Tchova Tchova Community Dialogue Sparks Change and Action in HIV Preventive Behaviors and Social Norms in Mozambique

Tchova-Tchova Life Stories – Community Dialogue Gender Tool for HIV Prevention is a theory-based and community-driven intervention supported by radio programming, community mobilization and referral to health services. It addresses the underlying social/gender and cultural factors that fuel the HIV epidemic in Mozambique through facilitated sessions on topics such as gender roles and gender based violence, sexual networks, women testing positive and family stigma, condom use, alcohol consumption, and disclosure and antiretroviral adherence. Each of the 11 sessions presents a 10-minute videotaped real story of Mozambican men and women who have overcome normative and behavioral barriers and adopted healthy lifestyles. The presentation will describe Tchova Tchova’s various program components, identify the communication theories that assisted in its development, discuss the field operation strategies to reach the intended groups, and share the challenges encountered and results achieved. Special attention will be given to Tchova Tchova’s evolving community model, that after 6 years of implementation has refined its operational approach to increase effectiveness in HIV prevention, care and referral to services. Finally, the presentation will discuss the results of the qualitative outcome monitoring study and the findings of the survey-based impact evaluation. The results show that Tchova Tchova was successful in demonstrating changes at the normative/gender and attitudinal levels as well as increasing risk perception, stimulating discussion of HIV between sex partners, and reducing multiple sex partners.