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Nairobi (pte054/01.12.2004/16:40) - A mobile phone text message service has been launched in Kenya in the battle against HIV/Aids. The non-governmental organisation (NGO) One World http://www.oneworld.net launched the service today to coincide with World Aids Day. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, people will be able to use a special number to text questions on the issue and receive an answer for free. Subscribers to the service will be able to get daily tips on how to prevent the infection and cope with the pandemic.
According to the NGO, the mobile channel is the best one to reach people in the east African country. Up to 2.5 million Kenyans have a mobile phone - five times more than those with Internet access, and it is expected that these numbers will grow. Although standard texts are limited to 160 characters, the team behind the project do not see this as a hindrance. "People can sign on to receive a tip a day on HIV/Aids related issues, that can range from the use of antiretrovirals to issues regarding how they need to take care of themselves," explained Anthony Mwaniki, One World's business manager in Kenya.
The most popular part of the project is expected to be a question and answer service, where people can text questions via their mobiles. "These questions are received by us as an e-mail. Then we look at those questions from our database and we give the appropriate response, and this response is then sent back to the person's mobile phone as an SMS," explained Mwaniki.
The service is set to operate exclusively in English to start with, but a Swahili version is expected in the near future. "We are beginning to look at ways of doing that, because people told us they are enjoying the information they are getting, but would want to have it in Swahili," said Mwaniki. "We already have our HIV database translated into Swahili, and we will be having the SMS community service also available in that language."
HIV/Aids has been declared a national disaster in Kenya, as more than two million out of a total population of 32.4 million are HIV positive. More than 1.5 million people have died due to Aids. One World is hoping the confidentiality of the new service will attract many people, who would otherwise have kept away from the country's HIV clinics due to the stigma of the disease.
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