it begins with you
 

our mission  

 
objectives & targets


The YOU campaign focuses on the principal drivers of HIV infection such as:

  • gender inequity,
  • peer pressure
  • sexual coercion
  • stigma, and
  • lack of hope for the future.

By promoting a sense of optimism and the vision of an HIV-free future, the YOU campaign aims to:

  • Encourage new leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa
  • Re-engage all Africans and young people in particular in efforts to combat the epidemic
  • Increase hope for the future among young people
  • Promote more open communication about HIV/AIDS between parents and teenagers
  • Increase demand for information on HIV/AIDS and access to HIV/AIDS-related services such as HIV testing

The YOU campaign, an initiative of the African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS(ABMP)* is the first multi-year, pan African broadcast media-led HIV/AIDS public education effort linking Africans together with a core message of hope and possibility. Using the tag line Imagine the Possibility of an HIV-free Generation: It begins with YOU! the campaign emphasizes personal action and urges all Africans to consider their role in helping realise the vision of an HIV-free future.

More than two-thirds of HIV infections occur before the age of 25 years and young women are disproportionately at greater risk than young men of the same age. For that reason the campaign targets young people, and young women in particular, but also aims to communicate to parents and adults who are in a supporting role to young people. Supportive family and open communication can contribute to risk reduction behaviour among young people.

The YOU campaign will be sustained over three to five years and the communication approach will evolve with increasing awareness of the campaign across Africa and based on the response from the key target groups, as well as the broader African community.

*The YOU Campaign is developed and produced with the support of the Coca Cola Africa Foundation. The ABMP receives major operational and funding support from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Merck & Company. Member companies of the ABMP are committed to provide a minimum of 5% airtime daily for HIV/AIDS-related programming, as well as other personnel, production and financial resources in support of the campaign.