Despite initial enthusiasm for the COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine hesitancy remains a significant obstacle in South Africa. This has left millions of vulnerable South Africans unvaccinated and threatens to create a situation where there are continuing waves of COVID infections.

MenConnect is an innovative approach to supporting HIV treatment initiation and adherence among men living with HIV in South Africa. Genesis was responsible for crafting behaviourally informed messages that are timed to the treatment journey milestones and tailored per psychographic segment.

Genesis supported the Cipla Foundation in an innovative solution to expand the footprint of Centralised Chronic Medicines Dispensing Distribution (CCMDD) locations as a solution for chronic patients to pick up their medicines from decentralised locations.

The Solidarity Fund was set up in March 2020 to fund a range of initiatives that addressed the COVID-19 crisis in South Africa. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) funded Genesis Analytics to provide extensive and wide-ranging technical support for the fund to ensure that the investments made by the fund had the greatest possible impact.

Genesis was retained by the Public-Private Growth Initiative (PPGI) to demystify and increase adherence to regulations on how to re-open the economy safely after lockdown and to remain open using insights from behavioural economics.

Genesis Analytics partnered with the Fun Learning for Youth (FLY) programme in Alexandra to help them improve attendance and attainment rates. The interventions resulted in a 14% increase in student attendance across all grades over the five-week period.

Medical male circumcision (MMC) is a low-cost, effective HIV prevention method, reducing female-to-male transmission by about 60%. But getting men to circumcise requires more than making services available. Many men do not follow through by booking for an MMC procedure, despite clearly indicating an intention to do so.

Genesis Analytics was commissioned by PPO Serve to help improve medication adherence among HIV-positive patients enrolled on the GP Care Cell (GPCC) programme. The programme offers free HIV treatment through a network of private GPs.

Genesis Analytics and the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) have been commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to provide technical assistance to the South African Department of Health (DOH) to support the delivery of a key HIV prevention programme - the national Medical Male Circumcision (MMC) Programme.

Genesis Analytics supported the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to investigate the understanding, accessibility and acceptability of providing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to boys and girls attending school in South Africa.

Genesis, in partnership with the Centre for Communication Impact, was commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the South African National Department of Health in developing a communications strategy to address HIV, TB and the associated risk factors and comorbidities.

Genesis Analytics was part of a consortium that developed a communication strategy targeting tuberculosis and related illnesses affecting mineworkers, ex-mineworkers, their families and communities in Southern Africa.

The National Economic and Development Labour Council (Nedlac) commissioned Genesis Analytics to conduct an urgent independent study on the likely economic, health and social impacts of some of the amendments proposed in the Liquor Amendment Bill, 2017.

South Africans (18-34 years) who are exposed to the Testa Boy campaign are 50% more likely to agree that men who test for HIV are strong and responsible, according to a study done by Genesis Analytics for the Centre for Communication Impact.

Genesis was employed by the International Partnership for Microbicides to test eight potential brand names and then the packaging for a monthly vaginal ring that helps to prevent new HIV infections in women.

Genesis was asked by Soul City to evaluate their Soul Buddyz HIV-prevention campaign in schools from 2004. We used social media, as well as direct approaches, to track down Soul Buddyz members for the study.

For this project we conducted extensive research in the Gert Sibande District in Mpumalanga, which showed that many young women engaged in commercial sex work and transactional sex. This is as a result of very high unemployment levels among women in the area. It is also probably the reason why HIV infection levels in this area are among the highest in the country.

The HIV prevention field is changing rapidly as treatment becomes widely available and as new prevention technologies reach the market. The BMGF commits significant funding to healthcare and HIV, and needs to decide whether its strategic focus areas are appropriate in this changing landscape.