This case study illustrates that the use of appropriate mobile technology has a positive impact on maintaining men's participation in a health programme focusing on HIV testing and education.

Recent research findings on the Imbizo Men's Health Programme indicate that its male participants responded positively to the use of SMS communications. SMS was used to remind participants to go for HIV testing and inform them of upcoming events promoting AIDS and gender awareness. Taken together, this use of mobile technology has played an important part in ensuring that men have remained involved in this public health initiative.

Imbizo is an HIV support and educational programme run by male counsellors for men between ages of 16 to 55 years. It provides post-HIV testing counselling and runs educational workshops on condom usage and HIV risk reduction, the benefits of knowing one's HIV status and good fatherhood. The programme is run by HIVSA, a non-governmental organisation, and operates out of the ZAZI voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) centre operated by the Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU) located at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto.

To date, the programme has reached over 10,000 men in the Soweto area since its inception in 2005. Soweto, with South Africa's largest urban population, has some of the high levels of unemployment, poverty, and HIV prevalence in the country.

According to a recent academic study on Imbizo, the use of SMS messaging along with other methods such as distributing branded clothing and educational materials went far in keeping men interested and involved in the Imbizo programme. The study was conducted by Abigail Dreyer, a public health researcher.

As Dreyer has indicated, "It would seem that understanding, flexibility, adaptability and some level of creativity and motivation are required in order to successfully interact with different ages of the male population in relation to HIV related issues."

One of the biggest problems facing HIV-awareness campaigns is how to engage successfully with men as the group who unsuspectingly create vulnerability to HIV among women and children. The education of men on HIV and AIDS is seen as a key area to changing male attitudes and sexual behaviour to reduce the spread of the AIDS pandemic.

Forty-four black South African men living in Soweto were interviewed for the research. The men were mostly in 33 to 42 year old age range, unemployed, and levels of education that ranged from basic to graduates from tertiary institutions. Four were married, eight had partners and the remaining thirty-two were single. They were all isiZulu first language speakers and either spoke English as a second or third language. Many of the men were long-term participants in the project and had been involved in the Imbizo project for nearly two years.