Papua New Guinea

Initiative Brings HIV Message to the Small Screen in PNG

Port Moresby , 21 May 2007 : Television viewers across Papua New Guinea are getting a chance to see first-hand what it is like to live with HIV, thanks to a UNDP-supported video initiative that starts airing on the national television channel, EMTV, on 27 May 2007.

Helen’s Story follows the life of Helen Samilo, a 25 year-old Papua New Guinean who was diagnosed with HIV over 10 years ago, in a series of six-minute video segments. Each episode is aired on Sunday, and then repeated the following Wednesday.

Produced in a diary format, the programme let’s Ms. Samilo talk about her daily experiences as a person living with HIV, looking at how it affects her life and her relationships and at how she copes with the various challenges of the infection. She also looks at the support system that is available to her, both from her family and from the community.

The programme is narrated in tok pisin, the local version of pidgin English spoken in Papua New Guinea, with subtitles in English.

EMTV, Papua New Guinea’s only television broadcaster, produces the programme as a joint effort with UNDP Papua New Guinea and Anglicare StopAIDS PNG, a Papua New Guinea-based non-governmental organization that provides HIV/AIDS awareness and counseling, where Ms. Samilo works as a senior counselor.

“UNDP hopes that through this initiative, better awareness would be created about HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea and that much of the stigma associated with HIV infection will be removed,” said Jacqui Badcock, UNDP Resident Representative in Papua New Guinea, at the formal launch of Helen’s Story.

Ms. Badcock said that in addition to helping identify the candidate for the video segment, UNDP was providing some technical and logistical assistance to support to the production efforts.

The initiative was part of UNDP’s collaboration with key partners to scale up HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programmes in Papua New Guinea, with particular emphasis on awareness creation about HIV and AIDS, she added.

Glenn Armstrong, General Manager of EMTV, said that Helen’s Story will run for an initial season lasting approximately 10 weeks. Subsequently, the episodes will be combined into a 60-minute presentation that will be aired as a complete programme on EMTV and also made available to the public.

Barrow Kirupana, Deputy Director of Anglicare StopAIDS PNG, said that the programme would help to get the message about HIV to a larger segment of the population.

Papua New Guinea is estimated to have the highest levels of HIV infection in the Pacific region, with young women and girls facing the highest risk.

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