Handheld health: new mobile technology locates RH services

Cellphones have become indispensable for everything from booking holidays and buying movie tickets to satellite navigation and ordering pizza.  Now, Argentinians can use theirs to find a wide range of reproductive health services without having to download an app or program.

#Dónde (meaning “where” in Spanish) is an open-source platform helping users locate condom delivery points, HIV-testing centres, advice on STIs, vaccine centres, contraceptive counselling, and safe and legal abortion counselling. A user can enter “donde.huesped.org.ar” into their browser and find the geolocation of a service quickly and easily; they can even rate the quality of care received at each service point to help other users access RH services better. #Dónde is specially designed for young people to be discreet, portable and empowering.

#Dónde has been developed in three key stages: originally developed by Fundación Huésped with the Government of the City of Buenos Aires in 2013, #Dónde provided searches for HIV-testing centres and condom delivery sites. The second phase incorporated vaccines and infection centers, and the third version, supported by the Coalition’s Innovation Fund and developed with CEDES, has added new services: contraception provision and safe, legal abortion counselling.  

 #Dónde is the result of successful collaboration between several partners including: the International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region and a coalition including: Amnesty International Argentina, the FUSA Group, Catholics for Choice Argentina, the National Ministry of Social Development and the Youth Collective for Sexual and Reproductive Rights. For more information, please contact Betiana Caceres at betiana.caceres@huesped.org.ar.