One Love. Kwasila! received the prize for Best Multi-Channel Campaign at the fourth annual African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development’s (AfriComNet) Awards for Excellence in HIV and AIDS Communication in Africa on August 12, 2010. One Love. Kwasila! was an audience favorite and a unanimous winner.

One Love. Kwasila!, which translates to “it is enough”, is a national campaign to reduce HIV transmission through multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships (MCP) in Zambia. MCP is recognized by the Southern African Development Community, UNAIDS, and the Government of Zambia as one of the key drivers of the HIV pandemic in the region and country. One Love. Kwasila! was funded by USAID and implemented by CCP under the Health Communication Partnership Associate Award in Zambia.

A two-phased campaign, One Love. Kwasila! provoked thought and dialogue about MCP and increased risk awareness in its target audience (men age 25-50 and women age 15-45) through its first phase, and will focus on rebuilding relationships by enhancing communication and mutual satisfaction in the second. The One Love. Kwasila! message was reinforced through conventional media, including TV and radio spots and talk shows, an SMS hotline, a music video, and print ads and stickers, and social networking tools, including Facebook and Twitter. A centerpiece of the campaign was “Club Risky Business”, a TV miniseries that narrates the risks of MCP using three male characters.

Initial follow-up indicated that the campaign was a huge success. It achieved widespread exposure; almost half of all (non Lusaka) urban television viewers were aware of the campaign and could site its slogan. The One Love. Kwasila! team is hopeful that the AfriComNet award will help promote the campaign and further its reach.

To learn more about One Love. Kwasila! visit the HCP Project site.