A growing body of evidence around men who have sex with men (MSM) in Africa suggests that this long-ignored population is not only present, but incredibly varied in behavior, beliefs, and lifestyles. One of the few common themes among MSM in this region is - sadly - their enormously high HIV risk, which far outstrips that of the general population in nearly every African country. Identifying MSM -particularly those who don't self-identify as gay - has proved to be one of the larger challenges facing interventions targeting this population.
PSI/Togo’s HIV project for MSM, which is beginning its third year, is currently launching a new initiative to better reach hidden MSM subgroups.
PSI/Togo has begun to reach this group through the addition of new peer educators and expansion intothree cities in the interior of the country. With this geographic expansion has come a natural inclusion of new, less gay-identified, MSM subgroups. So what does this narrower segmentation mean in the context of an already-small peer education program? Messages emphasize biological risks to both partners (and children) involved, and avoid referencing gay identity. Non-gay-identifying men are often hesitant to attend activities that cater to gay men, and may prefer smaller, more discrete events. PSI's efforts to target this group are still nascent - but represent an attempt to segment a small and little-understood audience. We look forward to seeing the results of this new phase!
Guest Blogger Ben Clapham manages PSI/Togo's MSM program.
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Posted by: Milkcurrently | December 07, 2009 at 05:13 AM
Ive been reading along for a while now.
Cu Soon
Posted by: making money at home | September 19, 2010 at 05:15 AM