Wize up Campaign - Namibia

The specific objectives of the campaign are to:

• increase knowledge and encourage correct and consistent condom use as a dual protection mechanism (HIV and pregnancy prevention) among youths;
• encourage positive peer pressure while creating the ability to resist negative peer pressure on youth sexuality;
• encourage delayed sexual debut among the youth while ensuring that they are informed by the time they engage in sexual activities;
• increase parent-child communication around sexual health issues including teenage pregnancy and its consequences;
• provide comprehensive knowledge on SRHR to youths and parents;
• advocate for increased access to comprehensive and youth friendly SRHR services for youths in and out of school;
• advocate for protection of young people from child abuse and age disparate sex; and
• positively shift gender norms that make young women vulnerable to SRH problems.

The primary target audience are youths aged 15 – 24 years and the secondary target audience is parents. According to Desert Soul, parents are being targeted due to the overwhelming evidence regarding the need to strengthen the role of parents in adolescent challenges.

Following formative research into the attitudes and behaviours of youth in Namibia, Desert Soul held a message design workshop to develop messages that could be used across all campaign activities. The key messages are:

Messages to youth:
1. You have the right to SRH and this means:

• sex has consequences and you should not have it if you are not ready to take the consequences;
• you can decide when and with whom to have safe sex;
• having a baby at an early age prevents you from having a fulfilling future;
• you can decide to abstain from sex;
• you can decide to use condoms correctly and consistently to prevent pregnancy and STIs including HIV;
• having access to health facilities;
• speaking to your parents and/or a trusted adult about sexual issues affecting you; and
• avoiding age-disparate sexual relationships.

2. Young women have the right to equal involvement in SRH decision-making. Respect young women’s decisions.
3. Don’t let your friends make sexual decisions for you; be in control of your sexual life.

Messages to parents:
1. Youth look up to parents to provide them with the correct information about sex and sexuality. Talk to your children about sex including safe sex, issues of growing up (physical and emotional changes), and empower them to resist negative peer pressure.
2. Be good role models.
3. Discourage and protect young people from engaging in age-disparate sexual relationships which increase the risk of SRH problems.
4. It is the responsibility of both parents when a girl gets pregnant.

The Wize up campaign in Namibia has included the following activities:


Wize up radio programme
In 2011 and 2012, Desert Soul broadcast 2 series of radio talk shows on youth and sexual health-related topics (see Related Summary below for more information). The second season of 20 episodes contained a mini drama followed by a discussion. These were broadcast on Fresh FM over a period of 3 months. In 2014, the second series of radio programmes are being rebroadcast, but in order to reach a wider audience across Namibia, the rebroadcast is taking place over 4 community radio stations - Base FM in Windhoek in the Khomas Region, Live FM in Rehoboth in the Hardap Region, Kharas FM in Keetmanshoop in the Karas Region, and Ohangwena Community Radio in Eenhana in the Ohangwena Regions.

Wize up musical
The musical was a culmination of work done during 2013 with high schools and tertiary institutions with support from a PEPFAR Small Grant. It was hosted in April 2014 by the University of Namibia (UNAM) Drama Department and dealt with issues such as safer sexual practices, condom use, and faithfulness in a relationship. It was attended by approximately 200 people of different age groups, but mainly students from UNAM and youth groups.

Wize up youth booklet
A youth booklet on sexual and reproductive health is being developed and Desert Soul is planning to print 20,000 copies with funding from Sweden and Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) through the Soul City Institute and WHO. The aim of the booklet is to provide comprehensive knowledge on sexual and reproductive health.

Desert Soul also used theatre outreach to tackle the issue of teenage pregnancy in the Okavango region. Three scripts were developed to deal with three specific issues: a teenage girl falling pregnant, the type of support that girls need during pregnancy, and what to do to avoid a second pregnancy. The short dramas were performed by local actors in three high schools in June 2014 and performances were followed up with direct face-to-face discussions with learners to their feedback and input.

HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health, Youth

Desert Soul developed the Wise up youth campaign based on research highlighting young people’s vulnerability to sexual and reproductive health risks. The study showed that Namibian youth understand the severity of the HIV epidemic, but still do not use condoms consistently. These findings align with national statistics that illustrate continued risky sexual behaviours among Namibian youth. For example, 64% of youth 15-19 years old have never used contraceptives, and consequently 13% of youth had a baby or were pregnant (DHS 2006).