Can Ugandas ABC Model be Exported?
President George W. Bush’s attention to the AIDS crisis in Africa, emphasis on FBOs in fighting social ills, and recognition of the cultural roots of the AIDS pandemic have helped create a policy environment in which Uganda’s success could be replicated in other nations ravaged by the disease. The ABC approach was designed and developed by Ugandans and is, in a sense, unique. But is it a basis for global HIV prevention policy? “There are common elements which characterized all the successes against HIV, which have been transferable in widely different situations,” explain researchers Low-Beer and Stoneburner. All the major success stories in HIV prevention share the Ugandan emphasis on delivering clear cultural messages about the disease and the importance of behavior change to avoid it. Senegal, Thailand, Zambia, Jamaica, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic are already witnessing success by embracing at least some of the principles of the ABC program. A UNAIDS multi-center stu
