Success in combating HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean

AIDS remains one of the most dangerous illnesses in the world even though the number of people newly infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has fallen by more than a third since the turn of the millennium. World AIDS Day (1 December) exists to remind us all that there are still about 37 million people on our planet who have to live with the virus. At the same time, it is intended to encourage us to continue our efforts to fight this disease.

KfW Development Bank promotes a number of projects in various parts of the world that contribute to increasing the availability of condoms, while also educating people about the dangers and modes of infection. For example in the Caribbean, where the regional HIV rate is second only to that of Africa. According to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, approximately one percent of adults in the Caribbean are infected. They mainly belong to high-risk groups such as prostitutes, homosexual men and, increasingly, the young.

Far fewer new infections than before in the Caribbean

On the other hand, the number of new infections has declined by over 40 % in recent years, a sharper decrease than the global average. This is partly thanks to extensive programmes that have been implemented in many countries in the region. KfW has been playing its part in the efforts to get the disease under control in the Caribbean. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW has been supporting a multi-phase regional initiative there for more than a decade, which is aimed at stemming the disease. That initiative is now drawing to a close and its results are already available. The project followed the so-called social marketing concept, where social change is brought about by heightened awareness among the population. CARICOM - the Caribbean Community - was KfW's partner in this regional programme.

Millions of condoms provided

Population Services International (PSI), an international non-governmental organisation, implemented the CARICOM programme. It was made up of a variety of components so that it might reach as many members as possible of the population especially at risk. Consequently, the distribution and sale of condoms was accompanied by educational campaigns conducted through many different channels.

Between 2013 and 2015 alone, more than 40 million condoms were distributed or sold in the Dominican Republic and Haiti - the two countries with the highest HIV rates in the region. With their focus on the target groups, the campaigns were chiefly directed at hotels or shops and kiosks close to important transport hubs. Accompanying surveys revealed that the number of people who stated they had easy access to condoms rose significantly during that period.

Unconventional campaigns

PSI combined the improved availability of condoms with all sorts of promotional campaigns, not only on TV, the radio and in newspapers, but also using social media. More than 12 million of the Caribbean's almost 40 million inhabitants use the Internet regularly, and over six million are on Facebook. It is easier to reach them via these modern forms of communication than through traditional media.

Disseminators also played a role in the concept. For instance, in Haiti PSI worked together with hairdressers, who educated their customers about the dangers of the virus while cutting their hair, and sold condoms alongside their hair care products. Over two years, roughly 4,500 customers received information in this way and purchased over 30,000 condoms.

Other activities included a mobile educational unit that toured towns and villages, new board games with questions on love and contraception as well as a variety of poster walls and stands. Just in Haiti, nearly 150,000 radio and over 14,000 TV spots have been broadcast since 2012.

"The Caribbean has demonstrated that modern marketing techniques are an adequate way to reach a wide audience, even when a sensitive issue like AIDS is addressed," is how KfW department head André Ahlert sums up the development there. On behalf of the BMZ, KfW provided a total of about EUR 26 million for the four phases of the programme and helped curb the spread of HIV in the region.