25 Mar 2011

NAMIBIA / HIV PREVENTION

UNICEF supports a new campaign aimed at promoting the involvement of men in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in Namibia. Launching the campaign, Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba emphasized the vital role men play in caring for the well-being of their partners and children, saying the health of the whole country was at stake. UNICEF

Posted at: March 25, 2011 4:51 pm

Duration: 03:29

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: NAMIBIA / HIV PREVENTION
TRT: 3.29
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / OSHIWAMBO / NATS
 
DATELINE: 08 -11 MARCH 2011, WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA 
 
SHOTLIST:
 
1. Wide shot, Windhoek
2. Zoom out, from Hilton hotel to the Katutura area
3. Wide shot, Katutura iron shacks
4. Med shot, iron shacks with clothes on a drying line
5. Med shot, iron shacks
6. Wide shot, baby socks on drying line
7. Med shot, Elisabeth's house
8. Wide shot, of Elisabeth and Israel in front of house
9. Pan right, from house to their garden and hills
10. Wide shot, Israel picking tomatoes with baby Nicolas
11. Wide shot, Elisabeth standing in the garden
12. Med shot, Israel gardening
13. Med shot, Elisabeth holding Nicolas as he eats a banana
14. Close up, baby Nicolas eating a banana
15. Med shot, Elisabeth sitting with her baby in her lap as Israel puts socks on the baby's feet
16. Close up, Elisabeth
17. Wide shot, Elisabeth hands baby over to Israel
18. SOUNDBITE (Oshiwambo) Israel NdeShaanya, 53 years old:
"Since the day she came to know about her status, I never said any bad words to her or pointed fingers at her. We are just as we have been. If you think I am lying, you can ask her, she is here."
18. Med shot, Israel holding baby Nicolas
19. Close shot, baby Nicolas
20. Med shot, sign Ante Natal Clinic sign
21. Wide shot, Couple with child walking into Ante Natal Clinic
22. Wide shot, Health worker with Male Involvement pamphlets
23. Various shots, Health worker with Male Involvement pamphlets
24. Wide shot, man takes pamphlet and walks out of shot
25. Wide shot, Katutura State Hospital Building
26. Med shot, maternity section sign
27. Wide shot, people watching an educational video in the anre natal clinic
28. Med shot, woman with baby watching video
29. Wide shot, delegates arriving at the launch
30. Med shot, HIV prevention signboard at the launch
31. Tilt down, HIV prevention signboard
32. Wide shot, President and First Lady arriving at the launch
"It is not enough for Namibian men to provide the basic necessities such as a house, food, water, electricity for their families. They should also become actively involved in health issues such as the prevention of the spread of HIV Aids pandemic. The health of our nation is at stake."
33. Wide shot, crowd listening to President's speech
34. Med shot, woman in the crowd
35. Pan right, from UNICEF and WHO representatives and US Ambassador to President and First Lady
36. Wide shot, men in the audience
37. Wide shot, President and First lady getting photos taken
38. Wide shot, women waiting in the ante natal Clinic waiting room
39 Med shot, woman pushing a pram in the Ante Natal Clinic
40. SOUNDBITE (English) IAN Macleod, UNICEF Namibia Representative:
"The rapid advice that was released by the WHO and UNICEF a year and a half ago is now promoting exclusive breastfeeding for women who are HIV positive and for them or their infants to take Anti retroviral prophylaxis at the same time. This means that there can be no doubt now that for all women, even HIV positive women that breast is best for themselves and for their new born infants."
41. Med shot, woman and nurse measuring baby
42. Close up, baby
43. Med shot, nurse passes baby to doctor who then hands the baby to the mother
44. Wide shot, Elisabeth and Israel walking with Nicolas
45. Med shot, Elisabeth, Israel and Nicolas walk out of the frame
46. Wide shot, kids standing on the roadside
47. Med shot, boy standing by roadside

STORYLINE:
 
Namibia is a land of contrasts. No more evident is the contrast between rich and poor than that of the capital city and commercial hub of Windhoek and the myriad of corrugated iron shacks that make up the Township of Katutura.

But it's here in a house made of building scraps that Elisabeth Nagula and Israel Ndeshaanya call home. They make a humble living from selling the vegetables they grow in their yard. From the outside, their story is no different to the many others living in Katutura. But look a little deeper and their story becomes unique.

Elisabeth is HIV positive. She and Israel have an 8 month old baby boy called Nicolas. He is HIV negative.

The couple went through Namibia's Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV program when Elisabeth became pregnant.
Israel cares and tends to the child. He also ensures that Elisabeth takes her Anti-retroviral medicine.

SOUNDBITE (Oshiwambo) Israel NdeShaanya, 53 years old:
"Since the day she came to know about her status, I never said any bad words to her or pointed fingers at her. We are just as we have been.  If you think I am lying, you can ask her, she is here."

Statistics shows that Israel is the exception rather than the rule.

He is just one of 3 percent of Namibian men actively involved in the care and support of their partners when they try access PMTCT services.

Namibia's PMTCT program started almost a decade ago has been rolled out to 238 of 335 health facilities across the country, treating some 59,000 pregnant women every year.

But high coverage doesn't always translate into low transmission of HIV

Research by UNICEF and the Namibian government shows that for Namibia to virtually eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV by 2015, men need to play a bigger role in the treatment process.

And that's exactly what the First Lady Penehupifo Pohamba, together with top politicians are looking to do.

SOUNDBITE (English) Hifikepunye Pohamba, President, Namibia:
"It is not enough for Namibian men to provide the basic necessities such as a house, food , water, electricity for their families. They should also become actively involved in health issues such as the prevention of the spread of HIV Aids pandemic. The health of our nation is at stake."

The president has set a target to increase the percentage of men providing support from three to 25 percent this year.

In addition to getting men involved in the treatment of HIV positive mothers and children the campaign also advocates the revised guidelines set by the World Health Organization on infant feeding.

SOUNDBITE (English) Ian Macleod, UNICEF Namibia Representative
"The rapid advice that was released by the WHO and UNICEF a year and a half ago is now promoting exclusive breastfeeding for women who are HIV positive and for them or their infants to take Anti retroviral prophylaxis at the same time. This means that there can be no doubt now that for all women, even HIV positive women that breast is best for themselves and for their new born infants."

By improving the overall quality of services to HIV positive pregnant mothers and by involving their partners in the process, Namibia is confident that Elisabeth and Israel's story of raising a healthy HIV negative child becomes the norm rather than the exception.