LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- Couples in the African kingdom of Swaziland are being urged to get tested together as part of a HIV `` love test '' campaign . A couple discusses the love test with a PSI member . Before the campaign , only 2 percent of couples got tested . The nationwide initiative -- funded by the United States government and implemented by global charity 'Population Services International ' ( PSI ) -- is aimed at couples because tests can be useless if partners are not aware of the others ' HIV status . `` If partners get tested separately , they may not disclose the results and not get the support they need , '' Dominic McNeill , spokesman for PSI Swaziland , told CNN . Only one in four people -- mostly female -- know their HIV status despite the fact that approximately 26 percent of the population in Swaziland is HIV positive . The charity says it also wanted to move away from the traditional HIV campaigning methods . `` We wanted to turn HIV on its head and move away from the fear-inducing campaigns we 've seen in the past , which do n't work . Instead , we focus on love , saying that it is love that should be contagious and couples should get tested together , '' McNeill explained . Would you get tested with your partner ? Tell us in the Soundoff below . But in a country where a macho culture still prevails , getting couples tested together has proved challenging . McNeill said : `` In Swaziland it is difficult to convince men to get tested as it makes them feel inferior . '' PSI said it found that one of the most successful campaigning tools has been to directly target men in areas where they are often concentrated . `` We go to the places where men have their cattle disinfected and also work extensively in churches . We even have a testing facility in one of the countries ' prisons '' said Iulian Circo , PSI 's country director . Watch PSI in action in Swaziland . `` Men are the head of the family and we try to get them to own up to that responsibility . '' PSI Swaziland received $ 3 million this year from the United States ' President 's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief ( PEPFAR ) and has so far spent $ 35,000 on radio , TV and print advertisements . Since the launch of the campaign in April , PSI -- which partnered with UNICEF and UNAIDS -- told CNN it has already seen a 25 percent increase in couple testing and a 400 percent in general testing year-on-year . And neighboring countries such as Zambia , Mozambique and Namibia have already shown interest in the 'love test . ' The tests are also quick and free . Offered in facilities in the four regions of the country , they take only 45 minutes , including a 30-minute counseling session and on-the-spot results . If results show one or both partners are HIV positive , PSI offers longer-term free counseling . The HIV campaign is expected to last until the end of the year and the charity is also partnering with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation -- which has donated $ 50 million to fight aids in the region -- to promote male circumcision , medically proven to lower the risk of getting the HIV virus .
Couples in Swaziland are being urged to get the HIV 'love test ' together . Tests can be useless if partners are not aware of the others ' HIV status . Only one in four know their HIV status and 26 percent in Swaziland are HIV positive . The charity wanted to avoid the traditional fear mongering that surrounds HIV testing .