AJAAT PRESENTATION AT JOURNALISTS’ TRAINING:ACCURATE REPORTING ON

HIV/AIDS

REGENCY HOTEL

DATE: JUNE 19, 2010

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

AJAAT’s BirthAJAAT Strategic Plan (2008-

2011) and Website (www.ajaat.or.tz)

AJAAT challenges, lesson leant and way forward

ESTABLISHMENT

AJAAT - established in 2002; registered as an NGO in 2003;

AJAAT started as an advocacy group on HIV/AIDS issues;

Goal: To harness efforts of journalists and mainstream media in the fight against HIV/AIDS;

AJAAT’S GROWTH Increasing membership, i.e from 10 (2003) to

120 in 2008; Increasing membership commitments, i.e: Increased number of articles on HIV/AIDS in

newspapers, radio and television; Members’ active involvement in all trainings; Members’ active participation in local and

international HIV/AIDS media contests; Managing “ongea” listserv for policy dialogue

on HIV/AIDS; Office premises and a committed secretariat;

STRATEGIES USED Capacity building – sharpened journalists’

reporting skills; Knowledge building –enhanced

journalists’ know how on HIV/AIDS and related issues;

Media competitions –promoted HIV/AIDS reporting in the media (eg. Features services);

Partnerships/Networking - established strong linkages with key partners in the war against HIV/AIDS;

CAPACITY BUILDING AND PARTNERSHIP (COLLABORATION)

AJAAT MEMBERS TRAINED

Year Name/Type of Training

Number Trained

Sponsor

2004 Media, FBO work in HIV/AIDS-

25 CUAHA

2005 HIV/AIDS Bill 30 POLICY Project under USAID funding

2004 GIPA and stigma elimination through media-

25 UNAIDS

2004 Accurate Reporting-25 UNAIDS

2007 RAPID Model (FP/RH), HIV/AIDS 20 USAID/Health Policy Initiative

2007 HIV/AIDS and gender based violence (GBV) 20 USAID/Health Policy Initiative

ENHANCED COLLABORATION AJAAT collaborators since 2003:

1. TACAIDS/Geita G.M-Initial acquisition of office premises;

2. UNAIDS/UNDP-Capacity building, strategic plan dev;3. UNICEF-Capacity building, consultancy;4. USAID/Health Policy Initiative-Capacity building,

website dev, technical support;5. AXIOS-Media Competition6. POLICY Project under USAID funding-Media

Competition, capacity building, technical support;7. NACP-Technical support;

ACHIEVEMENTS Participated in developing HIV/AIDS training

manual-(TACAIDS and Media Council of Tanzania- MCT);

Conducted rapid assessment on HIV/AIDS workplace and gender policies in the media houses in Tanzania;

Produced (draft) an HIV/AIDS Kiswahili Glossary to promote non-stigmatizing language in the media;

Conducted a survey on media coverage of children and HIV/AIDS related issues;

AJAAT ToTs training others on HIV/AIDS (organized by MCT).

ACHIEVEMENTS..(2)

Organizations local & international show growing interest in working with AJAAT. Eg.:-

1. CUAHA2. Inter News (USA, & Kenya)3. Youths against AIDS (UK)4. Journalists groups from Malawi,

Zambia, Namibia, Nigeria and Kenya

ACHIEVEMENTS …3 (WEBSITE)

Demonstrates AJAAT’s increased capacity in realizing its goal; in providing consistent service to the public;

Expand AJAAT’s features service; Promote dialogue around HIV and

AIDS-related aspects in Tanzania

WEBSITE

Promote networking with like-minded groups; journalists networks locally and around the world;

Promotes access to HIV/AIDS information to local and international researchers;

AJAAT website is already linked to search engines like, Google, Yahoo

WEBSITE By the way, AJAAT

website editor (Eric Kabendera-pictured), is among 16 African journalists recently nominated for CNN Kaiser Family Foundation-HIV/AIDS award

STRATEGIC PLAN (1)

A roadmap to: Achieving AJAAT’s goal and strategic

objectives; Soliciting support of partners on areas

prioritized by AJAAT; Effecting an running of the association; Promoting AJAAT’s sustainability through

short and long-term planning;

STRATEGIC PLAN Highlights

The plan will enable AJAAT enrol into its programs 120 editorial managers and media owners,

Provide over 40 journalists’ awards, allocate 80 journalists to rural areas;

Write 400 articles from the rural areas written, published and aired

CHALLENGES To have strong secretariat needs staff

funding-AJAAT needs support on this area; To ensure editorial managers are sensitive

towards HIV/AIDS so as to increase coverage about HIV/AIDS;

To ensure HIV/AIDS training manual is effectively used by schools of journalisms for training young-career journalists;

Adding Kiswahili language into AJAAT’s website to reach out Kiswahili speakers;

LESSON LEARNT

Journalists capacity strengthening enhances their commitment in media advocacy;

Team-work can lead achieving intended goals

WAY FORWARD (1)

Building a strong AJAAT secretariat; Resource mobilization to implement

activities in the strategic plan; Increasing membership and influence

schools of journalism to make HIV/AIDS part and parcel of their curricular;

WAY FORWARD (2) Enhancing output of articles by print

media, and reaching out to electronic media (TV, Radio)

Publishing IEC, BCC materials for journalists and general public;

Establishing a production studio for print and electronic media;

Widening partnership database in and outside the country;

WAY FORWARD (3) To strongly advocate for issues of male

engagement in PMTCT and Care Treatment services;

Campaign strongly for HIV/AIDS workplace policies in the media houses in Tanzania;

To strengthen collaboration with partners in promoting services at Care Treatment Centers (CTC), Voluntary Counseling Testing (VCT), PMTCT, etc;

HIV/AIDS and gender issues;

RECENTLY, WE LAUNCHED THE FOLLOWING TOOLS…….

AND, FINALLY……

Our motto is to see Tanzania Bila UKIMWI becoming a possible dream

God Bless You NAThank you for listening!!!www.ajaat.or.tz