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While attempting to learn about culture and language(s) in the Solomons, I've become aware that using culture-appropriate mediums can help the communication process.  In some areas it's story telling, in others song, in others puppets etc etc.  I'm only at the beginning of this learning process in the Solomons and off the top of my head can only recall that the boat concept is popular and very understandable (so “MediBoat” is perfect!).

The NGO below uses another method and won an award for it:

http://www.plusnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=84902

AFRICA: Award for NGO using dance in HIV prevention

NAIROBI, 18 June 2009 (PlusNews) – An initiative that uses music and dance to convey HIV prevention messages to young people, dance4life, has won an award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Communication in Africa from the African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet)

“Adults are still guessing but dance4life has already taken a giant step,” their press release quotes one young man, Mugalu, from Uganda, as saying. “Any programme designed without youth cannot bear results, and now dance4life has become my hope and I pray it grows bigger.” People younger than 25 account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide, according to UNAIDS.

dance4life won in the category, 'best multi-channel strategy, campaign or tool', for its innovative use of local dancing in re-energizing existing responses. The award was presented on 12 June in the Namibian capital, Windhoek.

The organization has a presence in seven African countries – Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – where it reached up to 150,000 young people between the ages of 13 and 19 in 2008.

kr/he