The issue
PEPFAR funds have supported the provision of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) services to approximately 4.7 million men throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the success of this program, 14 priority countries continue to face unmet need with respect to VMMC. High HIV prevalence coupled with limited financial resources has placed increased importance on using a geographic approach to HIV prevention, care, and treatment. By targeting scarce resources toward priority geographic ‘hotspots’, countries can have greater impact on the epidemic with available resources, ensuring delivery of the right services at the right place and the right time.

Our approach
Project SOAR is developing a global tool to enable easy visualization and mapping of VMMC data. The online VMMC Geographic Information System (GIS) dashboard is being designed and piloted in partnership with stakeholders in South Africa, and allows users of any technical level to easily access, map and interpret VMMC data for more effective programming. The GIS Dashboard visualizes data captured from Data for Accountability, Transparency, Impact, and Monitoring (DATIM), and other VMMC tools such as the Decision-Maker’s Program Planning Tool (DMPPT) 2.0 and the Site Capacity/Site Utilization (SC/SU) Tool developed under Project SOAR.

The impact
Once complete, the dashboard will have data visualization from VMMC priority countries with DMPPT 2.0 and SC/SU applications in order to facilitate strategic planning and resource allocation. Furthermore, the dashboard will be adapted to the needs of various stakeholders as requested and can include additional VMMC indicators as needed.