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Text to Change: HIV/AIDS education, data gathering and uptake of VCT via mobile telephony.

Challenges Entered: 
Using SMS technology to spread information about HIV/AIDS among mobile phone users in Uganda in order to measure, analyze and improve knowledge, attitude and behavior regarding HIV/AIDS.

Text to Change will develop interactive SMS -based quizzes to increase HIV/AIDS knowledge and discussion among mobile phone users. The participants will receive general knowledge and reply to multiple choice questions related to HIV/AIDS subjects. They will send in their answers by SMS, free of charge, while retaining their anonymity. More specific background information leading to the right answers will be found in a special column printed in the local newspapers and posted on the TTC website. Three questions a week will be sent to registered participants by SMS covering a three month period. The questions will be focused on: HIV prevention (general knowledge, condom use, STI, behavioral change, Mother to child transmission (MTCT);Stigma and discrimination issues; Where to go for voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) as well as treatment for HIV and secondary infections. In addition, the SMS-based tool can play a role in other areas, such as treatment, education (adherence, treatment knowledge-building) and monitoring and evaluation. If a participant sends in a correct answer, he or she will receive a confirmation SMS with explanation from the TTC server. If someone submits an incorrect answer, a rectifying SMS will automatically follow from the database with the correct answer in combination with an explanation. This will enable TTC to structure the questions and build up a dialogue with the participants. In order to stimulate the participants, the quiz will be linked with a reward system (incentive). Participants who submit correct answers can win attractive prizes. Winners will be contacted by SMS at the end of each week and at the end of the quiz. After the last round, winners will be selected, based on the overall results In addition: Text to Change has conducted two programs in Mbarara and Arua, Uganda to test this innovative initiative in February 2008 and January 2009. From February 14th 2008 until April 8th 2008 there were 15,000 Celtel mobile phone users targeted of the Greater Mbarara region. The duration of the program was 8 weeks. There were 2610 (17,4%) people who responded on 1 ≥ sms question. Age was available for 2610 (30.9%) respondents; Of the 801 respondents with known sex, 567 (70.8%) were male and 234 (29.2%) were female.During the pilot, 255 individuals went for Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) through our program. Of those, 71.7% were male 28.3% were female. HIV prevalence among those who were tested through the TTC program is 7%

Project Details
Project video: 
Project Assessment
Financial support: 
Project has financial support
Sustainability Model: 
Text to Change is still depending on external funding. At this moment we have our sms software running at MTN Uganda. If we can generate revenues from giving corporates access to our sms quiz/survey software for customer satisfaction surveys or commercial quizzes then we can use these revenues to conduct our HIV/AIDS education quiz. In addition: Yes
Expertise needed: 
How to develop the best sms software platform to conduct text message based multiple choice quizzes?
How to generate good media coverage in Uganda. Radio talk shows and newspaper adverts can be obtained, but is making partnerships with these commercial organizations a better way to create free publicity?
Project goals: 
-February 2008: Pilot Mbarara, Uganda.-April - September 2008: development of new sms software.-September - December 2008: Implementation of software at MTN Uganda and getting more funding fo our program.-January 2009: second sms program Arua, Uganda with Aids information Center and Dutch Ministry of Foreign affairs.-February-April 2009: Scaling up program to Tanzania and South Africa
Identified Obstacles: 
An extensive marketing campaign, using radio, bill boarding and newspapers, should precede the sms- program. Technical improvements need to be done in order to run the program in a systematic manner. We would like to shorten the duration of the program to 2 weeks, hoping to prevent drop out of participants. In the introductory message age and gender data should be collected. To include non-English speaking subscribers, we have to translate the messages into the local languages.

Locations

Kampala
Uganda
Uganda

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