For the last three months, I have been living and working in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (in East Africa). I spend most of my free days hanging out with local friends I've made, guys and girls, all between the ages of 17 and 24. Some of them have completed their education through the equivalent of 10th grade, and some have no formal education at all. The topic of our conversations usually focuses on football, since basically everyone in Tanzania is obsessed with anything soccer- related, but as we have become more comfortable with each other our conversations have expanded beyond simply talking about Manchester United vs. Chelsea or how Didier Drogba is the most annoying soccer player on the planet (a point of contention among the soccer girls).

Eventually, our conversations faded from soccer to every day life issues: boyfriends/girlfriends, family issues, hopes and dreams and plans for the future. When it comes to HIV, young people in Tanzania are definitely conscious of it. While it is not a popular topic for everyday conversation, the reality that HIV exists in this community has become an accepted fact of life among the youth of Dar. Most of my friends have been through at least one (if not more) HIV education trainings, usually sponsored by organizations targeting soccer teams. When it comes to getting tested - I have friends who are sure to get tested every World AIDS Day (at least), and often go with their entire family.

With respect to couples, it is not abnormal for young loves to go to get tested for HIV together. Clearly, this does not apply to all young people in Tanzania, but among the friends I have made these seem to be normal activities.




Here in Tanzania, there are so many HIV-focused social marketing campaigns targeting youth its hard to keep track of all of them. MTV Africa just finished producing a Kenyan series called Shuga, a story of  young people, love, sex and HIV targeted at adolescents in East Africa. The responses to this show so far have indicated that people are watching and they're paying attention.

Even if this doesn't specifically change behaviors (which obviously I can't measure if it does or not) it is definitely increasing awareness around HIV/AIDS. Another awesome initiative I see advertised all over Dar es Salaam is the youth-authored magazine: Fema.  Articles in this magazine are published in street slang Kiswahili and English, written largely by young people for young people on issues dealing with sexual health and HIV. It is primarily targeted at young women and girls, but with a circulation of 90,000 copies young men are definitely reading it too.

Topics I've seen dealt with in this magazine include cross-generational relationships, correct condom usage and empowering young women to protect themselves. Fema magazine is used in schools all over Tanzania, playing a key role in sexual health education for children and adolescents in Tanzania. There is also another publication, known as "Si Mchezo!" ("No Joke" in Kiswahili) targeted at rural, out-of-school young people between the ages of 15 and 25. This publication promotes messages about HIV/AIDS, healthy lifestyles, sexuality, livelihood through pictures with speech bubbles, targeting a semi-literate audience.


So after everything I have seen and all the conversations I have had about HIV in this country, I can't help but think "Why is this not happening in DC?!" Why don't young people in DC have the same sense of awareness? HIV rates in Washington DC have been found equivalent to rates in countries in Africa, qualifying it as a PEPFAR country (if it were its own country, of course), yet the majority of my friends at school have never been tested for HIV. I don't know if it is a false sense of invincibility, or a misconception that HIV isn't really a threat in America...or in certain social groups...or in certain cities, but from what I have seen young people in Tanzania are way ahead of the game.