Mobile Solutions Help Geneva Global Fight HIV/AIDS in Africa

Geneva Global, one of the world's leading international philanthropic advisesr, has deployed mobile technologies from Anyware Mobile Solutions to improve the collection of demographic and behavioral data in the effort to improve HIV/AIDS care and prevention in Ethiopia and Ivory Coast. The project is funded under the President's Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and as phase-one goals are achieved, Geneva Global will deploy mobile data collection in other African nations afflicted by HIV/AIDS.

"Gathering accurate information is essential to HIV/AIDS prevention and care," says Clint Parr, president and CEO of Anyware. "By using mobile technologies to replace lengthy paper forms filled out and processed manually, Geneva Global can improve the quality of information and enable their partner providers to respond more rapidly and effectively with treatment and education."

Uniting Anyware's ReForm mobile data collection platform with handheld devices, the mobile surveys are an efficient means for gathering and submitting important demographic data as well as critical information relevant to health and behavior. Workers giving the Voluntary Counseling and Testing survey can quickly determine when individuals need to be tested and schedule treatment and counseling. Those conducting the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children survey can quickly identify at-risk children in need of medical, nutritional, and social support. Anyware and Geneva Global have developed six surveys in all.

Wireless connectivity can be a concern, so ReForm provides two options for uploading data. Where wireless is available, data is uploaded directly from the devices. Where it is not available, health workers can save completed surveys on the mobile device and upload them through clinic computers with dial-up modems.

Ultimately, mobile data collection will help local populations receive better care and prevention. It will also help Geneva Global and its local partners gain better insight, evaluate changing conditions more rapidly, take effective action, and allocate precious resources to people most severely ravaged by the disease.