ADDIS ABABA, May 29, 2006 – AIDS Resource Center announces increase
in the service hours of the national toll-free Wegen AIDS Talkline to sixteen
hours from 8:00 am in the morning to 12:00 midnight - Monday through Saturday
- providing counseling, information and referral services related to HIV/AIDS.
The talkline is one of AIDS Resource Center’s projects in creating access
to accurate and up-to-date information on HIV/AIDS to the Ethiopian public.
Extensive changes were made by the Resource Center to meet the needs of callers
to Wegen AIDS Talkline. Initially, the talkline had 8 telephone lines and 16
counselors serving Monday through Saturday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Currently,
additional 16 telephone lines were made accessible (a total of 24 lines) and
39 counselors providing services 6 days a week from 8:00 am to 12:00 midnight.
Extending the service hours was found necessary due to the high number of calls
received during the late hours that remained unanswered. Findings also showed
that a high number of callers prefer night hours to make calls privately to
discuss personal issues related HIV/AIDS.
Wegen AIDS Talkline provides a wide range of information on HIV/AIDS, including
voluntary counseling and testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission
(PMTCT) and possible avenues for treatment including antiretroviral therapy
and rapid referrals free of charge to callers across the country.
"Wegen AIDS Talkline" has been operational since December 2004. It
can be reached free of charge from any landline telephone throughout the country
by dialing 952. Callers with mobile phones will be charged with the regular
ETC rate.
The hotline is operated by Ethiopia's AIDS Resource Center (ARC), funded by HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO) and President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and implemented by Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health - Center for Communication Programs (CCP).