Shuga Botswana launch

Staff Writer | Monday May 19, 2014 15:24

Shuga, a powerful TV drama series which has been broadcast across Africa since November 2009, will introduce thousands of young people throughout Botswana to powerful messages about love, relationships, safer sex, and HIV prevention.

Produced by MTV Networks Africa in association with the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, through a partnership with the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation (HFG), and the government of Kenya, Shuga is part of a ground-breaking multimedia campaign conceived to achieve one key goal: a generation of young people free of HIV. The initiative is funded by the US government through PEPFAR and has been adopted by the government of Botswana.  New Capitol Cinema at River Walk Mall in Gaborone and Club Trekkers in Maun have provided critical support as well.

Featuring a cast of popular African actors and an Oscar-winning directing team, Shuga boldly addresses sexual health topics head-on, bravely confronting taboo topics such as rape and sex-for-gifts, told through the lives of realistic characters and emotional situations drawn from real life.  Since its inception, Shuga has spread its messages to more than 70 countries around the world.

Shuga Botswana will be utilised as a key behaviour change communication strategy and tool among implementing partners working on youth HIV prevention programmes.  The series will be harnessed to heighten awareness of HIV, Gender-Based Violence, and related issues among youth. 

Shuga also offers parents a vehicle for improved parent/child communication around sexuality and sexual decision making. A Shuga “toolkit”, consisting of the TV series and a facilitator discussion guide will be made available to PEPFAR implementing partners and others in the field of youth HIV prevention in Botswana. This toolkit will be used in community outreach activities and with small groups of youth to reach a broader audience, and not just those who have access to television. Shuga has been and will continue to be an important addition to the efforts of the US government to prevent the spread of HIV among young people.