It is our experience that there has, for many years, been a critical gap when it comes to information available about what HIV/AIDS-related services are available and where they are located. Knowing that there are in fact countless HIV-related initiatives in South Africa with skills, expertise and the will to make a difference in the struggle we fight daily against HIV/AIDS, the Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking (HIVAN) decided to do something about this. The result is HIV-911 Programme.

Commenting on the development of the HIV-911 Programme, Debbie Heustice, Director of the Programme, writes ….

“If I had a Rand for every minute that I have spent searching for a number of someone who can help me with some aspect of my HIV-related work, I would be rich!  Talking with a number of colleagues over the past few years, my frustrations have been echoed. Clearly, I am not alone. This frustration even more pronounced for millions of South Africans who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS and spend countless hours, travel many kilometres, and spend what little money they have in the hope of finding treatment, care or supplementary HIV/AIDS support services when in fact those very services might be provided by an NGO, FBO or clinic in their own area. Sound familiar?

It is our experience that there has, for many years, been a critical gap when it comes to information available about what HIV/AIDS-related services are available and where they are located. 

Knowing that there are in fact countless HIV-related initiatives in South Africa with skills, expertise and the will to make a difference in the struggle we fight daily against HIV/AIDS, the Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking (HIVAN) decided to do something about this. The result is HIV-911 Programme. HIV-911 fills the service provider information gap for all South Africans as it specialises in providing referrals to over 6 500 HIV-related service providers in the country. Through this, HIV-911 also creates opportunities for the AIDS service sector, allowing service providers to network more effectively with one another, share ideas, identify potential partners and collaborators for projects, and easily locate and recommend supplementary support services for their clients.

HIV-911 was piloted extensively prior to its national launch on 29 November 2007. We knew that having a comprehensive database of HIV-related services was only part of the solution as people working in the AIDS service sector have varying and often limited access to resources and technology. We needed to create a stable of services which could connect people in the most remote places in South. This was a challenge and resulted in HIV-911 being piloted over a two year period in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.  

This was a very valuable learning time for us. We realised that for some people easy access to our database would mean going online while for others a paper-based directory or access to a data collection / referral line would be more appropriate.  HIV-911 has as a result developed multiple ways of accessing its service provider database.

In January 2007 we began operating a national data collection / referral line and in November 2007 we launched our first hard copy directory series (in partnership with the Foundation for Professional Development), as well as a dedicated HIV-911 website with on line search functionality.  In this way HIV-911 ensures that no-one in South Africa is excluded from receiving information on where to access HIV-related support and services. 

To access the HIV-911 database of HIV/AIDS services:

View the directory online at www.hiv911.org.za

• order provincial directories
• or access the HIV-911 database via the National AIDS Helpline

The following section provides further detail on the HIV-911 Programme.  Should you have further questions we’d be delighted to hear from you.”

The Database

The HIV-911 database currently holds information on over 6 500 HIV-related support services country-wide. For each organisation one or a number of HIV-related services are detailed, including operating days, times and costs. The database has been developed and refined over the past six years and is reputed to be the most comprehensive and up-to-date in South Africa.  The database is continually updated and new organisations are added daily. The database fields are also consistently expanded and reviewed to ensure that developments in treatment, care and support, and changes in the type of information requested by the public and service providers utilising the HIV-911 Programme are reflected. Service areas covered range from testing, treatment, counselling, home-based care, welfare advice and assistance for orphaned children, to education, research and faith-based support and services.

HIV-911 Data Collection Centre and Referral Line

The HIV-911 Data Collection Centre operates week days between 07h30 to 16h30 for both data collection and referral. The HIV-911 management team engage with and establish collaborative arrangements with organisations that have data based information to avoid duplication of effort and ensure that HIV-911 covers the full spectrum of HIV-related support services in the country.

Comprehensive, accurate and up to date service data is critical for a project such as HIV-911. A strict timeline and set of data capture targets has been developed and refined by the project team to ensure that HIV-related service information for all provinces is revised and expanded on an annual basis. All database entries are moderated to check for accuracy, completeness and consistency. In addition to ongoing data collection, staff members are able to query the database in order to assist callers with referrals to support services.  These efforts are targeted at the AIDS service sector.  HIV-911 collaborates with the National AIDS Helpline to ensure that the general public has 24 hour access to HIV-911’s database.

HIV-911 Website and Online Directory

The online directory provides another means by which individuals and organisations from across South Africa can access the HIV-911 database. In addition to an easy to use database search located on the right hand side of the home page, users have access to supplementary information on the HIV-911 programme. They can read more about the programme; place credit card orders for directories; update and add their details to the HIV-911 database, amongst others.There are five online search categories: keyword, location, type of organisation, service area, clients served and language. Location searches can be done by province, district municipality, and local municipality. For further details see www.hiv911.org.za

National Hard Copy Directory Series

HIV-911 partnered with the Foundation for Professional Development to produce a series of nine provincial directories each year.  Launched on 29 November 2007 with the dissemination of the KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape provincial directories, all nine provincial directories in Series 1 will be complete by the end of September 2008. This project, the National HIV-Directory Project, is the first of its kind in South Africa, and has been well received both nationally and internationally. To date data capture is complete for seven of the nine provinces in the country. Directories for KwaZulu-Natal (4 700), the Northern Cape (450), Gauteng (4 000), Mpumalanga (800), and Free State (1 000) are already in circulation. Directories for the Western Cape (3 000) and Eastern Cape (2 000) are currently in production. Data capture for the remaining two provinces will be complete within the next few months.  Series 2 will begin shortly thereafter. Over the course of Series 1, HIV-911 anticipates distributing over 18 500 directories across South Africa. 

It is a great achievement for HIV-911 to have been able to update, collate and disseminate information on such a large number of organisations, most of which encompass more than one area of service, in such a short timeframe. HIV-911’s provincial directory series has been partially made possible by the generous support of the American people through USAID/PEPFAR.  To order additional copies of the HIV-911 directory call 0860 HIV 911 or click here. 

Accolades and Awards

The importance of HIV-911 was recognised when it was awarded the 2007 Unitech Excellence Award for Community Development.  Unitech is the association of marketing, communications and public relations practitioners at SA Higher Education Institutions and Further Education and Training Colleges. The theme for the 2007 Congress was “Changing Lanes: Global Best Practices in Marketing, Communications and Advancement.” HIV-911 is a flagship programme of the Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking (HIVAN), University of KwaZulu-Natal. HIVAN constantly receives feedback from uses of the HIV-911 Programme.  For endorsements of HIV-911 Programme, see http://www.hiv911.org.za/?page_id=37 

Funding

HIV-911 receives funding from several sources and actively fundraises so that it can continue to provide access to its services at low or no cost. Some income generation has been possible through advertising within, and the sale of, HIV-911 directories.

Partnerships

HIVAN is continually seeking new partnerships and opportunities to expand the reach of the HIV-911 database, both within existing and new HIV-related focus areas such as support services for vulnerable women and children. Letters of support from provincial government in most of provinces have been obtained, as well as the active support of major NGO coalitions in the country such as the AIDS Consortium, NACOSA and Eastern Cape NGO Coalition. A partnership with Higher Education South Africa’s AIDS Programme (HEAIDS) is facilitating the use of HIV-911 Programme as a support service to the higher education sector.  Similarly, HIV-911 collaborates with the corporate sector through the SA Business Coalition Against HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA). A number of faith based collaborations, such as with the KZN Inter-Religious Council and World Conference on Religion and Peace, ensure that efforts of this sector are reflected in the database.

An invitation to you

HIVAN would like your help in maintaining and expanding the reach of the HIV-911 database. If you are involved in HIV-related activities (or know someone who is), please call 0860 HIV 911 to update / add new organisations with our Data Collection team. You can also use the “edit” function on line to alert us to changes on any organisation on the database. If you search and find that you are not on the HIV-911 database, please call our Data Collection team on 0860 HIV (448) 911 or complete the database form by clicking on the following link: http://www.hiv911.org.za/hivanaddorg.php

– Debbie Heustice is the Director of the HIV-911 Programme and the Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking