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The start of the TTC SMS quiz Programme for supporting HIV/AIDS sensitization and education has been incredibly successful. The branch manager from the Mbarara branch of the AIDS Information Centre- Uganda (AIC), reported a significant increase in the uptake of their Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) services at the day of the launch February 14 (Valentines Day). AIC stated that the people who came for VCT, did so because of the SMS messages received, the radio program and the organized marching through Mbarara Town. The total number of people who received VCT was 216. This is more than a 100% increase compared to an average outreach executed by the AIC. HIV testing was completely free of charge at the mobile test centers, which were especially arranged for the occasion on Independents square. The program was officially launched by His Lordship the Mayor of Mbarara Wilson Tumwine. In his speech he praised the ground breaking Text to Change initiative. He said that all good things start with a good idea and claims to be very proud that Mbarara has been chosen for the pilot. He said that this programme has the potential to change the lives of the people in Uganda and especially those in rural communities. "We welcome this courageous group of people from Amsterdam who have come to help us in the fight against HIV/AIDS". The Program is a joint effort of Text to Change (TTC), The AIDS Information Centre - Uganda (AIC) and Celtel Uganda Limited. Dr. Raymond Byaruhanga, AIC Executive Director stated in his speech that : "Over the years, we, as AIC, have been pushing people to know more about HIV/AIDS and for people to know their HIV status. And now Text to Change comes in with a new perspective: use mobile telephony to spread messages on HIV/AIDS and increase the awareness on HIV/AIDS". The TTC/AIC quiz will start in Mbarara and we hope to scale up in 2 to 3 months. We hope the people from Mbarara will take up this initiative and use this opportunity to know their HIV status. "I would like to thank our colleagues from Holland, who came up with this very, very good idea. And I would like to thank AIC, who embraced it. " Bas Hoefman of TTC says: "We are very happy that the launch has been a huge success in terms of the uptake of VCT services. Therefore, we congratulate our partners at AIC Mbarara for this great achievement. Nevertheless, this program is a pilot and meant as a trial to see if the approach could be successful. The next step is to run the SMS quizzes in the local languages, so that the people in the rural areas, who don't speak English, can also be reached with HIVAIDS sensitization messages. In the end, we want the quiz to be accessible for every Ugandan. Besides the enormous growth of Mobile telephony in Africa, we think that especially the anonymity of mobile phones could be the reason that the program will become an enormous success. We genuinely believe that mobile telephony is the key to reach people with health communication messages in third world countries and especially in Africa. Therefore it is our firm ambition to become a global platform of telephony based health services." Besides cooperating with AIC and Celtel , TTC has received technical support from PharmAccess foundation, a Dutch not-for-profit organization supporting sustainable quality basic health care, including HIV/AIDS care and support in Africa . PharmAccess is active in over 20 countries in Africa, performing HIV/AIDS workplace programs, capacity building projects and is key implementer of Health insurance Fund programs. Furthermore Text to Change is being sponsored by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in Uganda, well known for its great service. To start the pilot program, TTC has received financial support from the Pharmaceutical Company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) and the Dutch National Committee for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development (NCDO).
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