Association of Journalists Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT)

The Association works to:

• promote writing (newspapers/newsletters) and talk (radio, TV programmes) about existing campaigns to advocate for abstinence from sex and safe sex practices;
• encourage journalistic efforts to ensure behavioural change in order to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS;
• play a networking role to bring together journalists aspiring to join the worldwide campaign against HIV/AIDS;
• promote professional debate on matters related to HIV/AIDS; and
• supplement publicity efforts by such organisations and institutions as the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS), National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and other local and international groups and individuals working against HIV/AIDS.

Specifically, AJAAT has embarked on the following projects:

• Training: Capacity building for its members on correct and accurate reporting of HIV/AIDS issues.
• AJAAT website: AJAAT has launched a website to help link up journalists covering or interested in HIV/AIDS issues. The website also acts as a venue for information sharing among journalists, physicians, scientists, researchers, policy makers, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs), faith-based organisation representatives, and social workers. One of the features is an email forum (e-forum) where people can debate various issues regarding HIV/AIDS via email. The forum is known as ONEGA, which means 'talk' in Kiswahili.
• Newsletter: The Association has planned 2 newsletters - The CRUSADE against HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health Tanzania (SRH Tanzania). The Crusade will focus on HIV/AIDS mostly targeting behaviour change among youths and young adults; SRH Tanzania will cover issues and articles pertaining to sexual and reproductive health and family planning.
• Hope Productions: The Association is working to set up its own production unit for radio/television programmes on HIV/AIDS for local stations. AJAAT hopes to provide the community with access to updated and accurate information about causes, spread, impact, and preventions of HIV/AIDS, as well as on possible breakthroughs for vaccines or cures.
• Outreach Programmes: This programme will focus on ARV rollout in rural areas - finding out how effective the government ARV programme is, and getting community members' views, complaints, praises, and suggestions on various issues related to the distribution of ARVs. Journalists involved will routinely report or write articles based on their field findings.
• Media Writing Competition: Since 2004, AJAAT has been running media writing competitions where journalists from print and electronic media write on a specific topic about HIV/AIDS within a specified period. Winners are awarded cash prizes and certificates.
• Workplace and Gender Policies in Media Houses: AJAAT has embarked on deliberate efforts to introduce workplace policies that will cater for HIV/AIDS and gender issues within the media houses.
• Peer Mentorship Programme: In collaboration with Features Group International/HPI, AJAAT has started a peer mentoring programme. This programme aims to give journalists skills to reach other journalists or fellow media practitioners and share with them better ways of handling HIV/AIDS issues in their reporting, and also impart knowledge on how to protect themselves from being affected or infected.
• Features Service: AJAAT has started a features service by distributing well-researched and analytical articles on HIV/AIDS to various news outlets for publication.

HIV/AIDS, Media for Development

AJAAT's membership is open to all local and foreign journalists practicing in the country, including freelancers, correspondents, and columnists, who are interested in covering HIV/AIDS related stories. AJAAT's members are individual journalists from Print Media such as: Arusha Times, The Guardian, Nipashe, Daily Times, Majira, The Citizen, Mwananchi, Mtanzania, Uhuru, Alasiri, PST, Daily News, Sunday News, MAELEZO, Tanzania Daima, The African, This Day, Guardian On Sunday, Financial Times, Uwazi, Hoja, Annur, Business Times, ChangaMoto Femina, Health Focus Magazine, and others. Members from electronic media (television and radio stations) are: ITV, TvT, Radio Uhuru, Radio One, Radio Free Africa, DTV/Channel Ten, Clouds FM, Radio Tumaini, Praise Power Radio, Upendo Radio, Radio Quran, and Morning Star Radio.