Implementing Multiple Gender Strategies to Improve HIV and ... - ICRW

T-MARC
LEAD ORGANIZATIONS:
COUNTRY:
HIV PROGRAM AREA:
Academy for Educational Development (AED)
Tanzania
Prevention
OVERVIEW:
T-MARC (the Tanzania Marketing and Communications for AIDS, Reproductive Health, Child Survival
and Infectious Diseases Project) uses business partnerships and campaigns to prevent the further
spread of HIV in highly affected communities. To directly improve health, T-MARC is working with
Tanzanian businesses to develop or expand markets for health products for HIV and AIDS prevention
and care, family planning, child survival, and infectious diseases. T-MARC also is using campaigns to
address problems that the program implementer identified as exacerbating the epidemic, such as
certain male norms (e.g., multiple partners), limited reproductive health knowledge, and low rates of
condom use. The program also includes a grants component for female sex workers and women
involved in transactional sex. Evaluations indicate that the campaigns have had wide reach:
1.2 million people through the condom initiative, 600,000 through the “be faithful” campaign and 20
million through radio outreach. In the course of program implementation, T-MARC has learned the
importance of addressing men and women separately, particularly when discussing sensitive issues,
and that repackaging messages for different communities is crucial.
BACKGROUND
HIV & AIDS
Program Goals
T-MARC seeks to improve the health of Tanzanian families and reduce the
transmission and impact of HIV and AIDS by developing or expanding
markets for health products, improving access to affordable health
products, and developing and managing a broad-based communications
initiative to enhance knowledge about core issues related to HIV and AIDS.
Gender Strategies
Addressed
Reducing violence and coercion
Addressing male norms and behaviors
Increasing women’s legal protection
Increasing women’s access to income and productive resources
Other:
Description of
Intervention
T-MARC works with Tanzanian businesses to develop or expand markets
for health products for HIV/AIDS prevention and care, family planning, child
survival, and infectious diseases that will achieve demonstrable and
sustainable health impacts. T-MARC works with commercial partners to
support, develop or launch new or existing products (such as a new male
and female condom) and to cost-effectively build upon existing marketing,
sales and distribution networks. At the same time, T-MARC seeks to
develop and manage a broad-based communications initiative that
enhances the knowledge of Tanzanians about core issues related to HIV
and AIDS, including accurate information about relevant products and
services as well as persuasive information to encourage and sustain
healthy behaviors.
Through qualitative research, AED discovered that male norms including
multiple partners, limited knowledge on reproductive health, lack of access
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