Objective: 

Project Last Mile (PLM) – an initiative of the Coca-Cola Company, the Coca-Cola Foundation, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – aims to apply private sector best practices in strategic marketing and supply chain to improve the uptake and availability of health commodities and services across Africa.  

In South Africa, PLM supports PEPFAR and the National Department of Health (NDoH) with a national behaviour change/marketing campaign aimed at men living with HIV entitled “MINA. For Men. For Health.” 

In June 2020, PLM contracted Khulisa to carry out a rapid survey of the MINA campaign in 20 pilot clinics in Gauteng province, to take a “rapid temperature check” of the campaign’s pilot testing approach and future national rollout. The survey – carried out remotely due to COVID-19 – obtained feedback from 62 clinicians and PEPFAR District Support Partners (DSPs) in the 20 pilot clinics on the following aspects of the campaign:- 

• Delivery and use of campaign collateral; 
•  Understanding of the campaign’s overarching objectives; 
•  Perceptions around the campaign’s strategic approach, materials, and message content; and 
•  Views on male patient reactions to, or engagement with, the campaign materials and messages. 

The Khulisa study helped PLM to adapt the campaign’s implementation approach for greater effectiveness. 

Approach:

Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, Khulisa’s solution involved remotely collecting data through telephone interviews.  

The sample included clinic staff and implementing partner staff in the 20 pilot clinics located in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni (two large metropolitan areas in Gauteng). Khulisa targeted a minimum of 60 interviews (all purposefully selected) based on contact information of on-boarded clinicians, clinic managers, and DSP staff. 

• The Khulisa team presented the study’s findings in a PowerPoint report, as requested by PLM. 

Impact:

Khulisa completed the study within seven weeks, interviewing 62 of 101 people identified. The team quickly generated results for PLM, both mid-stream and at the end of the survey, to enable modifications and adjustments to implementation of the pilot campaign. 

Key Staff:

Mary Pat Selvaggio, Kris Eale, David Ndou, Chelsea Selvan