The Modeling and Reinforcement to Combat HIV/AIDS (MARCH) project strategy in Zambia was initiated in FY

2005. This program promotes behavioral change in support of HIV prevention, treatment and positive living in the

reproductive age group (15-49 yrs).

MARCH uses two strategies; Modeling through Radio Serial Dramas (RSDs) that provides listeners with authentic

and realistic examples of people attempting to change risky behaviors to non-risky ones over a period of time; and interpersonal Reinforcement, which boosts the effectiveness of the RSDs by supporting community members in their efforts to adopt and maintain safe behaviors. Reinforcement Activities (RAs) rely primarily on community theatre, peer education, and discussion groups and link people to existing and forthcoming services.

MARCH has the following objectives:

Reduce concurrent and multiple sexual partners

Promote effective parent-child communication

Reduce alcohol abuse

Promote PMTCT

Support PLWHA/positive living

Promote uptake of ART and reduce stigma

MARCH is operating in the Southern and Western Provinces of Zambia. In Southern Province, the program is in 4 in four (4) districts:Livingstone, Choma, Monze and Mazabuka; and in Western Province the program is in three (3) districts: Mongu, Senanga and Sesheke. Target populations in these areas are people between the ages of 15 49 years.

The program's key contributions to the strengthening of the health systems are that:

? It provides feedback to the MOH through a strong partnership with youth friendly centers in the target districts and

? It provides feedback to the National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Council on views and challenges

from the community vis-à-vis PMTCT and ART through the various District and Provincial AIDS Task Forces (DATF, and PATF) via the office of the Provincial AIDS Coordinator (PACA).

? It creates demand for ART and counseling by encouraging uptake of these services through the RSD and RAs

? It addresses the uptake of male circumcision by providing accurate information to dispel

myths or misconceptions about male circumcision, and addressing some attitudinal barriers.

MARCH promotes gender equality as a cross cutting program in which issues of polygamy (especially in southern province where Tongas uphold polygamy), child abuse and violence against women are being addressed.

In order to be more cost efficient in FY 2010, the program will develop initiatives such as:

? Promoting the use of bicycles for peer educators to cover more areas with the same number of peer educators

? Seeking private sector sponsorship for the Radio Reinforcement activities and save funds for more community group meetings

? Piggy-back on DATF field visits in Western Province to visit outlying areas and deliver interventions.

? Seeking free repeat broadcasts from the radio stations to increase opportunities for listenership in the target districts.

The following Monitoring and Evaluation plans for FY 2010 are proposed to strengthen our effective tracking of the progress of the program:

? Increase follow-ups and supervision in order to identify gaps earlier

? Improve data collection, timely flow from the field and proper data management at all levels

? Develop a more detailed data analysis plan to facilitate program monitoring and comprehensive reporting

In FY 2010, MARCH will continue producing the RSDs and rolling out RAs in the Tonga language in Southern Province and Lozi in the Western Province. The MARCH program will focus on behavior change and social norms around the following behavior change objectives:

? To reduce multiple and concurrent sexual partners and be faithful to one partner after Counseling /Testing and disclosure to one another

? To sensitize teenagers to be able to identify sexual abuses and to report such abuses (while portraying a teenager successfully abstaining).

? To communicate effectively to children on issues of sex, sexuality, masculinity and safe circumcision (which includes delaying sexual debut thus encouraging abstinence)

? To promote secondary abstinence among youths

Through the RSD and community RA activities, the communities will be encouraged to seek HIV counseling and testing and be linked to appropriate care services. MARCH will strengthen linkages with other USG partners that provide care services and work closely with DAPP TCE to maximize listenership to the RSD and adoption of behavioral change in Mazabuka district. MARCH will piggy-back on DATF field visits in the Western Province to visit outlying areas and deliver interventions to Sesheke, Senanga and Mongu.

MARCH will work with the "One Love, Kwasila" T.V. series as a complementary partner to encourage fidelity and reduce MCP and use the existing partnerships in clinics for peer education in which 150 peer educators will be engaged.

In FY2010 MARCH will continue implementation of the Families Matter! Program (FMP). FMP is guided by the belief that parents are in a powerful position to positively shape their children's health and behavior but that their voices often must compete with the messages sent to children by the media, peers, and society at large. Thus the main aim of this program is to equip parents/caregivers with skills and knowledge of how to communicate with their children on issues of sex, early pregnancies and HIV/AIDS. FMP will reach 2000 families in Southern and Western Province with this intervention. The project intends to intensify activities in physically difficult to reach areas in a total of 100,000 people with AB messages.

MARCH will continue upholding positive social norms as a preventive measure for HIV/AIDS. The program intends to increase the number of people reached through community level activities that promote HIV/AIDS prevention

through other behavior changes beyond abstinence and/or being faithful from 25,000 to 40,000.

Community peer educators will be empowered to be able to reach wider areas (by provision of bicycles etc). In addition, 100 people will be trained to promote HIV/AIDS prevention through other behavior change beyond abstinence and/or being faithful. This work will continue in FY 2010. The key behavior change objectives will be:

Practice responsible drinking to allow for consistent and correct condom use.

To become fully involved and support a partner in PMTCT (and discuss options of childbirth for HIV+ couples)

To provide psycho-social, nutritional and palliative care/support to a PLWHA.

Through the RSD and community Reinforcement Activities, communities in Southern and Western Provinces will

continue to be encouraged to focus on social norms that indirectly fuel the spread of HIV/AIDS, such as excessive

alcohol intake which impairs mental judgment. MARCH will continue working closely with other USG funded

partners like Corridors of Hope in Livingstone, DAPP TCE in Mazabuka and NEWSTART to increase awareness

and promote other behavior change beyond abstinence and/or being faithful while providing CT and ART services.

MARCH will piggy-back on DATF field visits in Western Province to visit outlying areas and deliver

interventions to Sesheke, Senanga and Mongu. The program also intends to increase the number of Radio Reinforcement activities addressing other behavior change beyond abstinence and/or being faithful, airing one every month (a total of 60 shows on four radio stations

in SP and 36 on 3 radio stations in WP).

In FY 2010, the program will also use the RSD to promote Male Circumcision (MC), already quite common in

most parts of WP and becoming increasingly so in SP. The idea will be to build on this 'best practice'

while encouraging correct and clinically safe circumcision of young men and dispelling myths that may discourage

youths from undergoing MC.

MARCH also promotes gender equality as a cross cutting program in which issues of polygamy (especially in Southern Province where Tongas uphold polygamy), child abuse and violence against women will be addressed.