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mHealth ConferenceDubai, 14th September 2010

Hajo van Beijmahvanbeijma@texttochange.com

@hajovanbeijma

Text to Change: Combating HIV/AIDS via sms in Africa.

-Offices in The Netherlands and Uganda;-6 people staff;-12 finished mHealth campaigns, 5 active campaigns in 5 countries;-5 ongoing research studies;-Partnerships with 15 organizations;-Scale to 12 countries in 2011 and 2012.

Text to Change and mHealth:

From pilot to scale, through:-Collaboration;-Low-tech for end-user, high-tech web-based server system;-Local content from local partners;-Long term contracts with all mobile providers;-Free services for the end-users;-Servicing governments, NGO’s and companies.

mHealth in developing countries:

Text to Change, a Social Mobile Content Provider: 5% software, 95% programs.

- Impact;- Challenges;- Scalability;- End user.

Text to Change programs:-Text message based multiple choice quizzes on health;- Incentive based: airtime, mobile phones, t-shirts;- Age, gender and location data is being gathered.

Family Health Int. & m4RH: Mobile for Reproductive Health.Testing the Feasibility of Providing Family Planning Information via Mobile Phones.

Text to Change: Why does it work?• Partnerships with mobile operators, telecom industry, NGO's and governments;• Software that will work in Africa;• Demand driven programs;• Local content;• Interactive education.Goals:• Create more awareness;• Gather data on knowledge;• Increase testing via sms referral.

Tools:• Text message quizzes;• Keywords;• Interactive voice response;• Data gathering.Where:• Uganda;• Kenya;• Tanzania;• Bolivia;• Madagascar;• Namibia.

Research projects:

- University of Oslo, Norway, department of Media and Communication: Mobile Communication andBehaviour Change in Action.- University of Utrecht and KIT, The Netherlands: Uptake in HIV testing via the use of sms.- Makarere University Uganda and Microsoft: Improve TB treatment completion.- IBM Research, USA: The use of social incentives to change behavior in text message based programs.- Family Health Int.: The use of mobile phones in familiy planing messages in Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana.

Impact:

2008: 15,000 participants. Uptake in HIV testing 35%, Uganda.* 1 HIV/AIDS program for Ugandan NGO

2009: 80,000 participants. Uptake in HIV testing 40%, Uganda, Kenya and Namibia.* 4 sms based Workplace programs on health for telecom operator, sugar factories, cobolt mine.* 4 HIV/AIDS, Yellow Fever, TB and Malaria programs for local NGO’s.

2010: 80,000 participants. Expansion to Tanzania, Bolivia, Cameroun, Mali and Ghana. * 7 sms based workplace programs.

Challenges: * Learn from failures, they do exist…

* Sms services in local languages;* Improve text message software;* Zero rating the service;* Service over all mobile networks;* Better data analysis;* More partners;* Local content;* Create sustainable programs;* Better training of peer educators on text messages;* Open Source system to establish interoperability between mobile for development systems.

Partners:-Local NGO’s: Healthchild, AIC, HIPS-International NGO’s: IICD, Unicef, FHI, KIT-UN-ECOSOC, WHO-Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, USAID, DED-Mobile Operators: Orange, MTN, ZAIN (Bharti Airtel) TIGO-IBM, Makerere University-PricewaterhouseCoopers, Clifford&Chance, MSD, TNO

Scalability:

Only way is: large scale operations with new mobile infrastructure partners, NGO’s and governments.

Focus: End User!

www.texttochange.com+31 20 486 6091amsterdam@texttochange.com