• In Cambodia, where HIV infection is rising, UNFPA, in collaboration with UNESCO and the Ministry of Health, developed the first HIV/AIDS manual for the nation's schools. In 2000, the manual was distributed to all secondary schools, and 1,385 teachers were trained to teach the new material.
  
  

• In Ghana, UNFPA-supported education programmes teach vulnerable groups such as lorry drivers, market women and porters how to protect themselves against AIDS. Lorry drivers wear T-shirts that say "NO TO CASUAL SEX" to encourage responsible sexual behaviour.
  
  

• A radio information programme on adolescent reproductive health and sexuality is carried out by the Voice of Vietnam, with technical assistance from the BBC and financial support from UNFPA. Broadcast every Sunday morning, the call-in programme involves a panel of experts who answer questions on adolescent reproductive health, sexuality, gender discrimination and related topics.
  
  

• In Uganda, the Programme for Enhancing Adolescent Reproductive Life (PEARL) provides HIV/AIDS information and services to young people through the media, community meetings, health services, recreational facilities, schools and churches. PEARL teaches young people how to negotiate in relationships and make informed decisions.
  

Enlisting men to prevent HIV infection can help change the course of the epidemic.  In 2000, UNFPA produced and distributed Partners for Change: Enlisting Men in HIV/AIDS Infection. This advocacy booklet as part of our overall effort to encourage responsible male behaviour and prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS

An AIDS  education banner at Nicaragua's Central American University (above), part of a UNFPA-supported information campaign aimed at preventing the spread of the deadly disease.  Information on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases is also conveyed via the campus radio station, which the Fund assists . Photo: UNFPA/Alvaro Serrano

• In Maldives, Friday sermons, which are broadcast live on the radio, are powerful channels for reproductive health and advocacy. Radio and television spots dealing with family planning, adolescent health, HIV/AIDS prevention, underage brides, and early pregnancy have also become common in Maldives, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand and other countries.

No one initiative holds all the answers, but together they are helping develop positive attitudes and life-saving behaviours. Encouraging results have been achieved in a number of countries that mounted multi-pronged prevention campaigns, including Senegal, Thailand, and Uganda.