To Give Life and Live

To Give Life and Live draws on the networking that mass media personnel are privy to, focusing both on large-scale broadcasting and interpersonal communication strategies to reach women with reproductive health messages. It was developed by a group of 20 women journalists in the Ivory Coast who are using their skills - and their connections within the media in the country - to disseminate reproductive health and HIV/AIDS messages to other women, and to explore new ways to reach out to their intended audience. They write articles and broadcast radio spots on various issues related to HIV/AIDS. They then meet in smaller groups with local women to foster dialogue on, and the raising of questions about, the articles they have written or reports they have given.

Organisers explain, "We initially began our awareness raising efforts by organising big conferences about HIV/AIDS, but we soon realised that they were often not very effective. The number of women attending our events was always lower than the men. They would not ask questions. We found they were walking away from the events without having their questions answered and not fully understanding the issues. So we decided that instead of large conferences, it was more useful to meet women in small groups to have discussion sessions. We also realised early on that it is important to go and inform women at the places where they are most accessible, during the breaks at their work, for example, rather than waiting for them to come to us..."

In its communications, To Give Life and Live aims to use frank, simple language that can be easily understood. For example, a small campaign organised as part of the initiative featured a series of straightforward questions about HIV/AIDS, such as "Did you know that a women infected with the virus contaminates her baby during pregnancy, while giving birth and through breast feeding?" CFMS-CI also carried out a campaign featuring children telling the audience they have been infected by the virus because their parents had unprotected sex, and that it is easy to prevent other children from having the disease.

The project plans to produce a television show titled "Women without AIDS," which will focus on the importance of prevention, and providing detailed information about the female condom and the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

Women, Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS.

According to the Ivorian health ministry figures, some 690 women die in Côte d'Ivoire either during pregnancy or in 100,000 live births. The country is 14th in the child mortality world ranking, with 192 infant deaths for 100,000 live births. The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among Ivorian women is reportedly between 6% and 10%, and is approximately 9.5% among pregnant women.