Ethiopian MOH to Host Field Trip to Wegen HIV Hotline Headquarters at End of SBCC Summit

Space is limited to participate in a field trip hosted by the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health to see the Wegen AIDS Talkline in action. The field trip will take place following the conclusion of the International Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from Feb. 8 – 10, 2016.

The field trip is scheduled to take place Feb. 10, 2016 at 6:30 pm. Space is limited to 20 participants. Sign up below by adding the session to your schedule.

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The Wegen AIDS Talkline is a toll-free hotline that provides information, telephone counseling and a referral service on HIV/AIDS, STIs, TB and related topics. Established in 2004, it serves people from all over Ethiopia who access the service by dialing 952. The Talkline offers confidential telephone counseling in 14 local languages including Amharic, Afaregna, Aderegna, Oromiffa, Somalegna, Siltigna, Guragegna, Wolayitegna, Kembategna, Hadyigna, Sidamigna, Tigregna, Awigna, Dawrogna, as well as English.

Wegen counselors provide callers with scientifically accurate information and counseling about HIV/AIDS-related issues including HIV counseling and testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, treatment, opportunistic infections, care and support, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis (TB). The Talkline also links callers to health services and resources available to them locally. The  center has a state-of-the-art calling system that records key data for further analysis and quality assurance. More on the Wegen AIDS Talkline.

In addition to the field trip, the MOH will also brief participants about DKT Ethiopia’s Higher Education Institutes (HEI) Initiative. HEI is DKT/E’s set of sexual and reproductive health activities targeting university students in Ethiopia. Launched in 2009, HEI is DKT/E’s response to university students’ heightened vulnerability to HIV and unwanted pregnancy. HEI is perhaps best known for its behavior change communication activities and social media website – Temarinet.com – one of the largest social networking platforms in Ethiopia specifically targeted towards university and college students. More on HEI.

The International SBCC Summit is hosted by the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health and the U.S. Agency for International Development. More on the Summit.