Prevention Begins With Me
Breaking the stigma of HIV/AIDS
through education
Every week, approximately 7,000 young women become infected with HIV.
Of the 35M+ people with the HIV virus, more than 2M are young adults, who are disproportionately affected by HIV. Because initial symptoms are similar to the flu, and later stages are often asymptomatic, young adults don’t seek treatment and are susceptible to pass HIV on to others. These issues are further compounded by the high levels of stigma associated with the infection. Prevention education is essential—young adults must understand their risk of HIV and the steps necessary to avoid infection.
Prevention Begins With Me revolutionized the way young people across the world learn about HIV/AIDS.
Prevention Begins With Me interactive animated films have been developed in 13 languages and are used by hundreds of millions of young people in over 82 countries.
Research-Based
The curriculum is medically accurate and pedagogically grounded to optimize learning and retention
Interactive
Strategically embedded interactive elements increase viewer engagement and knowledge retention
Culturally-specific
The curriculum is available in 13 languages (26 versions), each featuring culturally-appropriate dialect and mannerisms
Animation
The use of research-driven 2D cartoon imagery provides the perfect balance of comfort and clarity for this highly stigmatized topic
To optimize learning and accesibility, the interactive animated films include
Euphemisms
2D Imagery and analogies are used to help illustrate highly stigmatized topics related to transmission
Cultural Artifacts
Content is hyper localized to resonate with target communities (clothing patterns, customs, decorative artifacts)
Celebrities
Iconic celebrities donated voices and their caricatures to enhance learner engagement and diminish stigma around the topic
Gender Specificity
Given the gender gap in education, separate female and male interactive films were created to incorporate research-driven nuances and maximize learning
Prevention Begins With Me featuring celebrities including Thato “Scar” Matlhabaphiri, Shabana Azmi, and Dr. Tsetan Dorji Sadutshang (left to right)
Who's Involved
Prevention Begins With Me was designed by our team of academics, researchers and expert advisors.
Impact
m+
Young Adults
Providing more than half-a-billion people access to our education
Countries
Using our materials