The goals of this multi-tiered communications campaign are to:

• Increase health care workers' understanding of the relationship between TB and HIV, and reduce the stigma related to TB and HIV among health care workers to improve family member care-seeking behavior at the clinic level.
• Improve "communications skills" to encourage health care workers to provide precise initial counseling, ongoing advice, and follow-up for improving the health of patients and their families.
• Encourage both TB and HIV testing among health care workers.
• Promote adherence to and completion of TB and/or HIV treatment.

To convey these critical messages to the target audiences, the communications campaign has planned numerous strategic initiatives to maximize the effectiveness of its outreach efforts. In preparation for launch of the campaign, the first step was to provide informational briefings to the media and stakeholders on reporting about TB/HIV. Initial briefings were conducted during April and May, with ongoing updates planned throughout the campaign.

The official campaign will launch during June and July, with a series of Awareness-Raising Sessions at 26 health centers and hospitals throughout Nairobi and Nyanza Provinces. Each 3-hour, video-led session is designed to stimulate discussion, emphasize the importance of family involvement, and share with health care workers the best practices for encouraging the general public to seek testing and treatment. To complement these sessions, a television and radio campaign will also kick off with a popular television soap opera, Makuntano Junction, featuring scenes that convey the campaign's messages. Other television and radio programs will present health experts expounding on the campaign's goals.

As prime contractor for the CDC Kenya project, Danya established a team that includes two Nairobi-based firms with knowledge of the HIV/AIDS and TB issues in Kenya, as well as have expertise in communications and media. "Co-infection of HIV and TB is one of the leading causes of illness and death in Kenya, and many other African countries," explained Dr. Jeff Hoffman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Danya International. "It is an important objective to help health care workers to overcome the stigma associated with TB and HIV to be tested and seek treatment for both HIV/AIDS and TB. Mediae-Kenya did a brilliant job addressing these sensitive issues through the dramatic series of Makutano Junction, making it engaging, entertaining, and educational. We believe this to be an effective strategy for influencing social norms and promoting health-seeking behavior. We were fortunate to partner with Mediae-Kenya and HLSP-Africa, two highly respected companies who share our mission."

Mediae-Kenya is a TV production company that produces Makutano Junction. Mediae included a storyline in the soap opera involving TB and HIV, and the stigma and discrimination issues faced by health care workers considering testing, disclosure, and treatment. Actors from the soap opera also participated in the video Mediae produced for the Awareness-Raising Sessions. HLSP-Africa is an international organization with expertise in facilitation that will provide support during these sessions.