Text Me! Flash Me! Helpline - Ghana

This project uses cell phone technology to provide most-at-risk populations (MARP) with friendly and accessible HIV and AIDS information, referrals, and counseling services from qualified providers. The Helpline was launched in September 2008 through a pilot focusing on men who have sex with men (MSM) exclusively, and then was expanded in February 2009 to include female sex workers (FSW).

Text Me! relies on a database of cell phone numbers collected by peer educators and social networks. Outgoing SMS texts are sent with educational and promotional messages, either through a "phased communication" strategy or in response to trends noticed through ongoing quality assurance and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). Automatic SMS text responses are sent to clients' SMS text inquiries that refer clients who text "HELP" to live Helpline counselors, who call back within 24 hours.

The Flash Me! component of the project refers to the fact that, in order to encourage clients to call and use a Helpline, it is important that the call is free to the client. However, in Ghana, there is currently no way to procure a phone number that will be free for all callers from all networks. The solution was that potential clients may "flash" the cell phone number of a Helpline counselor on duty, who returns the client's call within 24 hours. Helpline counselors' cell phone numbers and duty hours are disseminated both through social networks, discrete fliers, and by peer educators.

2009 evaluation showed:

• The number of callers disclosing their sexual orientation to a Helpline counselor increased each month. In addition:
  - 86.9% of survey respondents said that after their Helpline call session they shared the information they received with others;
  - 40% of respondents forwarded the texts they received to others, and sent to an average of 8.6 other people;
  - Respondents who forwarded texts said their reason for doing so was either to educate others, or because they wanted them to have the same information;
  - Only 13.1% of clients said they did not share the information with anyone.
• The evaluation findings revealed that the Helpline increased clients' knowledge of and intention to use condoms and lubricants.
• Of the survey respondents who were referred for services by a Helpline counselor; 47% reported that they followed up and went for these services; 77% said they intended to go for counseling and testing (CT) services; 23% said they did not intend to, mainly because they said were "already aware of my HIV status" or had "already taken the HIV test". The sum total of CT service uptake in Oct. 2008 was higher than the uptake numbers in the previous 5 months combined at the MSM drop-in center at one of the project's local NGO implementing partners: 69 clients from May to Sep. 2008, as compared to 76 clients in Oct. 2008.
• CT uptake following referrals increased after the launch of the Helpline:
  - 16% effective referrals over the period of Apr.-Aug. 2008;
  - 39% effective referrals over the period of Sep. 2008-Jan. 2009.
  - Prior to the Helpline, only 1% of MSM referred to the MSM drop-in centre at one of the project's local NGO implementing partners for sexually transmitted infection (STI) services actually went and received STI services. Following the launch of the Helpline Pilot, that number increased to 11%.

School-Based Information And Communication Technology Centre in Binga District, Zimbabwe

This school-based ICT centre was equipped with computers and supported by a training component that trained school personnel, students, and community members in the use of the computers, accessing information online, and communicating with others via email.

2004 evaluation showed:

• The establishment of Binga High School ICTC has been widely accepted by staff at the school and the general public. The computers and the internet have afforded the people the opportunity to access information to which they would not otherwise be able to access. For instance, the dearth in cost of books and study materials has been alleviated by accessing the requisite information on the internet. In addition, the public can also access newspapers on the internet as these are not delivered to Binga because of its remote location. The availability of e-mail services has also facilitated a cost-effective means of communication.
• The people that have been trained in the use of computers comprise the school pupils, teachers, local government officers, and the general public.
• The Binga ICTC is now hosted in three schools.

AIDSWEB Project - Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Launched in 1998, this AIDSWEB project aimed to offer secondary-school students training and access to technology, accurate information about HIV/AIDS, and guidance in initiating and sustaining action to combat the disease through national and cross-national partnerships.

2002 evaluation showed:

• AIDSWEB students were almost twice as likely to correctly identify all 4 methods of AIDS prevention and transmission. These results were consistent across countries, except for Uganda (a country that, according to evaluators, has well-established programmes in HIV/AIDS education and youth development).
• 63% in the control group and 85% of the intervention group responded that they helped their communities by sharing information about HIV/AIDS with family, friends, and/or health workers about HIV/AIDS; volunteering with local organisations or health clinics/hospitals; or developing a social action plan. AIDSWEB students were similar to students outside the programme in their choices of social action, but AIDSWEB students were more than twice as likely to develop social action plans.

Radio Sagarmatha - Nepal

Radio Sagarmatha is an independent community broadcasting station run by environmental journalists in Nepal. In addition to environmental issues, information and communication technology (ICT) is a central focus.

"Sagarmatha Site" is a 15-minute recorded programme in three segments that include: discussion and live browsing of a featured website (with a focus on international websites); "Sabdartha," which explores technical language related to the internet; and the exploration of research techniques by an experienced internet user. Listeners are invited to call in with specific requests for information or computer-related assistance; studio personnel consult the internet to answers questions on the air. There are also live broadcasts of major ICT events taking place in Kathmandu.

In March, 2002 a radio quiz was initiated and is conducted fortnightly. Winners are rewarded with free training, which is sponsored by private corporations, in ICT.

2002 evaluation showed:

• The radio quiz has inspired a growth in the number of letters and e-mails by 200%. As the programme has progressed, broadcasters have received an increasing number of requests for specific information about ICT. They have also received more computer-related questions, such as inquiries about how to fix computer hardware and software problems.
• Due in part to the full automation of Sagarmatha's broadcast operation, the programme de-mystified the technology to producers and technicians at the station. When the programme started, there was a single computer, but now there are ten. Many programmes are directly recorded in computers in MP3 format and played on air. The daily archives of the broadcast are also kept on CD-ROMs in MP3 format. A CEO of an local ISP, ITNTI, provided free web hosting and e-mail service for the radio station after he came to the studio for the interview.