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Case Studies
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Peer education drives HIV/AIDS awareness for truckers

Truck drivers in HIV awareness class Annie is a peer educator who teaches her fellow truck drivers about the risk of catching HIV through unprotected sex.

She’s part of a nationwide campaign (Roulez – protégé!’ Drive - protected!) in the Democratic Republic of Congo to raise awareness of HIV and prevent infection. In 2005 alone, 13,000 new cases of HIV have been prevented. The current rate of HIV infection stands at about 4%, but could be as high as 50% in some high-risk groups like the military.

Because they are always on the move, meeting new people and being away from their families, truck drivers are at especially high risk of catching and spreading HIV.

That's why they have been picked as a target group by PSI, the international NGO which campaigns against HIV and malaria in Congo, with DFID funding.

Related case study: Peer education for Kinshasa's sex workers
UNAIDS homepage for the Democratic Republic of Congo

Truck outreach

Annie demonstrates the proper way to use a condom Every day Annie visits truckers’ parking lots, showing truckers how to put on a condom, telling them about HIV and why they should protect themselves.

The reality is that people in DRC have heard about HIV but many are confused about what it actually is. Annie says:“They are very happy now to wear condoms because they don’t want to die. They ask me, why didn’t you tell us about this before?”

Eky, a truck driver who has received HIV awareness training, commented: "We thought it was just a made-up disease that the elders invented to stop us having sex. But now we’ve seen our friends die of AIDS and we know that AIDS is real".

His friend, Gogo, explains the problem: "Most of the truck drivers don’t wear condoms. They like the feeling of unprotected sex and don’t understand the risks they are taking."

Condoms are available at the local pharmacy, on sale in packs of 3 for the same price as a loaf of bread. But PSI’s work is vital to make sure more people buy them and protect themselves from HIV.

Key facts

The reconstruction needs of the DRC are huge. DFID has begun work with the Transitional Government on longer term plans to rebuild DRC’s public services and infrastructure. DFID is also working with other partners to fund construction, health and education projects that will bring more immediate benefits to communities in the DRC. DFID is helping the Government, the UN and NGOs to tackle HIV/AIDS. Total available funding for DRC in 2006/7 is £62 million
DFID gave £700,000 to support PSI’s HIV/AIDS awareness programme in 2006. The total HIV/AIDS awareness programme reached 540,000 people in 2006. In 2005 it is estimated that 13,000 cases of HIV were prevented because of this programme.
The funding is used in three ways: direct training of high risk groups such as sex workers, mass media campaigns such as billboard and TV advertising and a mobile video unit, and national co-ordination of the awareness-raising effort
25 million Prudence condoms were sold or distributed across the country in 2005. Prudence is the brand established by PSI, but it is now the generic name for condom in DRC.

23 February, 2007