HIV-Aids campaign wins major award

Scrutinise, the animated advertisement series that features a cartoon character telling audiences to “scrutinise” their sexual behaviour, has won a Pan-African health communication award.

Hailed for its use of multiple media outlets to reach young people, the campaign received the AfriComNet award in the best multichannel category.

The award was handed over at a gala event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for being the best multichannel communication intervention or campaign last week.

Scrutinise is a national HIV-Aids prevention campaign aimed at influencing behavioural change through a series of “animerts” and outreach programmes with youths at school and tertiary institutions.

The campaign encourages young people to understand their risk of HIV infection when it comes to multiple partners, correct and consistent condom use,transactional sex and alcohol use. This is the third award received by the collaboration between Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa, Matchboxology, DramAidE, Levi Strauss through its Red for Life initiative, with funding by USAid/Pepfar.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have received this prestigious award, which signals the recognition of our African peers in strategic HIV-Aids health communication,” said Richard Delate from Johns Hopkins.

Other awards they’ve won are a Loerie Ubuntu Gold, granted to Levi’s Red for Life last year, and a Bronze Khuza award.