Funky HIV Campaign Scores Points with Students. 17/09/08

If you want to get a message across to students, make it funky and fun.

This is what seems to be working with the Scrutinise HIV/Aids campaign, which is focused on 18- to 32-year-olds.

The campaign - linked to a series of TV ads that are currently being flighted - was launched at the Vaal University Technology on Monday. It will run until the main event tomorrow, when some of the voices behind the Scrutinise characters, as well as TV presenter Fezile Makhanya, are expected to attend.

"The campaign aims to empower young people with knowledge that will help reduce behaviour which places them in a high risk category of HIV/Aids," said Lawrence Mokuoa, an HIV co-ordinator at the university.

Cal Brunf of Matchboxology, one of the companies that devised the campaign, said they used "humour, animation and a funky and graphic style" to bring their messages across.

Brunf said that looking at HIV/Aids from a different angle also made the campaign more effective.

"When you tell people what to do it doesn't make sense, and they think: 'Why should I?'" said Brunf. He said a more effective way was to lead them to where you wanted them. "Get people tested and work it out for themselves what the plan is for their lives," he said.

Brinf added personifying the HI virus by making it a ninja helped people to relate to it. "If we can bring the virus to life, people can relate to it and see how dangerous it is."

Agnes Moloi, one of the university's campaign co-ordinators, said they were already noticing the campaign's impact on the students.

"More than 2 000 students are participating in the campaign and more students are (HIV/Aids) testing," she said.

Moloi said raising HIV/ Aids awareness among students was important as it allowed them to open up about their status and get help.

"Since this awareness, we see that some students are HIV-positive but were scared to disclose their status. Now they are opening up and are getting the help they need."

She added that after this campaign, there would be follow-up workshops on Aids-related issues such as tuberculosis to further assist the students and the community.

"We want students to take HIV seriously. We want them to test and to use condoms consistently and correctly. We want them to stop having multiple partners. We want them to see reality," said Moloi.

Bonginkosi Habile, a 23-year-old mechanical engineering student, was among the many students who took an HIV test. It was his first time. He said the campaign's message got through to him because "instead of telling you to test, they tell you to unite against Aids".