About Brothers for Life
Brothers for Life is a national campaign targeting mainly Men aged 30 and over . The campaign was launched on the 29th of August 2009 in KwaMashu and seeks to address the risks associated with having multiple and concurrent partnerships, sex and alcohol ,Gender based Violence and promotes HIV testing , Male involvement in PMTCT and health seeking behaviours in general.
The campaign is a collaborative effort led by South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), the Department of Health, USAID/PEPFAR, Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa (JHHESA), Sonke Gender Justice, UNICEF , IDMT , the United Nations System in South Africa and more than forty other civil society partners working in the field of HIV prevention and Health. The campaign uses Interpersonal communication , Mass Media and Advocacy to reach its audiences.
The interpersonal communication aspect of the campaign comprises a Men’s Wellness Toolkit that will be used to engage with men within communities around a range of topics that continue to undermine the health of men and women.
The campaign will be sustained with a multi-mass media component that includes the use of television and radio commercials. The commercials will draw upon the concept of brotherhood to convey to men the importance of the decisions they make and how these decisions impact upon their future and that of their dependents. The broadcast media will be combined with print and outdoor media that will further serve to reinforce the messages of the campaign.
The campaign uses a wide range of advocacy initiatives to influence and engage the various audiences. These include Media advocacy in print media, Television and radio. Other activities include advocacy initiatives targeting all levels of government, traditional leaders, civil society, faith based and opinion leaders within communities around social constructions of men, male responsibilities.