Mpilonhle and ecosystem partners introduce mobile eHealth initiative in S. Africa

The Mpilonhle Mobile 50x15 Learning Lab is part of the Mpilonhle Health and Computer Training Project. Mpilonhle (a Zulu word meaning “A Good Life”) is a community-based non-governmental organization (NGO) located in the Umkhanyakude District, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The area is among the poorest and most remote regions in South Africa, with adult unemployment rates of 70 percent, high HIV infection rates that approach 50 percent among some age groups and a history of underinvestment in schools and other social structures during the apartheid period.

Mpilonhle’s mission is to improve health and social development among youth in Umkhanyakude District, who attend schools that are among the most remote and impoverished in South Africa. High failure rates on the national matriculation exam are directly related to limited resources such as running water and electricity. The majority of students graduate without ever having touched a computer, thereby increasing their chances of either being unemployed upon graduation or failing to matriculate into higher education. These results are associated with students’ risk of contracting HIV or engaging in antisocial behavior. To combat this problem, Mpilonhle has developed a solution that encourages the youth to undergo information and communications technology (ICT) training while simultaneously being tested for and educated in HIV and AIDS issues. In this way, Mpilonhle seeks to prove that the use of ICT skills training in conjunction with e-education can help alleviate the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS that has hindered previous health assessments.

A novel feature of this learning lab is the use of a mobile unit consisting of two custom-designed trailers that caravan behind a van to bring the testing and training directly to the students’ doorsteps. The mobile unit provides both health and computer services. By integrating these two functions into one unit, Mpilonhle is able to share the cost between projects, reduce the overall budget and positively impact the community. The mobile units provide each student with four annual 90-minute computer training sessions on health education emphasizing HIV prevention, an individual health screening session that includes voluntary HIV testing, and nursing and social work services. These sessions are supplemented by access to the computer labs during break periods, school holidays and weekends.

The computer learning lab consists of 24 Inveneo Computing Stations encased in a custom-designed metal console. In addition to enhancing security and mobility, the consoles allow for easier setup and networking of the units on a daily basis. A Cisco Linksys wireless connector allows the computing stations to be linked to a central server, and each console is connected via FTP cables. Currently, software directly loaded onto each Inveneo Computing Station includes Microsoft® Windows XP, Microsoft® Office 2003, and Microsoft® Student Encarta 2007. Starting in February 2008, the units will be linked to the server allowing individual student usage to be tracked by a biometric identifier. Students will log into the system using fingerprint recognition with a GR fingerprint reader that is connected to a USB port on each computer station. Students also will use fingerprint identification to register for their visits with counselors and the nurse.

In the recently completed pilot phase of the program (October and November 2007), classes of 24 students learned basic computer skills. With the return of classes in February 2008, information on HIV and other health issues is available for students to browse outside of formal sessions. In addition, students will be able to take quizzes on information covered during their health education and individual counseling sessions. The goal in 2008 is to link the units to the Internet using a terrestrial wireless connection. The two-month pilot project has exceeded expectations thus far, with 46 teachers and 1270 students receiving computer education and 450 tests for HIV through January 2008.