Press Releases

First Lady Of Zambia And U.S. Ambassador ‘Call 990’ To Fight HIV/AIDS

Lusaka
March 15, 2007

Zambian First Lady Mrs. Maureen Mwanawasa and Ambassador Carmen Martinez with members of a football squad made up of Lusaka vulnerable children. Photo:Christopher Wurst/U.S. Embassy, Lusaka.

LUSAKA, March 15 – The First Lady of Zambia, Maureen Mwanawasa, and U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, Carmen Martinez, today launched the ‘Call 990’ HIV/AIDS awareness campaign at Mulungushi Conference Center. The campaign to draw public attention to the national HIV Talkline will result in more Zambians benefiting from a full range of information, counseling and referral assistance.

The 24-hour, year round HIV Talkline offers confidential services which allow callers to speak openly about their feelings and concerns without fear or shame. The Talkline can be reached free of charge by dialing 990 from any landline phone in Zambia or via Zamtel and Cell-Z networks. Callers speak directly to skilled nurse counselors who provide a range of information, including locations of voluntary counseling and testing centers and referrals to any clinic or hospital in the country. Every caller receives individual attention tailored to his or her specific needs. Information is available on the Talkline in a number of local languages.

The 990 call center is managed by Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Management Program (CHAMP), a not-for-profit organization. Talkline is funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and is implemented with the help of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The campaign supports Zambia’s National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework and calls for widespread promotion of voluntary counseling and testing, abstinence, delayed sexual debut, and faithfulness to one partner. In the past year, the U.S. Government has provided $149 million for HIV-related programs in Zambia.

In her remarks, First Lady Mrs. Mwanawasa said, “I believe the HIV Talkline is a major step forward in Zambia’s fight against HIV/AIDS, and I encourage anyone, whether positive or negative, to please call the Talkline and ask the questions that are often so difficult to ask friends and family.”

Ambassador Martinez urged all health-related organizations, workplaces, and line ministries to integrate the HIV Talkline into their programs. “In this way,” she said, “we will be able to reach every area of the country and ensure that most Zambians have access to consistent and correct information on HIV/AIDS from well-trained professionals.”

Since Talkline’s activation in December 2003, more than 420,000 people have called and more than 123,000 Zambians have received services, indicating a high demand for free and confidential HIV/AIDS information. Most callers are below 29 years of age and located throughout the country, though urban centers record the highest number of calls. The HIV Talkline is dependent on external funding to continue and build on its services, and so far has enjoyed the support of several organizations, including USAID, Toyota Zambia, Zambia National AIDS Network, Zamtel, and the International Organization for Migration.
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