THE launch of an animated patient education video has marked the latest step in the Masa programme in mobilising communities on HIV/AIDS and Anti-Retroviral (ARV) therapy in Botswana.

According to Prathima Naidoo, an Information Education and Community (IEC) specialist seconded by ACHAP to the Ministry of Health, community mobilisation has been the cornerstone of Masa's IEC campaign and aims not only to inform and educate the community, but to effect long-term behaviour change.

"The Interactive Community Mobilisation Tool, a picture-based flip chart which uses the analogy of cattle and kraals to explain the intricacies of HIV/AIDS and ARV therapy was the first medium used to actively engage the communities," said Naidoo. In the past two years, she said these materials have been supplemented and now include the recently launched animated video.

Filmed at Mmankgodi village, the video features a presentation by a trained health educator to convey key messages on HIV/AIDS and ARV therapy and includes animated sequences of graphics used in the Interactive Community Mobilisation Tool. By using the common analogy of cattle and kraals, in addition to the familiar graphics, the video reinforces key messages and themes, which the community may have already come into contact with.

Naidoo said that edutainment has proven to be one of the most successful ways of communicating complicated healthcare messages to the broader community. Therefore she says the video marks a breakthrough in public health communication and education in Botswana. She added that the interactive discussions and animation enhance the messaging and also provide the audience with entertainment, while subtly defusing the levels of stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS.

"The Masa animated patient education video, as with the Interactive Tool, will empower our people with the knowledge they require to make informed lifestyle decisions that could limit their risk of HIV infection or re-infection and also help them understand the role of ARV therapy and the importance of adherence to this therapy," stated Tuelo Mphele, MoH IEC specialist.

The video is to be shown in waiting rooms at all sites that offer ARV therapy, schools and the workplace. Mphele has encouraged healthcare workers to ensure that the videos are shown continuously in patient waiting areas and that patients and visitors should not hesitate to ask to see the videos when they visit clinics or hospitals. Mphele urged the community to take home the story books, which accompany the video.