We work in partnership with Cambodian radio and television stations to produce public service announcements (PSAs or spots) to promote safer sex, challenge discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS, raise awareness of maternal and child health issues, and prevent malaria infection. The spots are catchy one or two minute long pieces that broadcast at peak viewing times.
They covered a range of subjects, including:
- The value of talking openly about sex and using condoms
- Trust in intimate relationships
- Voluntary and Confidential Counseling and Testing (VCCT)
- The stigma of living with HIV and AIDS.
- Using insecticide treated bed nets to prevent malaria
- The benefits of breastfeeding
- How to prevent acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea in children
Even Jackie Chan, who is strong, still needs Loak Chouy
Male focus group participant
Mr Condom meets Jackie Chan
An animated condom, called Loak Chuoy (‘Mr. Help'), starred in many of the radio and television PSAs designed to get people talking more openly about safer sex and using condoms.
Over the course of the campaign Loak Chuoy became famous in Cambodia - so famous that superstar action hero, Jackie Chan, agreed to join him in one of the advertisements.
Jackie Chan was in Cambodia as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
After his first appearance, Jackie Chan joined the fight against HIV-related stigma by starring in another of the campaign's PSAs alongside a group of Cambodians living with HIV and AIDS.
"Even Jackie Chan, who is strong, still needs Loak Chouy. So even if we are strong, we need Loak Chouy too."
Male focus group participant
Breast feeding song becomes popular ring tone
The PSA become so successful that you could download it as a ring-tone on your mobile phone in the market.
Programme producer, Sophearith Keo
One of the campaign's most popular maternal and child health PSAs was about breastfeeding. The producer, Sophearith Keo, came up with the concept.
"I was thinking about the relationship between a mother and child. I wanted the PSA to be distinctive, so I came up with the idea of a child singing some advice to her mother based on a traditional lullaby.
"I wanted it to be cute. Once I wrote the words I asked a leading boy band composer, Klung, from MKS to put music to the lullaby to jazz it up.
"The PSA become so successful that you could download it as a ring-tone on your mobile phone in the market."
Research and impact
- 79 television and 50 radio PSAs about mother and child health issues, malaria, and HIV AIDS have been produced to date
- In the space of a year, the radio PSAs about child and maternal health were broadcast more than 35,000 times across 11 radio stations
- The radio PSAs on HIV and AIDS were broadcast a total of 23,378 times
- Four documentary films and three drama films on HIV AIDS and malaria were produced and broadcast
- Loak Chuoy was recognised by 64% of all media consumers and 75% of TV viewers
- 83% of all media consumers and 88% of radio listeners had heard the 'breast feeding' song
PSAs were part of a much larger mass media campaign to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS and improve the health of mothers and children in Cambodia. Read about the impact of the overall campaign here