Over 300 people attended the launch of Know Your Limit, a new alcohol-HIV campaign run by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs AIDS Resource Center (CCP/ARC).

The launch took place on June 10 at Addis Ababa University (AAU) and was attended by representatives of all implementing partners, Ethiopian Public Health Association and Family Health International. They were joined by representatives from the alcohol communication strategy workshop which reviewed and discussed the available data and provided input into the communication and campaign strategy. This workshop was facilitated by ARC and held in November of 2010 and included bar owners, St. Paul hospital psychiatry staff, St. George Beer factory workers and PSI and EngenderHealth employees.

Dr. Assefa Abegaz, Director of the HIV Prevention Office at AAU, opened the event with remarks about the timeliness of the issue of alcohol and HIV risk exposure among youth and college students.

Acknowledging the strong link between alcohol consumption and risk of HIV, Dr. Alemu Anno, Director of the Multisectoral Directorate at HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office, applauded the focus of the campaign on young people.

The new campaign, Know Your Limit, was introduced by Esete Getachew, Program Assistant at CCP/ARC, who provided details about the campaign development process.

Campaign materials, including brochures, bookmarks, posters, pens and coasters, were handed out to the Anti-Drug Club of AAU, as well as to bar owners. Students in the Theatrical Arts Department at AAU performed a skit which explored the HIV risk exposure consequences that can result from excessive alcohol consumption. In the skit young people attempted to navigate peer pressure, the lure of commercial sex work and transactional sex and inconsistent and incorrect use of condoms, all within the context of alcohol consumption.

The launch closed with the premiere showing of several public service announcements CCP/ARC has developed for the campaign.

The National AIDS Resource Center (CCP/ARC) is Ethiopia’s premier source for information about HIV/AIDS. It is managed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs with funding from CDC.

Learn more about CCP/ARC.