Members of the U.S. House and Senate on Thursday introduced the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), a bill that "would make violence against women worldwide a priority of the United States government and an enhanced component of its foreign policy and foreign assistance programmes," International Press Service reports (Fromm, 2/4).

Recent Releases In Global Health

$1.2B Needed To Aid Women, Children In 28 Countries 'In Crisis,' UNICEF Says

UNICEF on Thursday launched a $1.2 billion appeal aimed at providing "life saving emergency assistance to millions of children and women in dire need," VOA News reports (Schlein, 2/4). "The appeal is part of UNICEFâ€™s Humanitarian Action Report 2010, released in Geneva ... which spotlights the desperate situation of children and women in 28 countries and territories facing deep humanitarian crises," the U.N. News Centre writes (2/4).

Opinion: IVAWA Marks 'First Step' Towards Making Women Central Focus Of U.S. Foreign Policy

This site is a product of the African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (ABMP)—an historic pan-African coalition of broadcast companies for the purpose of reinvigorating and increasing the effectiveness of broadcast media’s contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Organized under the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI), the ABMP creates a structured framework for leveraging broadcast media resources with the goal of significantly expanding HIV/AIDS-related broadcast programming across Africa.

Under the Football for an HIV-Free Generation initiative, the ABMP is committed to developing and broadcasting HIV/AIDS-related programming in association with FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup broadcasts.

To see Partnership Description, click below:
English | French | Portuguese | View Member Companies

The ABMP launched a special public service ad in commemoration of World AIDS Day (December 1, 2009).

The ad, done in partnership with the Champions for an HIV-Generation, focuses on male responsibility — reflecting the fact that most males are responsible, caring and hard-working and — despite the often used stereotype about male sexual behavior, lack of responsibility and traditional attitudes toward women. The goal of the PSA is to celebrate positive male behavior and to recognize that in every African there is a champion. For the PSA, Mr. Festus Mogae (former president from Botswana), Dr. Kenneth Kaunda (former president from Zambia) and Mr. Benjamin Mkapa (former president from Tanzania) have teamed up with South African rapper, Proverb, to show that all Africans, as individuals, family and community, can contribute toward a better HIV-free future.
View the PSA by clicking here.

For more on the Champions for an HIV-Free Generation, click here

Imagine Afrika is back with fresh new look
There is a fresh new look and format to Africa’s favourite reality show. Nzinga Qunta is back to present, and she’s joined by Milton Manhenje (a contestant from Series 1) to give the show a fun, interactive feel. The third series of the first and only authentic African reality show Imagine Afrika began airing across Africa in October 2009. This series goes inside the lives of ten dynamic characters selected for their compelling and challenging life circumstances. Through the eyes of three former Imagine Afrika contestants, viewers will explore the characters’ day-to-day lives, hopes, challenges and aspirations; and share in their personal triumphs and trauma as they struggle with issues related to youth lifestyle, vulnerable children and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT).

Three more former Imagine Afrika contestants – Kitso Masi in Botswana, Coulibaly Miniatteni in Côte d’Ivoire and Brenda Amongin in Uganda – act as “i-reporters” becoming the viewers’ eyes and ears as they shadow the main characters through the series.

Who of these young Africans will blow your mind, break your heart, make you stop and think? Follow the drama as the characters’ stories unfold — fresh, raw, real — and “Imagine the Possibility of an HIV-free Generation: It Begins with YOU!”
For more on the series, go to www.itbeginswithyou.com/imagineafrika/

New Radio Programming Guides for Radio Producers

A new HIV/AIDS programming guide for radio program producers is now available. Designed to provide ideas about longer form programs such as talk shows, documentaries, news and magazine programs that expand the key themes of the YOU campaign, the guide follows the unfolding saga of the mini radio drama series Can Tru Luv Withstand the Test? The series, now in its second year, follows the daily lives of a group of twenty-somethings as they navigate their way through the challenges of early adulthood. The current series focus specifically on themes of gender equity, stigma reduction, HIV-testing, and multiple concurrent partnerships.
To access the Programming Guide, click here
To hear episodes of Can Tru Luv Withstand the Test? click here