 Ethiopia
COUNTRY OVERVIEW AND PROJECT BACKGROUND
HIV/AIDS has impacted Ethiopia severely in the last two decades. According to the 2005 DHS, HIV prevalence among adults age 15-49 was estimated to be 1.4%. However, 2005 ante-natal care (ANC) sentinel surveillance sites put the HIV prevalence estimate at 3.5%. Among youth 15-19, 0.4% tested HIV positive and 1.1% of young adults age 20-24 tested HIV positive in the 2005 DHS survey. Stigma and discrimination in relation to HIV/AIDS is also widespread. 42% of women and 52% of men surveyed in the 2005 DHS stated that HIV-positive school teachers should be allowed to continue teaching and only 20% of women and 26% of men stated they would buy fresh food from a shopkeeper with AIDS.
In 2003, USAID/Ethiopia requested that HCP assist the Government of Ethiopia to:
- implement recommendations of the Health Sector Development Program I Review;
- strengthen the communication component of USAID-funded programs.
HCP’s mandate was to support USAID Ethiopia’s Strategic Objective 14 – increasing human capacity and social resiliency by achieving results in the areas of health, HIV/AIDS, and education. To meet this USAID objective, HCP Ethiopia had three fundamental goals:
- Increase behavior change communication capacity at all levels
- Collaborate with USAID implementing partners to produce high-impact behavior change approaches and tools that can be adapted to meet the needs of local cultures
- Improve behavioral outcomes in HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and child health.
Specifically, HCP provided assistance in the area of behavior change communication (BCC) for health, HIV/AIDS, and education. HCP worked in conjunction with USAID partners to coordinate BCC approaches and activities, to build BCC capacity, and to implement high-impact BCC activities as an integral part of their programs.
The HCP program--Youth “Movement” to combat HIV/AIDS through Life Skill Education--targeted in- and out-of-school individuals from 12-20 years. The program targeted this audience through several HIV-prevention and life skill promotion activities, by developing youth communication and decision-making skills and their ability to resist peer pressure, and by helping them better define their life goals.
It is estimated that one-sixth of Ethiopian children will die before their fifth birthday and 47% of children under the age of five are malnourished (DHS 2005). High total fertility (more than 5 children per woman) and a low contraceptive prevalence rate (estimated at 15% for use of any modern method in 2005) contribute to a high maternal mortality rate, estimated at 673 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (DHS 2005). HCP addressed these problems through the development of communication materials such as message guides, a family health card and cue cards for use by community-based reproductive health agents.
Combating HIV/AIDS by Changing Social Norms: the Coercion-Free Communities Model One of the oldest Orthodox Christian societies in the world, Ethiopia is also home to large Muslim and Protestant communities. The Ethiopian population is characterized by strong religious beliefs that influence its identity, attitudes, and behavior. Reaching faith-based communities with health information through spiritual leaders is critical to successfully combating HIV/AIDS. HCP began collaborating closely with the Ethiopian Interfaith Forum for Development Dialogue for Action (EIFDDA) to design a strategy that includes the following: increased community care and support efforts, increased HIV-preventive behaviors including voluntary counseling and testing, and decreased stigma and discrimination around HIV and AIDS.
ACTIVITIES
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Youth “Movement” to combat HIV/AIDS through Life Skill Education
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Communities Achieving Reproductive Health, Child Survival and Educational Goals
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Combating HIV/AIDS by Changing Social Norms: the Coercion-Free Communities Model
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Message Harmonization Programs
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Note about materials: Some of the materials and resources listed on each page are available in their full form, others are represented by image or citation only. For more information and resources, go to www.jhuccp.org
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