GHARP Prevention Videos

JULY 2005 – Four of Guyana's leading television news channels are granting free time to the USAID Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention (GHARP) Project to air three HIV prevention ads. The 60-second spots, a key component of GHARP's new national media campaign, use HIV prevention messages to reach Guyana's most vulnerable population groups. GHARP is managed by Family Health International, with funding from the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief through the U.S. Agency for International Development.

HBTV (Channel 9) and NCN (Channel 11) promised several minutes per week of free ad time, while VCT (Channel 28) and LRTVS (Channel 10) offered to double the amount of air time GHARP has already purchased, without further cost. HBTV also granted five free minutes during its popular Sunday news wrap-up, "Week in Review." These stations reach hundreds of thousands of viewers in Guyana's most populated areas. The agreements were reached at an April 2005 meeting at GHARP's Georgetown headquarters, chaired by the Honorable Leslie Ramsammy, Guyana's health minister. The meeting was covered by several TV and print outlets, including two newspapers, Stabroek News and Kaieteur News.

"These ads make us aware of the repercussions of having unprotected sex," said Barbara Walrond, HBTV's manager. "It is our way of giving back to our audience."

GHARP's six-month media campaign focuses on safer behaviors, the importance of getting tested, stigma and discrimination, and compassion for those with HIV. The professionally produced spots target GHARP's most-at-risk populations, particularly young people. One ad, "Knowing Is Better," is set in a nightclub, where a young woman tries to convince a male friend to get tested. The second, "Don't Fool Yourself," depicts several young people offering excuses about why they're not at risk and don't need to get tested for HIV. The third ad describes GHARP and its mission.

The campaign will also distribute a music video. Entitled "Don't Dis Me," the three-minute video directs messages about stigma and discrimination to young people. The song's chorus promotes tolerance for those who are HIV-positive:

Don't dis me, dismiss me,
Just cuz I've got HIV.
Don't hate, discriminate – treat everyone equally.

Video still: In the ad "Knowing Is Better," a couple discusses the value of getting tested for HIV.