Social Norms
Social norms action with informed and engaged societies
Social Norms
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Joint UN Support to Develop Regional Capacity to Combat HIV/AIDS Among Adolescents - Swaziland

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Joint UN Support to Develop Regional Capacity to Combat HIV/AIDS Among Adolescents is a project that aims to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among uninfected young people in Swaziland and to care for those affected by HIV and those dying of AIDS by facilitating youth-friendly approaches.

This project is part of the Southern African Youth (SAY) Initiative. SAY is a sub-regional HIV and AIDS initiative through which the United Nations Foundation (UNF), the United Nations Fund for International Partnership (UNFIP), and UNAIDS seek to support and scale up HIV/AIDS interventions among young people in southern Africa. Swaziland project objectives include:
  • strengthening the capacity of communities and organisations to provide effective prevention and mitigation services
  • reducing the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the incidence of HIV and teenage pregnancy among youth under 24 years
  • delaying initial sexual activity by girls
  • increasing the use of condoms among youth under 24 years
  • providing counselling and testing services in an accessible and confidential manner
  • providing mitigation services to people living with AIDS and orphans.
Main Communication Strategies
Project activities include:
  • prevention and mitigation services at the community level
  • parent and peer counselling
  • professional counselling
  • condom distribution through health centres.
The project trained 78 nurses to facilitate youth-friendly approaches, condom distribution, and syndromic management of STIs. It also trained high school guidance teachers in life skills education, especially sexuality, and conducted weekly counselling at schools.
Development Issues
HIV/AIDS, Health, Youth.
Key Points
SAY comprises 9 independent projects located in 8 of southern Africa's most severely affected countries, as well as a sub-regional technical support project (Telling the Story). Through the work of UN country teams, SAY aims to catalyse innovative and expanded national responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic to meet the needs of youth in southern Africa, especially girls, who are most vulnerable to HIV infection.
Partners

UNF/UNAIDS.

Sources

Southern African Youth Initiative on AIDS: Responding to HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa [PDF].