The African AIDS Helpline was launched in December 2000 as a pilot project funded by the Department of Health and managed by the Black Health Agency (formerly BHAF) – a Manchester based voluntary organisation working with and for Black communities on developing accessible health services.

This initiative was developed in response to the increasing and disproportionate numbers of African people affected by and living with HIV/AIDS in England. According to statistics in the UK, people from African communities are the second largest group affected by HIV after Gay men.

The Helpline is a vital resource in HIV prevention work as it provides advice and information on both HIV and sexually transmitted infections.

The Helpline is an important resource for encouraging and enabling African communities to access sexual health and HIV/AIDS support services locally, regionally and nationally.

It's also a way of ensuring that the health needs and concerns of African people living in England are being responded to.