The Malawian National AIDS Commission (NAC) launched the country’s national OneLove campaign at the end of October 2009.

The campaign is being rolled out in collaboration with a number of partners, including, the private, government and NGO sectors, as well as the faith community.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the risks of having multiple concurrent partnerships and to get people talking about their sexual choices, says Simon Sikwese, director of Pakachere, the OneLove regional campaign partner in Malawi.

The campaign also looks at practices that influence people into having multiple and concurrent partners and aims to create public debate about how culture and gender impact on the HIV and AIDS epidemic, he says

The media component of the campaign is made up of television talk shows, a radio drama series and, public service announcements, music, newspapers as well as other print.

A radio drama series was launched on the 9th of October and broadcast on MBC radio 1, Transworld radio, Power 101, Dzimwe Community radio and Nkhotakota Community radio.

The social mobilisation element of the campaign will involve various interpersonal communication activities and community outreach activities.

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Malawi is one the Southern African countries that have felt the most impact from HIV, with an estimated national adult HIV prevalence of 12 percent. Furthermore, an estimated 1.6 percent of the adult population (aged between 15 and 49 years) is infected each year. Malawian women have an estimated HIV prevalence of 13 percent, compared to men whose HIV prevalence is estimated at 10 percent.

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