campaigns did not affect me like this one,” said a female focus group respondent. “I was still going around with my sexual networks. But when I saw this I went for testing and I was negative and I broke the chain.”

Other focus group participants suggested that the campaign increased their awareness of sexual networks and HIV risks, that they re-evaluated their personal risk of HIV, and that they were motivated to take action as a result.

“I started wondering if my partner was having other partners,” one of the male participants said. “And I thought about my own chain. And then I realized this chain can become very long.”

Led by IntraHealth and funded by USAID, the Namibia HIV Prevention, Care and Support Project helped develop “Break the Chain” by adapting materials supplied by PSI for a Namibian audience and training partner organizations to support the campaign. You can see a video from the campaign here: