Get Off the Sexual Network! Campaign

Designed for well-educated, urban women (20-29 years) and men (25-39 years) across Uganda who are married or in long-term relationships, Get off the Sexual Network! sought to increase monogamous practices by five percent by the end of the three-phased campaign which started in September 2009 and ended in May 2010. The campaign focused on the message: "The Sexual Network Does Not Stop with You. Get off the Sexual Network!

The first phase of the campaign introduced the concept of the sexual network; the second highlighted the consequences to the individual, the partner, and the individual's family. The final phase focused on small steps people can take to remove themselves from the network and identified links to other ongoing HIV campaigns in Uganda.

Radio was a key communication channel. 2-3 minute radio skits were developed in different languages that tackled issues of fidelity (related to sexual networks) in a humorous, entertaining, and educative way. At the end of each skit, there was a call-in session where listeners were able to participate, interact, and relate to the situations. Drama teams also acted out these skits in communities, to prompt discussions. Radio listeners were also invited to write stories related to faithfulness/unfaithfulness and how it impacted on their lives. Talking points around these stories were then read out on radio and in the press in order to engage the audiences.

The campaign also used the following communication channels:

• Billboards: Billboards supporting the campaign message were designed in such a way that showed the growth of a sexual network in a manner related to a movie sequence.
• TV: A television spot was developed that demonstrated how the sexual network grew, mapping the movement of HIV.
• Facebook: A Facebook group called Get off the Sexual Network: One Love created by the campaign attracted over 10,000 followers. Technical experts monitored comments and provided accurate information and guidance when necessary.
• Human Resource Networks: Through different company networks, the radio and TV adverts were circulated by email to staff, and Total petrol stations aired these messages at their pump stations.
• Press Support: Responding to radio dialogues on sexual networks, the media wrote positive stories relating to the campaign.
• SMS: The campaign has also tapped into mobile phone technology, reaching over 1.2 million people through a "pass it on" SMS campaign on World AIDS Day.
• Other Channels: You Tube, posters, and flyers.

Click here to access the Get Off the Sexual Network! campaign materials.

HIV/AIDS

The Get Off the Sexual Network! Campaign was part of the AFFORD project, a five-year health marketing initiative funded by USAID, integrating health communication and social marketing techniques to address a variety of health issues and behaviours in Uganda. A PSI survey (2008) found that more than 16% of young women who attend university had multiple sexual partners in the past 12 months, many in concurrent relationships with Sugar Daddies and boyfriends. The campaign was designed based on the fact that people are most likely to infect others in the first 3-4 weeks of infection, when the viral load is high, and when they are unlikely to know they are infected (the test will not detect the antibodies yet). This is the reason addressing MPC is so important.

According to the Uganda Health Marketing Group, during the SMS campaign 1,267,000 messages were sent directly through mobile phones, the Facebook page registered 10,260 members in just 3 months, and 23 corporations participated in sending their messages through their human resources network. Through the drama groups who conducted skits and the sexual network game in communities, the campaign reached over 403,539, and Hero Couples reached over 195,222 people.