1. Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues www.tarshi.net

2. The TARSHI Helpline Experience Reflections on Outreach and New Technologies Prabha Nagaraja www.tarshi.net

3. WeBelieve All people have the right to sexual well-being, and a self-affirming and enjoyable sexuality www.tarshi.net

4. Our Mission We work towards expanding sexual and reproductive choices in people’s lives in an effort to enable them to enjoy lives of dignity, freedom from fear, infection, and reproductive and sexual health problems www.tarshi.net

5. What we do... • TARSHI Helpline /IVRS Infoline • The South and Southeast Asia Resource Centre on Sexuality • Trainings & Institutes • Publications • Advocacy Initiatives / Public education • Website www.tarshi.net

6. TARSHI Helpline • Free, Confidential, Anonymous and Non-judgmental service from 1996 to 2009 • Information, Counselling and Referrals on sexuality, reproductive health and related issues • Especially for women and young people • IVRS from June 2010 • Monday – Friday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm • Average of 300 calls a month www.tarshi.net

7. TARSHI Helpline • Over 60,000 calls received from 1996 to 2009 • Callers: women, men and transgender people • Age of callers: 12 to 70+ years • Diverse socio-economic backgrounds • General sex information, contraception, homosexuality, sexual abuse, relationship issues, HIV and AIDS etc www.tarshi.net

8. Outreach/Publicity • Only for women vs. Especially for women • Newspapers, magazines*, stickers, fliers – limited success • Cable TV – timings chosen for women/homemakers* • FM most successful* (in early days of FM in India) • Internet – increasingly popular even in smaller towns Publicity consistently aimed at women but more men reached! www.tarshi.net

9. Some Helpline Publications • Guidelines for Good Helpline Practice, 2003 • Talking About Sexuality: A Report, 2007 • A Review of the TARSHI Helpline for WHO by KIT, 2008 • Sustainability of Helplines, Models That Work, 2008 www.tarshi.net

10. Transition • From a Helpline providing Information, Counselling and Referrals • To • A pre-recorded Information Based Service in 2010 www.tarshi.net

11. IVRS/Infoline • Pre-recorded information in English and Hindi • On seven topics: • Female Anatomy • Male Anatomy • Sexual Expression • Conception, Contraception and Abortion • Sexual and Gender Identities • HIV and STIs • Violence and Abuse www.tarshi.net

12. Setting Up an IVRS • Identify software provider • Budget • Past experience in similar work • Service record • Develop content • Structure of the system • Prioritising information www.tarshi.net

13. Setting Up an IVRS • Recording the content • Identify a studio if the software people do not provide this facility • Identify voices for recording – female/male, young/mature, accent etc. • Testing the service • Check the call flow • Check content and revise if required www.tarshi.net

14. Advantages • Callers can access basic, accurate, standardised information as many times as they want and in their own time. • In the absence of reliable sources of information or a CSE programme, this helps fill the information gaps to an extent. • Cost effective – initial cost of software, computer and telephone lines and then minimal running costs as opposed to having to pay for training counsellors, salaries, professional development etc. www.tarshi.net

15. Disadvantages • The amount of information you can fit into 30-45 seconds is limited. • Technical glitches, disruptions in electricity supply etc. can interrupt the service. • The recordings are not a substitute for speaking to a well-trained human being and can put people off. www.tarshi.net

16. Ideally... An IVRS service for basic information linked to a live counselling service would be a good combination. This would provide basic pre-recorded information at all times of the day and specialised counselling at specified times of the week. Saves operating costs as well as maximises reach of the service in addition to providing both information and counselling services. www.tarshi.net

17. Other ‘New’ Technologies • Mobile-based services • Text message services • On call 24 x 7 • Internet-based services • Websites, blogs, FAQs etc. • Email-based counselling • Chat-based counselling • Calling through Skype/other services • Elearning course www.tarshi.net

18. Pros and Cons www.tarshi.net

19. In conclusion • The potential of new technologies to reach wider audiences is immense and growing. • While potential risks exist given the nature of our work, they can be circumvented through well-thought-out and well-planned interventions as we have heard during this meeting. www.tarshi.net

20. THANK YOU www.tarshi.net