Mpumalanga Mesh:Project Chapter

FMFI Peebles Valley Mesh Network, White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa:

FMFI Telehealth Project in Tsilitwa, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Researchers:	Dwayne Bailey (dwayne[@]translate.org.za)
	David Johnson (djohnson[@]csir.co.za)

Background

ACTS Clinic, a non-government HIV/AIDS clinic in the Masoyi Village near the Kruger National Park in South Africa, is also at the hub of an information and communication project supported by the IDRC. The clinic (green roof in pictures above) has an expensive VSAT connection but through developing a least-cost wifi mesh-network this signal is being shared enabling communication with their hospice nearby (middle picture), the village school, the home of one of the care givers and surrounding farmers.

Not only has the clinic brought hope to many, who have literally risen from their death beds (like Benjamin in the right hand corner) thanks to the ART drugs, but Portia Ndluli, 19 years old, has a new life as well because with access to the internet at her home, this school leaver has developed a new interest in life. She would otherwise be unemployed in this rural enclave. But through connectivity she has become self taught and now has a computer club of 6 youths, who come to her house to learn about the internet and online research and communication.

The tin can “cantennae” used to cover the wireless antennae erected onto of the Ndluli’s house is rusted, but the connection still works very well and Portia, together with the school, hospice, farmers and others are sharing the network at least cost with the clinic. The hospice now has a voice over internet phone connection to the clinic nearby, and will save the staff and clinic thousands of rands in cellular phone bills.

This Clinic, which is mainly funded by a pharmaceutical company social grant, has brought hope to over 700 patients in the area. The clinic hopes to extend its influence to 32 other public clinics in the area so that the more than 5000 patients can have access to ART. One way to scale up is through improving communications between the clinics.