The Atio CANSA Call Centre has been appointed as the official call centre for the 46664 Volunteer Campaign. Aiming to generate as much funding as possible, the campaign will assist individuals affected by HIV and AIDS by providing support such as counselling and home-based care. The Atio CANSA Call Centre, which was established earlier this year, is the first "cause related call centre" in South Africa, and will be taking calls from volunteers who wish to support the cause from Thursday, 1 December 2005.
Launched by the Nelson Mandela Foundation on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2004, the 46664 Volunteer Campaign builds on the message to "Give one minute of your life to AIDS".
The Nelson Mandela Foundation is extending the 46664 Volunteer Campaign with a booklet on volunteering in the context of HIV and AIDS. This booklet will assist those in responding to the call to action by providing them with information on how to assist with counselling and home-based care for people with HIV and AIDS. The booklet will be linked to the call centre for those who are unable to access it. The booklet will be launched by 46664 ambassadors on International Day of the Volunteer, Monday 5 November 2005 at the Mandela House and will be available at Shoprite Checkers and Nedbank branches across the country.
Volunteer work includes:
- Home-based care for people with HIV or AIDS
- Pre-HIV and post-HIV test counselling, bereavement or general counselling
- Working with support groups within communities to discuss experiences of living with HIV and AIDS
- Being involved with income-generating projects
- Training in becoming an HIV and AIDS counselor
- Transport sick people to and from their homes, clinics and hospitals
- Working for organisations that support and run mobile clinics
- Joining organisations to teach the public about HIV and AIDS to raise awareness and fight the stigma
Volunteers who wish to give time to the campaign can call Madge Phetjaulema on 08000 46664.
The call centre offers a complete call centre solution to all companies with one unique difference: a percentage of the profits from each campaign will be donated directly to The Cancer Association of South Africa, as each company that uses the Atio-sponsored call centre will receive part of their invoice billed directly from CANSA.
The Atio CANSA Call Centre is fully operational as a result of generous investments by several information technology (IT) companies, namely call centre software, hardware and services donations from Atio as well as computer donations from Tarsus and HP South Africa. The Atio CANSA Call Centre office premises were also donated by StorTech.
