The Well Project Launches Mobile App

The Well Project, the preeminent resource for information about women and HIV, announced on September 5 the release of its first mobile application, optimized for both Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms. The mobile app makes The Well Project's award-winning content more globally accessible, regardless of reliable internet access.

The Well Project app includes features ranging from treatment information to social issues, as well as posts from "A Girl Like Me," The Well Project's blog, which highlights the first-hand experiences of women living with HIV around the world.

The launch of this mobile app is the first step in a multi-tiered global initiative aiming to provide an online space where women in even the hardest-to-reach areas will be able to find the treatment information and support they seek in their own languages, coupled with the ability to share their experiences with other women living with HIV.

"In developing our mobile application, we are working to dramatically increase our reach, especially to women who may not have access to traditional computers but instead rely on mobile technology to access the Internet," said Dawn Averitt Bridge, founder and chair of the board of The Well Project. "We have utilized novel technologies to increase the availability of current, accurate, and relevant information about HIV for women around the world. Our ultimate goal is to be able to offer every woman looking for information about HIV/AIDS on the Internet the culturally relevant information she needs to survive and thrive in her own native language."

Since 2002, The Well Project has directly served more than nine million people who have in turn used the information to serve an estimated 30 million HIV-positive men and women, with more than 70% of The Well Project's 1.3 million annual visitors being from outside the United States.

"As an activist, as a social health worker, as a peer educator, and as a training counselor, it is vital that I have access to quality information resources," said Abosede Oladayo, an HIV-positive woman and community health worker in Nigeria. "My mission is to provide the women I serve with the tools they need to make the many decisions they face every day. I can only do that if I feel secure that the information I have is the most current, most up-to-date and most relevant."

The Well Project has long been recognized as one of the most innovative organizations providing access to HIV/AIDS information for women, receiving a number of awards, including: Stevie Award for Best New Website of the Year, InfoWorld 100 Award for Most Innovative Technology Project, Information Nation Award and two ComputerWorld Honors awards. To develop the mobile app, The Well Project worked with long-time technology partner, Armedia, a leading provider of technology solutions.

"We are thrilled to launch the mobile application for The Well Project and to make our educational resources and 'A Girl Like Me' blog for women and HIV more broadly available," said Krista Martel, director of online services for The Well Project. "As we've seen The Well Project shift from a primarily U.S.-based resource to a global one, we needed to reevaluate how to better tailor our information and its delivery. The mobile app is only the first in a number of steps that we are taking to ensure that we better serve the global community of women living with HIV. We look forward to collaborating with global partners to make our online resources more culturally appropriate and available in multiple languages."

To access The Well Project mobile app:

• For iOS (iPhone, iPad): Go to App Store or iTunes on your device or computer and search "thewellproject," download it directly to device or computer or go to: http://itunes.apple.com/app/the-well-project/id539222324?mt=8
• For Android: Go to Google Play or Android Market and search "thewellproject," or go to: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.thewellproject.