Zimbabwe HIV/AIDS Partnership Project & Behaviour Change

Figure 2: Portion (%) of Never Married Young People (aged 15-24 yrs.)Who Have Never Had Sex (Abstinence)4577.9390 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90PercentSource: PSI/Zimbabwe DataOverall TargetCurrent (TRaC 2007)2005 EstimateThe project has also helped reducethe proportion of never-marriedyoung people (15–24) who had sex inthe previous 12 months (secondaryabstinence) from 35 percent in 2005to 15.3 percent in 2008 (May 2007–April 2008; TRaC Data)—whichmeans it has already surpassed the 25percent end-of-project target (seeFigure 3). However, the program hasfound it difficult to motivate parentsand adolescents to participate incampaigning sessions due toeconomic problems and numerousunplanned power outages.Figure 3: Portion of Never Married Young People (ages 15-24 yrs.)Who Had Sex in the Previous 12 Months (Secondary Abstinence)15.325350 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80PercentSource: PSI/Zimbabwe DataOverall TargetCurrent (TRaC 2007)2005 EstimateFor college youth the project hasexpanded the message mix topromote condom use and fewerpartners, to better use limitedresources and have more impact onthe epidemic. At tertiary institutionsthe project’s current IPC activitiesconsist of road shows to promotedesirable behaviors. Its new IPCprogram raises awareness of the risksof concurrent sexual partnerships(CSPs). DDC efforts at colleges,however, were limited. The team alsofound no evidence that it is beingdirected to former commercial farmworkers and displaced populations.Be Faithful CampaignThe Be Faithful (BF) campaign was preceded by a national quantitative survey in the last quarter of 2006 thatsought to understand the demographic characteristics of CSPs. Concurrency is a primary driver of the epidemic. Aqualitative study was conducted in July 2008 to provide descriptive data on potential determinants of CSPs. Thesestudies will make possible a deeper understanding of the context of heterosexual partnerships in Zimbabwe andinterventions to address concurrency.The team noted that the first two and one-half years were spent gathering evidence to identify determinants ofmultiple partner behaviors before the BF campaign was begun. Using evidence from the two phased studies,PSI/Z has now created an IPC program addressing cross-generational sex and concurrency among youth in tertiarycolleges and universities. Although the mass media campaigns to address CSPs had not been designed at the timeof the evaluation, plans call for the launch of BF campaigns on CSPs in the last quarter of 2008.In formulating CSP messages the project is using an innovative approach that builds on determinants of CSPsidentified through the surveys and also on the qualitative input from the target audience to help define the8 Zimbabwe HIV/AIDS Partnership Project & Behaviour Change Programme: A Joint USAID/DFID Assessment