The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: July/August 2005 Newsletter

In this Issue:

NAPWA Summit
Ambassador Tobias spoke at the National Association of People With AIDS Summit in Los Angeles [text]

Visit to Lesotho and Swaziland
Ambassador Tobias met with key government officials, U.S. government staff, and leaders of nongovernmental and faith-based organizations in both countries. [more]

Kenya:  Promoting Abstinence as a "Cool," Smart, and Responsible Choice
To counter pervasive peer pressure on Kenyan youths to have sex at a young age, the Emergency Plan supports a program to create a youth-oriented abstinence campaign. [more]

NAPWA Conference: Staying Alive 2005
On August 21, 2005, Ambassador Tobias addressed attendees at the NAPWA Summit in Los Angeles.

"As I reflect on the global pandemic, it occurs to me that here in the United States, we tend to think of the term "activist" as something that applies to someone whose main activity is advocacy. I believe we need a more expansive definition of the term--one that embraces those who are making things happen in the field.

"To me, the people I've been describing who have put their shoulders to the wheel of programs for prevention, treatment, and care--the HIV-positive people in Haiti, in Vietnam, in Zambia, in Ethiopia, Kenya, and countless other places--these are the real activists of the global AIDS fight. In fact, I'd even call them heroes. What a privilege it is to have HIV-positive heroes around the world as partners with the American people through the Emergency Plan. Please know that our partnership with them will grow in the days ahead."

Visit to Lesotho and Swaziland
In late July, Ambassador Tobias visited Emergency Plan programs in Lesotho and Swaziland managed by USAID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Peace Corps, and the U.S. Embassies. Ambassador Tobias met with key government officials, U.S. government staff, and leaders of nongovernmental and faith-based organizations in both countries.

Ambassador Tobias and Swaziland's Principal Secretary of Health and Social Welfare were both publicly tested for HIV at a counseling and testing center. The pair urged Swazi people to get tested at free centers across the country.

In the photo above, Ambassador Tobias gets tested at a counseling and testing center in Swaziland. Department of State photo.

Kenya: Promoting Abstinence as a "Cool," Smart, and Responsible Choice
To counter pervasive peer pressure on Kenyan youths to have sex at a young age, the Emergency Plan supports a program to create a youth-oriented abstinence campaign that promotes abstinence as a "cool," smart, and responsible choice. A cartoon logo of a yellow hand giving a "V" or "peace" sign was used to brand the campaign; while the phrase "Nime chill" (Swahili-English slang meaning "I have chilled;" in other words, "I am abstaining") became a powerful and instantly recognizable slogan.

Beginning in September 2004, "Nime chill" appeared on posters and TV, radio, billboard and newspaper advertisements and sponsored a top-rated music video program "The Beat." The campaign also promoted the abstinence message by sponsoring youth events with T-shirts which read "young, beautiful, and chilling" (for girls) and "handsome, intelligent and chilling" (for boys). "Chill" became so ubiquitous, catchy, and downright cool that a variety of politicians and public leaders, including President Mwai Kibaki, were photographed with groups of youth raising the "Chill" sign with their hands. The overall result: Despite variations in individual background, residence or religion, participation in other AIDS educational programs, and access to media, exposure to the "Chill" campaign showed positive beliefs and attitudes toward abstinence from premarital sex.

Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
2100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20522
Public Affairs Contact: 202-663-2708 Fax: 202-663-2979
http://www.state.gov/s/gac