There are more people in sub-Saharan Africa with HIV than anywhere else in the world. Of the estimated 39.5 million people infected by the epidemic, more than half live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Why is HIV infection so high in this region? Is it because we are having more sex than people in other places?
No. The difference in Southern Africa is that we are having more sex with more than one sexual partner in the same time period.
This is called Multiple Concurrent Partners (MCP) and it is making the HIV virus spread more quickly than in other parts of the word.
Evidence has shown over the years that MCP is one of the factors that helps HIV spread quickly in Southern Africa. This was confirmed at a Southern African Development Community (SADC) Think Tank meeting held in Maseru, Lesotho in May 2006.
Why a regional campaign?
The Maseru Think Tank meeting called for more to be done to address MCP and the spread of HIV. In response to the call, partners from nine countries in the region have developed a campaign to reduce the practice of MCP and stop the spread of HIV.
The countries that responded to the call are Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The countries are also working together to fight HIV because when HIV affects one country, it affects the other countries in the region.
Countries in Southern Africa also have political and historical connections which encourage them to work together.
In addition, people in the region travel from one country to another to do business, find work and visit family members.
This means that a person who has HIV may have a family in one country and work in another country, affecting the spread of HIV in both countries.
Details of the campaign
OneLove is a unique campaign that began rolling out across Southern Africa in October 2008. The campaign aims to get us thinking about our society and community.
We want to get everyone thinking about the values and ideas that affect how we behave, especially in our sexual relationships.
One of the popular explanations people give for having more than one sexual partner at a time is that is it part of African culture.
The campaign also challenges negative attitudes towards women. It encourages us to think about how ideas about culture affect our decisions to have one or more than one sexual partner at a time.
The OneLove Campaign is for all of us - couples, community leaders, religious leaders, traditional leaders and policy makers.
Ground-breaking research
The OneLove Campaign is based on groundbreaking research- the first of its kind and scale. Research was conducted in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The research looks at our sexual relationships, attitudes and practices. It explores the reasons why so many people are having more than one sexual partner.
The research looks at:
• Why we have more than one sexual partner
• What we think of people who have multiple sexual partners
• Whether we understand the risks that come from having more than one sexual partner.
“In all countries respondents talked about a relationship where a person has a steady or ‘love’ partner and other partners. The “other” partners are often kept secret and the relationship exists to satisfy sexual, material or emotional needs.” [Source: Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in Southern Africa - A 10-Country Research Report, 2008]
To learn more about sexual relationships and practices in Southern Africa, you can download the 10 country research report here.
Join the campaign
If you would like to join OneLove or find out more about OneLove launch dates, materials or other campaign details, you can contact OneLove Partners directly.
Remember: “Having multiple concurrent relationships puts you and your loved ones at risk of getting infected with HIV.
