We've all heard the Aids awareness messages that seem to come at us from every direction but now the Red Cross is putting a new twist on this much-disseminated message. It's called "Faces" and the organization is seeking to increase awareness and condom use through what's called social mobilization. And what that really means is that there are trying to get the message to the most at-risk population, which is the young population, and to do that, they're using a clever and hip multimedia approach fashioned especially for a generation which hardly has time to pay attention.
Allen Garbutt,
“Its like over ten years being HIV positive and then look at me, can you really tell if I didn’t say it.”
If people’s faces could show risk of exposure to HIV and Aids this is what they would look like according to the Red cross’s new campaign which is called “faces.” It’s a program promoting HIV Aids awareness and increased condom use. Director General of the Belize Red Cross Lily Bowman says this will be achieved through social communication.
Lily Bowman, Director General of the Red Cross
“Many young people with a very nonchalant outlook on sexual health do not realize that their lives can be affected by the past history of their current sexual partners. It is into this apathy that this multimedia campaign has sought to intervene in order to force recollection about the danger and the extreme need for awareness and of vigilance against the prevention of HIV and Aids. This initiative of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Panama Red Cross, and the Ericcson Advertising Agency evolved out of the effort to wrestle with the common desire for judging of face value only.
Four faces have been used to reflect the lifestyle choices of heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexual men and women. Its key impact is through massive signage in strategic locations such as billboards, bus stops, or in smaller but equally strategic settings such as telephone cards, and websites. The campaign promotes consistent correct, condom use among young people. We are targeting obviously the sexually active young people or the age group between fifteen and forty-four.
The promotion will continue to seek places where faces material are at the disposal of interested stakeholders. We will still continue to find partners or other stakeholders that are willing to come in and join in the fight and be able to sponsor more billboards, more banners. We wanted to go as far across the nation as we can.
HIV and Aids eradication begins with each and every one of us. Remember that absolutely nobody has the truth written to their face. Protect yourself and sexually active people, use a condom.”
The Red Cross’ hope now is that this simple message will be carried forward in the new initiative which is meant to provoke and not to preach.
The program will have as poster personalities: Supa G, Edith Tesecum, Orson Picart and Stephanie Young. Billboards will be strategically placed across Belize City and San Pedro.
