Populations most at risk for HIV, including men who have sex with men, prefer to use convenient and confidential online tools to access HIV goods and services. The USAID Healthy Markets Project supports community-based organizations and social enterprises to use social media to market HIV services, including HIV lay and self-testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis prevention methods through the use of Facebook and other online tools. In June, USAID Healthy Markets Project assisted G-link, a Ho Chi Minh City-based community support organization, in developing a strategy for non-traditional retail and marketing approaches for HIV goods and services using interactive technology on its Facebook page. This doubled G-link’s facebook followers, reaching 1,400 followers. In June itself, 295 clients accessed HIV testing services, 15 clients tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and 5 clients obtained pre and post-exposure prophylaxis as a result of accessing G-link’s Facebook page. So what? Innovative retail and marketing approaches utilizing online tools allow greater numbers of at-risk populations to be reached and linked to HIV goods and services.
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