(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) PANCAP’s Caribbean Regional Social Marketing Project (CARISMA) will be rolling out a new media campaign in five English speaking Caribbean countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana and Saint Lucia) on July 25, 2012. The campaign aims to generate more compassion and respect for individuals living with HIV. Funded by KfW  (The German Development Bank), the campaign will target young people between the ages of 16-24, and will build on past Regional efforts by increasing awareness of how HIV-related stigma and discrimination is perpetuated. It will provide young people with knowledge and skills to challenge harmful social norms linked to the issue.

The multimedia campaign will include television spots, a music video, radio, print and social media that communicate the campaign's key messages: True Friends Don’t Discriminate and “I will stand up for friends with HIV and stand against Stigma and Discrimination!” Following the launch of the campaign, youth will be able to access media material and linkages to resources in their respective countries on a dedicated website www.facebook.com/truefrenz4life

The campaign was developed by Howard Delafield International (HDI) and their Guyana-based creative partner AstroArts International Marketing and their regional media placement partner, REACH Caribbean.  The team was selected through a competitive bidding process led by PANCAP and the CARISMA Management partner, Options Consultancy. An assessment of the campaign’s impact will be undertaken at its conclusion in October 2012.

The PANCAP CARISMA Project was established in 2005 to support social marketing initiatives in 13 countries in the region. The second phase of the project, ending in December 2012, seeks to address stigma and discrimination in the region and targets those groups most vulnerable to contracting HIV/AIDS, including young people.

For further details, contact:  Valerie Beach Horne   
Strategic Information and Communication Officer 
vbeachhorne@caricom.org