HIV/AIDS – Integra LLC

Tag Archive for: HIV/AIDS

National Framework for mHealth: Ethiopia

Ethiopia is at a pivotal moment in its efforts to improve the health status of its people and move the country into a new phase of social and economic development. The country’s massive Health Extension Program (HEP) program has placed over 34,000 community health workers in 14,000 health posts in less than 8 years. Now, health authorities are exploring ways to improve the program with mobile solutions.

Sponsored by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Vital Wave Consulting authored the “mHealth in Ethiopia: Strategies for a new Framework” report for the Ethiopian Ministry of Health. The report offers a framework for addressing specific information, communication and inventory management issues with mHealth interventions.

Download the report by clicking the link below – and let us know what you think in the comments!

Initiative:

Evidence Commons

Maternal Newborn mHealth

April 10, 2012/by actualize

Ripfumelo: “Getting to Zero” with ICTs

Photo Credit: Ripfumelo

Initiated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Regional Office for Southern Africa and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2009, the Ripfumelo (“believe” in xiTsonga language) program is designed to reduce HIV vulnerability among farm workers in South Africa’s Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. The project works to develop a network of stakeholders working specifically on HIV-related issues to reduce the high incidence and impact of HIV on farm workers, their families, and communities. It aims to address individual and contextual factors that increase vulnerability to HIV amongst commercial agricultural workers. These include the mobility and migratory factors associated with the nature of the work, such as limited access to services, gender dynamics and lack of healthier recreational activities. But little is known about innovative use of information and communication technologies to help achieve the strategic goal of Ripfumelo. As the world celebrates AIDS Day, it is important to reflect on issues like this and look at ways by which ICTs can be effectively integrated into such a project to help achieve the 2015 target of “Getting to Zero” with HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS and Its Impact on Agriculture The adverse effects of HIV/AIDS on agriculture and rural development are manifested primarily as loss of labor supply, of on- and off-farm income and of assets. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for example noted that, the consequences of HIV/AIDS – poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition, reduced labor force and loss of knowledge – contribute to making the rural poor more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infection. Other studieshave identified the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS on farmers in specific and agriculture in general as;

Reduced staff productivity through loss in human resources, absenteeism due to morbidity and funeral attendance, morbidity-related on-the-job fatigue, and staff demoralization.
Increase in Ministerial expenditures through costs related to HIV/AIDS absenteeism, medical costs, burial costs, recruitment and replacement costs/productivity loss after training, terminal benefits, and costs incurred to protect the rights of staff members living with HIV/AIDS at the workplace.
Increase in staff turnover
Increase in the workload of the staff of ministries of agriculture
Loss of knowledge, skills and experience

Using ICTs and Social Media to fight HIV/AIDS Among FarmersBy their nature, ICTs have the potential to help reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS on agriculture through effective communication strategies. ICTs are helping through treatment and prevention programs, changing attitudes and practices, and making it possible to share success and best practices.

Access to information on HIV/AIDS by these farm workers is key to the fight against the pandemic among them. Radio and television are basic communication tools that could help disseminate information on the danger of contracting HIV/AIDS to these farm workers.
Access to data on these individuals and their settings is also key in designing effective program for them. Information and communication technologies such as mobile phones and other hand-held devices could be used to gather instant and accurate data for the organizations involved in the project.
ICTs and social media could be used in training and educating both the migrant workers and their hosts on HIV/AIDS.
Information communication technologies could also be used through diagnosis and treatment support services for these migrant farm workers who have limited access to basic health services. Mobile health services and other e-medicine programs are being used for other diseases.
Affected farm workers could be supported and encouraged through sharing of experiences and challenges by others through the use of videos and photographs.
The Internet as a global public medium could be used to win the victims support from their governments, NGOs and other well wishers.
Testimonies of People Living with HIV/AIDS could be documented and shared with these migrant communities during training and workshops.
Internet websites, and social networking sites like Facebook could also be used as secondary medium in reaching out to these people.

ICTs are collaborating tools and with the goal of the Ripfumelo program to network stakeholders working on the issue, there should not be any delay in integrating these tools to reach their target. Remember “Getting to Zero” is 2015.

December 1, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environment, Environment, Environmental Compliance, Forestry, Land Management, Natural Resources Management, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Social Media, HIV/AIDS and Natural Resource Management

Photo Credit: RBCT

One of the leading programs with interest in the way HIV/AIDS is affecting the environment and natural resource management (NRM) activities is the USAID’s Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group (ABCG).

ABCG, as a result, has initiated a number of communication strategies to combat the negative impact of HIV/AIDS on the environment. On this 2011 World’s AIDS Day, I find it appropriate to reflect on the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in increasing the effectiveness of communication strategies for combating negative impacts of HIV/AIDS on the environment.

Impacts of HIV/AIDS on the Environment and Natural Resource Management Activities

According to ABCG, HIV/AIDS has impacted the conservation workforce, conservation activities, and finances of conservation government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and communities. The pandemic has caused accelerated rates of illnesses and deaths among park wardens, rangers, community game guards, senior officials and other conservation personnel; accelerated rates of payment of terminal benefits by conservation government agencies; created competition for scarce financial resources between HIV/AIDS demands and conservation activities; led to accelerated and unsustainable rates of harvesting of medicinal plants and wildlife; is destroying communal social structures on which community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) is based; and has led to land use changes in some places.

The program has identified the following key impacts of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on natural resource management:

Changes in land use as agricultural practices change with falling capacity for heavy labor,
Changes in access to resources and land especially when widows and AIDS orphans cannot inherit land,
Loss of traditional knowledge of sustainable land and resource management practices,
Increased vulnerability of community-based natural resource management programs as communities lose leadership and capacity, and HIV/AIDS issues take priority, and
Diversion of conservation funds for HIV/AIDS related costs.

ABCG’s Communication Strategies and the Role of ICTs

With the above recognized negative impacts of HIV/AIDS on the environment and natural resource management, ABCG has agreed that ICTs are uniquely positioned to help increase the impacts of their communication strategies. Some of the current approaches being used include:

The use of its website with updated materials including PowerPoint presentations, papers, and web links on case studies conducted on HIV/AIDS and environmental conservation.
Networking among the regional partners to share useful information on the issue.
Workshops
International Conferences
AIDS and Conservation Posters by ABCG

So how can ICTs be integrated into these strategies for effective impact on HIV/AIDS?

Looking at the great potentials of ICTs for knowledge and information sharing, the current communication approaches by ABCG may have limited use of ICTs for sharing knowledge on best practices about HIV/AIDS and the environment. A host of the emerging social media tools and platforms are excellent avenues for partners to share information on HIV/AIDS and environmental conservation activities thereby facilitating the work of ABCG in its fight for environmental conservation.

a) Blogs taking the form of a diary, journal, and links to other websites could be great tools for sharing and creating awareness of HIV/AIDS on the environment.

b) Twitter accounts can be used to share instant updates from friends, industry experts, favorite celebrities, and others of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the environment, the prevention strategies, and what’s happening around the world with specific focus on natural resource management and HIV/AIDS.

c) Social networking applications like Facebook with pages specifically created on the issue could help bring like-minded individuals and organizations together to discuss the issue online.

d) Events such as Meetup.com and free Wibinar applications such as WebEx channels may be used to connect partners and advocates together to share information and knowledge on HIV/AIDS and the environment.

e) Wikis pages are great knowledge management and collaborative tools that could be used to capture, find, share, and use information on HIV/AIDS and environmental conservation. Wikis help keep knowledge current, dynamic, and safe for members.

f) Photo sharing applications like Flicker, Picasa, Fotki, Mobile Me, Windows Live SkyDrive could be used to share real-time updates on HIV/AIDS and environment through images.

g) Video sharing tools like YouTube could be used to create awareness of the danger of HIV/AIDS on the environment.

h) Professional networking tools like LinkedIn may bring together experts from the various fields – HIV/AIDS, NRM, Climate Change, among others to discuss the issue.

When the necessary ICT policies and infrastructure are put in place among the ABCG collaborating partners and the regional networks, the use of these applications should not be an obstacle to information sharing on HIV/AIDS and the environment.

December 1, 2011/by actualize

Economic Growth & Trade, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

How Indian IT companies are addressing the HIV/AIDS challenge

The information and technology (ICT) sector can play a significant role in addressing socio-economic challenges faced by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA).

Dr. Joseph Okpaku, President and CEO of Telecom Africa Corporation, calls for a “bold, innovative and comprehensive programme to provide skills development and online employment for HIV/AIDS patients and their families.” The network capacity of ICTs, he argues, should be leveraged to support such initiatives.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic threatens to derail India’s economic boom and demographic change, says a 2009 World Bank Study. An effective response to this challenge requires the engagement of all sectors. The report reveals that the IT sector can play an important part in efforts for HIV/AIDS prevention, reduction of stigma and discrimination, but also for the care, support and treatment of PLHA.

IT companies are using their expertise, access to skills and resources, and vast networks to address this issue. E-learning, mobile gaming and call center are some of the innovative approaches used in this regard to raise awareness, educate, and provide counseling and information services for HIV prevention, care, and support efforts. As part of their corporate social responsibilities (CSR), these companies work with NGOs to improve the livelihoods of PLHA, carry out advocacy campaign on issues of stigma and discrimination of PLHA and educate the youth across India and around the world about HIV/AIDS.

Case study 1: ZMQ Software Systems

(ZMQ's Co-Founder) Elected Ashoka Fellow

ZMQ Software Systems develops socially relevant technology and uses ICT for social benefit. Staff allocates 5-8% of their time to develop IT-based learning programs on HIV/AIDS which reaches young people through mobile games. Some of its future programs include a Mobile Care Support and Treatment to support PLHA. Furthermore, the company presently invests 12 percent of its profits on social development and HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives.

Case study 2: AppLabs

AppLabs reaches out to its employees and to disadvantaged communities through awareness generation, educational campaigns, and by encouraging its employees to volunteer their time and skills to assist partner NGOs and PLHA. The aim, in particular, is to help improve the lives of individuals and families affected by the epidemic and to address issues of stigma and discrimination.

Why focus on the IT sector?

The Indian IT sector is critical to India’s booming economy. It contributes to six percent of overall GDP, employs approximately 2 million people, and indirectly created jobs for 8-9 million people.

Secondly, the issue of HIV/AIDS is of great concern for IT companies because the industry’s workforce is in the 21-45 age cohorts, with many in their twenties. Furthermore, 65 percent of the IT companies registered with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) are based in states with high HIV concentrations.

Third, there is a great opportunity to encourage the private sector involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS because IT companies are beginning to realize the extent to which they can contribute to changes in HIV/AIDS prevention and social well-being of their workforce and spheres of influence.

December 1, 2011/by actualize

Health, Humanitarian Assistance, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Using ICTs to Address HIV/AIDS in Humanitarian Emergencies

Responding to humanitarian emergencies poses a complex set of challenges that is exacerbated in areas where high rates of HIV/AIDS exist. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS hovers around 33 million and the vast majority live in sub-Saharan Africa, bringing to the forefront the complex interactions between HIV/AIDS, food security, livelihoods, and humanitarian action. This unique set of issues leads to the question of whether ICTs can be leveraged to address HIV/AIDS challenges in humanitarian crises, and if so, which groups are already doing so.

ICTs have been a used as a means for addressing HIV/AIDS issues in humanitarian situations by global aid agencies. The United Nations (UN) has recognized the impacts on HIV/AIDS on food security and is responding by integrating HIV into humanitarian responses. A priority for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has been to “ensure a sustained flow of information and analysis on AIDS and [HIV] needs of populations in humanitarian situations” by producing reports, web specials, audio reports, fact files, etc. on the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) website. For example, IRIN radio produced a weekly 10-episode radio drama on HIV and AIDS for Somalis to listen to in the crisis country. The drama started on October 15^th and can be heard on the IRIN website.

FilmAid screening film at Kenyan refugee camp

Photo credit: FilmAid

Nongovernmental organizations are also using ICTs to address HIV/AIDS in humanitarian situations. FilmAid provides knowledge and empowerment to people suffering the effects of war, poverty, displacement or disaster through informational films. The organization works with communities to create films that are appropriate to the local context and relevant to community issues. One of the issue areas that FilmAid focuses on is Health & Safety, including HIV/AIDS. The organization has created various films relating to HIV/AIDS issues, such as a series of PEPFAR films that were shown in a Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. The PEPFAR films were developed with the communities in Dadaab and promoted the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, the uptake of voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), and abstinence.

The human rights organization WITNESS has created a video that tells the story of people living with HIV/AIDS in the war-torn Eastern region of the DRC, shown below. The film advocates for the provision of free testing, increased access to medical care, and prevention outreach in an area that desperately needs it.

These cases show that ICTs can be leveraged to address HIV/AIDS issues in humanitarian emergencies on many different levels, such as information flow, education, and advocacy. There is vast potential for increased ICT to more effectively and quickly address HIV/AIDS issues in humanitarian crises.

December 1, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Health, Health, HIV/AIDS, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

CrowdOutAIDS: Engaging Youth to Develop AIDS Policy

CrowdOutAIDS, the online crowdsourcing project that engages young people in developing a UNAIDS strategy on youth and HIV, has wrapped up its fifth week. The project launched in October 2011 and will run for two months, with the final crowdsourced strategy to be produced in January.

Crowdsourcing is a technique used to quickly engage large numbers of people to generate ideas and solve complex problems. CrowdOutAIDS’ target “crowd” is young people, 3,000 of whom become infected with HIV every day and 5 million of whom currently live with the virus.

The project’s approach is to follow a four-step model:

Connect young people online
Share knowledge and prioritize issues
Find solutions
Develop collective actions on HIV

Once the fourth step is completed, the UNAIDS Secretariat will put the youth strategy into action, and the strategy could become an advocacy platform in future UNAIDS work.

Currently the project is in the second stage of sharing knowledge. Youth from all over the world have been connected through eight regional Open Forums that are in Arabic, English, Spanish, French, Russian and Chinese. The moderator of each forum starts each day with a question (such as “What is your description of a healthy relationship?”) and participants respond and interact with one another.

The first week of the project revealed some of the major problems, in the eyes of youth participants, with UN agencies’ current approaches to working with youth. Participants expressed concerns that UN initiatives of working with youth in HIV response lack strategic vision and have no clear plan, and hinder young people from participating in decision-making.

It will be interesting to see what solutions are developed after the knowledge sharing step is completed, as well as what direction the UN youth and HIV strategy takes over the next six weeks. Be sure to check out the CrowdOutAIDS website and Twitter @CrowdOutAIDS for continuous updates.

November 28, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Health, HIV/AIDS, Mobile, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Fight against HIV/AIDS in India gets helping hand

Argusoft, a Fremont, CA start-up that’s combines video, instant messaging and Internet telephony in a platform for “e-health” programs in the developing world, is ready to implement a mobile phone application that will enable field workers to register HIV-positive mothers and provide regular updates on their care.

The application, called mAID, runs on any java-enabled phone and utilizes the SMS interface. It is designed primarily for health workers that go out into rural communities to inform citizens on different health issues.

Using the application in the field is simple. Cell phones are given to health workers who communicate through the phone to a central database. The health workers are sent daily instructions in the morning via SMS on where to go and which houses to visit. The health workers collect relevant data on HIV/AIDS prevalence and awareness and report the data back to the central database via SMS.

The new program is overseen by the Indian government with financing from the Global Fund, a nonprofit in Geneva that targets AIDS in developing countries. IL&FS, an infrastructure development conglomerate based in Mumbai, is handling logistics.

mAID underwent a pilot test where 35 health workers reached over 2500 patients using the application. The pilot phase ended last month, and based off its results, the Indian government wants to inject 3600 more health workers into the field with the mobile app for a nationwide scale up. There are even talks about using the application in Africa.

Argusoft's Ram Gopalan. Photo Credit: mercurynews.com

The CEO of Argusoft, Ram Gopalan has cited the difficulties of preventing HIV/AIDS as the impetus of his application. “It’s fully preventable, but one of the highest killers of children in the Third World,” Gopalan said.

Gopalan echoes the same sentiments of the Indian Government who have been working to prevent prenatal HIV transmission since 2002, using counseling and testing centers around the country. The Indian Government also cited issues with health worker capacity. Regarding that Gopalan said, “There was a lot of inefficiency, workers misinterpreting instructions, and paperwork getting lost.”

Argusoft is no stranger to implementing eHealth initiatives. In the eastern Indian state of Tripura, Gopalan linked isolated villages with a hospital in the state capital where doctors can remotely diagnose simple but life-altering problems such as cataracts. This telemedicine project has provided eye care for more than 100,000 patients over the past five years.

In the future, Gopalan wishes to introduce a network of accredited family-care doctors from India who could be available 24/7 for live video chats with patients. This is similar to the meradoctor project which already exists in India. In the meantime, the HIV/AIDS burden in India needs some attention as it is the third highest burden in the world in terms of sheer numbers living with HIV.

July 28, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Health, Health Systems, HIV/AIDS, Mobile, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

HIV/AIDS: A window of opportunity for South Sudan

Photo Credit: antiimperialism.com

As South Sudan prepares for independence, the celebrations will be tempered by the grim reality that awaits them. The nation is plagued by numerous health burdens due to decades of civil war resulting in a lack of trained health workers and poor infrastructure, and inadequate health and education systems. One such burden is HIV/AIDS. Dr. Wichgoah Piny, the state’s HIV/AIDS commissioner said that about 116,000 people are known to be infected by the virus in South Sudan, 46,000 of which are being treated at hospitals within the region. This number lies in the middle ground when looking at the rest of Africa. East Africa generally has a higher prevalence whereas West Africa exhibits a lower prevalence of the disease. Some estimates say up to 4.7 million in South Sudan are at risk of acquiring the disease.

But those numbers could grow exponentially in the coming years. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described HIV/AIDS prevalence in South Sudan as “a ticking time bomb” and a threat which needs a cooperative and collective effort to fight in the new nation. Dr. Olivia Lomoro, the GoSS Undersecretary in the Ministry of Health who spoke at a South Sudan AIDS conference warned, “HIV/AIDS is a real issue in Southern Sudan despite the efforts we have put to fight it. It remains a threat and a time bomb we are expecting.”

UNAIDS officials in South Sudan

Dr. Mohamed Abdi, the WHO Director in South Sudan said that, “AIDS is a big problem in South Sudan and we need to fight it together.” He said that in more than two years he had worked in the region, very few people were getting treatment.

The consequences of a surge in HIV/AIDS could be catastrophic. The health infrastructure is already poor as it stands. An HIV/AIDS epidemic would paralyze the health sector for years and impair growth in other sectors. This could result in a crisis that no new government would be prepared to handle.

So in a sense, this is a defining moment for the future of health in South Sudan. As the new government establishes itself and its policies, it has the opportunity to be forward looking in the development of its health infrastructure. If HIV/AIDS is afforded a chance to “blow up” as WHO fears, the country will immediately be sunk further into a health crisis.

This presents an opportunistic entry point for the implementation of ICTs into the health sector in South Sudan.

Opportunities

A survey completed in 2006 by WHO revealed that over 910 health facilities existed in South Sudan. At the time, a majority of those facilities were claimed to be in a “deplorable state”. However, Dr. Lomoro recently pledged that Lakes state now has a new hospital which is going to be used as a teaching hospital to help in delivering quality health. She also mentioned investments through the Chinese government will be used to build new health centers and rehabilitate old ones. Incorporating ICTs in the rehabilitation process will pay dividends for the health sector in the future.

South Sudan is being held captive by a number of health issues such as measles, yellow fever and tuberculosis to name a few. Furthermore, South Sudan has up to 80% illiteracy rates in some parts, which make communicating through ICTs invaluable. The most basic forms of ICTs like radio, television and mobile phones can build a communication bridge for the illiterate to keep them connected and informed.

Dr. Lomoro also pointed out that the first target for the Ministry of Health in the Government of South Sudan is the training of health personnel in all the ten states of South Sudan in order to deliver quality health services to the population in a professional standard. One way to go about this would be to include ICT training in that workforce development. Taking this route would build workforce capacity and bolster the development of ICTs in the country.

The population returning from Sudan proper and surrounding African countries are also coming back with health work force skills. So there is a hope that as people return, their skills will be used in improving service delivery.

Several factors exist that support the idea of integrating ICT into the health infrastructure of South Sudan

Present ICT Usage

The market for ICTs is ripe and growing in South Sudan. The initiatives that would make a big impact in fighting HIV/AIDS using ICTs utilize mobile phones and radios as the media for communication. These media platforms are the largest in South Sudan.

Photo Credit: biztechafrica.com

A 2007 survey entitled “Media Access and Use in Southern Sudan,” showed that radio was the main source of information for the population as a whole with 59% of respondents citing the radio as a source of information, the highest out of all forms of media. Additionally, HIV/AIDS awareness radio programs make up 17% of the most popular radio programs. This indicates that HIV/AIDS discussions already have a base in South Sudan media.

Mobile phones on the other hand don’t enjoy such high rates of usage as radio due to 30% coverage rates. However, the mobile phone network has expanded considerably since 2005 and is predicted to keep expanding in the near future. Also noteworthy is that only 14% of South Sudanese get their information from newspapers and 13% from television according to a report. It’s clear that radio and mobile phones are the most widely used avenues of communication in South Sudan.

Plans to expand broadband cables

As recently reported, South Sudan is on the shortlist to receive fiber optic broadband cables. Broadband services make it possible to interconnect affiliated healthcare facilities around the country so that they can utilize and share scarce human and technical equipment resources to deliver quality and affordable healthcare services. These cables can establish a foundation for ICTs not just in health, but for all sectors in South Sudan.

Past Successful HIV/AIDS Programs

South Sudan won’t be the guinea pig for using ICTs for HIV/AIDS either. There have been quite a few successful HIV/AIDS programs in the past that succeeded in similar environments:

Targeting Nomadic Populations – USAID and other external NGO’s worked together in Nepal in 2005 to introduce a radio program on HIV/AIDS awareness by integrating entertainment into its programming

Capitalizing on existing media penetration:

o Radio – Tanzania also introduced the Tunajali HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Radio Program in 2010 with the help of PEPFAR.

o Mobile – Two mobile phone programs, Text to Change(TTC) and Freedom HIV/AIDS used mobile phones to reach thousands of people to educate them on HIV/AIDS

Photo Credit: freedom HIV/AIDS

South Sudan should approach some of the major NGO’s on the ground to help implement these initiatives that use ICTs. Organizations like USAID, WHO, UNICEF and the UN have spearheaded many initiatives like the ones described above in the developing world. They should at the very least try to do the same in South Sudan. They need to realize the opportunity at hand.

Possible ICT Policy

So the framework to set South Sudan off on the right foot is present just as they kick off their sovereignty. However, an HIV/AIDS epidemic is a threat. The markets for intervention exist, proven initiatives exist and they can be adopted using the aforementioned plans to establish new broadband cables. All of the stars have aligned. The tricky part is getting officials to the table and churning out an action plan. This will involve NGO officials talking with South Sudanese Government officials and making this opportunity a priority.

South Sudan has already seen its darkest days. They want to move now from being a hub for relief efforts to a hub for development. The health sector can benefit tremendously from using ICTs to prevent an HIV/AIDS disaster. Once HIV/AIDS is under control, the ICTs can be utilized strategically to tackle other health issues, as they are being done all over Africa and the developing world. If not, it may not be long before South Sudan encounters its darkest days once again.

July 8, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Health, Health, Health Systems, HIV/AIDS, Infectious Diseases, Maternal & Child Health, Mobile, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Mobile health quizzes get a 2.7 million Euro boost

Text to Change (TTC), an mHealth non-profit organization based in the Netherlands, announced earlier this month that they will receive a €2.7 million grant to expand its services. TTC provides an SMS-based educational service to improve the health of citizens in eight countries in Africa and one in South America.

Already a big contributor in mHealth development, TTC hopes to become a leader in the field with the reception of its multi-million Euro grant from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Connect4Change (C4C), a consortium funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs that develops mobile based solutions on issues of poverty in Africa and Latin America. TTC will partner with C4C to expand its services to 11 more countries in Africa and South America by the end of this year.

Implementing ICT in the 11 countries is a top priority for both TTC and C4C. They are hoping the mutual partnership will make establishing ICT services an easier task as the expansion continues. According to TTC, the game plan calls for TTC to provide “low” technologies like SMS and mobile voice services while C4C provides “high” technologies such as mobile internet and video transfer. Therefore, TTC and C4C will play different roles.

C4C will also invest its time reaching out to local entities on the ground to strengthen ICT networks. TTC will focus on improving health outcomes through their established mobile phone initiatives.

TTC sets up their mobile platform through the recipient country’s mobile service infrastructure already in place. They then subscribe mobile phone users to their programs which use SMS communication to inform people of HIV testing, treatment clinics, and other health related services at no cost to the recipients.

TTC SMS system Photo Credit: TTC

TTC programs offer the information through a free educational quizzing service where participants are quizzed about a specific health topic. As participants answer the questions correctly, they are sent more rounds of questions, again at no cost. If the participant can answer enough questions correctly, he/she receives incentives such as phone credit, t-shirts and health products.

Thus far, TTC has reached thousands of individuals with their programs on HIV/AIDS, malaria, and reproductive health. Furthermore, to assess the impact of ICT in the countries they are currently working in, TTC will even conduct large scale ICT evaluations over the next few years in those countries.

TTC is poised to make an impact in ICT through their mobile services. Their work is just another example of how mobile phones are being used as a medium to educate, inform and save lives. The tag-team partnership with C4C will be expanded to all 11 target countries by the end of this year. However, we will have to wait some time before confirming the outcome of this joint strategic approach.

June 27, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Health, Health, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Text to Change: SMS reminders double HIV testing

Short text messages can be used to increase HIV awareness and double the number of people who go for HIV testing, a survey has stated. According to the results of a survey conducted by Text to change, an SMS quiz and reminder sent to respondents led to an increase in the number of people who went for HIV testing.

The SMS campaign was conducted in February 2010 in Lira (Northern part of Uganda). The survey documents that after sending SMS questions and reminders in the second week of February, 398 HIV tests were carried out at the Lira AIDS Information Centre, twice the number compared with 185 in the first week of February.

The survey was conducted among 7,000 people in Lira with an average age of 28.Among those surveyed majority had sufficient knowledge on issues surrounding HIV and family planning. However, only 44 percent had been tested of HIV in the past year.

During the survey conducted by Text to Change, in partnership with Deutscher Entwicklungsdients (DED), more than 145,000 people in the North Western region of Uganda were asked via radio broadcasts to subscribe to the Text to Change HIV/AIDS SMS Quiz. A record 96% of participants in the survey stated that the survey helped them gain new knowledge on HIV and related issues. Ralf Westhageman from DED Lira, stated:

“Both AIC and DED were surprised with the excellent results in terms of program participation and uptake of HCT services. People in Lira liked this programme so much. Even until today we get an enquiry to continue with it. Together with the Town Council, we never expected such a high number (7,000) of subscribers to take part and get involved. In short, it is without doubt, that we can call it “the most successful HIV Programme in Lira to date”.

Participants received seven questions on HIV/AIDS issues and three on family planning. One of the questions asked was: Would you think of getting an HIV test? YES or NO to improve participants’ knowledge, an SMS confirming whether their responses were correct was sent. Participants, who replied an incorrect answer, received additional information on HIV.

The survey indicates that on average, 74% of all questions sent via SMS were answered correctly a clear sign that majority of participants are somewhat knowledgeable in regard to HIV and related issues.

This marked an increased level of awareness compared to the 2006 Domestic Household Survey where only 28% of women and 36% of men had any comprehensive awareness of HIV/AIDS. Men formed the majority of the respondents -81%. Generally women were much more likely to answer correctly on questions regarding their higher chances of becoming infected with HIV whereas men answered correctly on the issue of a woman transmitting HIV to her baby during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

The objective of the study was to improve HIV/AIDS awareness and to increase the number of people going for testing services in Lira in order to increase the awareness of one’s HIV status and to encourage people to seek early treatment and care in order to decrease further HIV transmission. Lira-town has an estimated 80,000 inhabitants according to the results of the 2002 census and approximately 145,000 people living in the wider district. The high mobile penetration in East Africa has placed the use of SMS as an appropriate means of disseminating information due to easy access and simplicity in use.

Click on this link to the Text to Change website for the full research paper.

January 18, 2011/by actualize