In November, PSAf partnered with the Mozambique National Aids Council (NAC) to train nine journalists on communicating HIV and AIDS, particularly issues around sexual minorities. The media training was conducted in the capital Maputo on 10 and 11 November. 

During the training, AIDSPAN, an independent non-governmental organization that works as a watchdog on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria also oriented the journalists on how they could use websites and online resources to track management of and report on HIV Global funds by respective recipient countries. 

Of the nine journalists that were trained, five were offered fellowships to write in depth reports on HIV and AIDS in Mozambique. 

The training was part of activities under the Communicating HIV and AIDS Prevention project, which is funded by the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). The project seeks to promote open dialogue on cultural issues surrounding multiple concurrent partnerships and male circumcisions, and is expected to lead to behaviour change and adoption of available interventions at community level.

The project also attempts to demystify issues around sexual minorities, especially men having sex with men, and to promote inclusion of their needs and challenges in policy and operational plans at national level. The project also seeks to create platforms to promote open dialogue on HIV infection, HIV status among peers and partners in order to reduce HIV related stigma that deter people from accessing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) which is a key point in HIV prevention.

This is done through the use of a number of communication initiatives to allow interaction between affected groups and decision and policy makers to ensure that voices of the most affected count in the development of programmes, policies and projects.