UNICEF and Clouds Media launch Shuga Radio Program in Tanzania

For those who have watched the MTV Base program on HIV/AIDS called Shuga,you will understand the amount of education that comes our way...Shuga is a program aimed at educating the youth on HIV/AIDS issues
Dar es Salaam, 14 June 2013: Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) in collaboration with UNICEF and in partnership with Clouds Radio Station today launched the award winning radio drama series popularly known as Shuga Radio ‘in Tanzania. The drama series targets adolescents and young people in Tanzania with key messages on HIV and AIDS. The12 series radio program will be aired on Clouds FM every Thursday at 2pm and at the same times by radio Kitulo FM in Makete District, Njombe Region.
Shuga Radio aims at engaging and creating dialogue among adolescents and young people about HIV and AIDS, through entertainment and education approach to address risky sexual behaviours in efforts to reduce new HIV infections among them.
The guest of honor at the launch, TACAIDS Executive Chairperson, Dr. Fatma Mrisho said the launch of Shuga Radio is very timely and critical in TZ because of the increasing rates of HIV among adolescents.
Every day there are more than 2,500 new HIV infections in young people across the world, four out of 10 are in sub-Saharan Africa and the vast majority of these are young women and adolescent girls. Similar trends are also observed in Tanzania according to the latest evidence says, Jama Gulaid, UNICEF Representative for Tanzania. Shuga Radio is promisingexample of a public private partnership model of how to work with partners together with young people to contribute to national efforts of reducing new HIV infections. Sugar Radio is an initiative to change behavior and create demand. Sugar aims to address the drivers of the epidemic and promote uptake and utilization of HIV services with a focus on HIV testing and counselling and condom use.

The launch of Shuga Radio comes at a time when Tanzania is making significant improvements in HIV and AIDS national response. According to the Tanzania HIV andAIDS and Malaria Indicator survey (THMIS), there has been a decline in HIV prevalence among adults aged 15-49 from 7 per cent in 2003 to 5.1 per cent in 2011/12. However,according to Dr. Mrisho, the number of new HIV infections is still high, with approximately 80,000 Tanzanians getting infected with HIV each year.
“I truly believe that innovative programs that resonate with young people and effective partnerships are required if Tanzania is to attain its goal of zero new HIV infections,” she added.

The Managing Director of Clouds Group, Joseph Kusaga, also expressed his appreciation for the partnership with TACAIDS, the Ministry of Health and UNICEF on the importantinitiative.
To be able to give back to our community and at the same time to use our media platform to reach the millions of young people who tune into our radio station on a daily basis with information that is going to help save their lives and help them to transition into healthy and productive adults is very important to us.”
The launch marks the roll-out in Tanzania of a multi-country public-private partnership initiative between UNICEF, Multi-Media Television (MTV) and HIV free generation (PEPFAR) that was developed as a Regional initiative, and has now been adapted to Tanzanian context.
Tune in to Clouds FM every Thursday at 2pm to follow the lives of a group of four young fictional characters aged 15-24 sharing their stories on life choices, dreams, friendships, challenges and triumphs in a world with HIV and AIDS.

For more information, please contact:
Jumanne Isango, Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS)0782558713,jissango@tacaids.go.tz
Godfrey Yikii, UNICEF, +255 22 219 6635gyikii@unicef.org
Alice Ijumba UNICEF, +255 0713-217709aijumba@unicef.org



xoxo
Missie Popular

0 comments:

Post a Comment