Mobile Phones for Development
From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development
In this issue of The Soul Beat:
* TRENDS AND INSIGHTS on mobile phones and development
* Experiences and thinking on MOBILE PHONES FOR HEALTH
* Mobile phones for ACTIVISM, GOVERNANCE, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
* Finding more MOBILE PHONE-RELATED CONTENT on the Soul Beat Africa website
* The role of MOBILES IN THE MEDIA
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This issue of The Soul Beat provides a selection of programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, and materials related to the use of mobile phones to raise awareness and encourage dialogue around health, especially HIV/AIDS; improve mobilisation, governance, and economic development; and contribute to wider broadcasting and reporting in the media.
If you would like your organisation's communication work or research and resource documents to be featured on the Soul Beat Africa website and in The Soul Beat newsletters, please contact soulbeat@comminit.com
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1. Key Trends in ICT Development
By David A. Cieslikowski, Naomi J. Halewood, Kaoru Kimura, and Christine Zhen-Wei Qiang
This document constitutes a chapter of a more extensive book, Information and Communications for Development 2009: Extending Reach and Increasing Impact, that analyses how information and communication technology (ICT) are impacting economic growth and improving governance. According to the publication, the largest increases in growth prior to 2008 were in mobile telephony: "The proportion of mobile phone subscriptions in developing countries increased from about 30 percent of the world total in 2000 to more than 50 percent in 2004 - and to almost 70 percent in 2007."
2. Mobile Phones and the Digital Divide
By Ken Banks
This article, published in PCWorld, focuses on mobile phones and their potential to bridge the digital divide. The author looks at the difference in functionality of mobile phones in the developed world and in developing countries, and suggests that a step in closing the digital divide would be to divert international development funding toward providing a subsidised, fully internet-ready handset for developing markets.
3. mHealth for Development: The Opportunity of Mobile Technology for Healthcare in the Developing World
This report is a response to mounting interest in the field of mHealth - the provision of health-related services via mobile technologies. Published in February 2009, the paper is part of a series of publications from the United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership, a public-private alliance using strategic technology programmes to strengthen humanitarian efforts worldwide. The Partnership is inspired by a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the potential of mobile communications to radically improve healthcare services - even in some of the most remote and resource-poor environments.
4. Text To Change (TTC) - Uganda
Text to Change (TTC), a Dutch non-governmental organisation (NGO) using a bulk short message service (SMS) platform for health education, is partnering with local Ugandan NGOs and mobile phone providers to conduct projects designed to communicate knowledge about HIV and AIDS and encourage subscribers to volunteer for HIV testing. The first programme was launched in February 2008 where over a 6-week period 15,000 ZAIN Uganda subscribers from the Greater Mbarara region received interactive text messages in the form of multiple choice questions on their mobile phones. Since then, TTC has conducted three more programmes reaching over 60,000 people.
Contact Bas Hoefman bhoefman@texttochange.com AND Hajo van Beijma hvanbeijma@texttochange.com
5. UNICEF Uses Text Messages to Spread the Word about Polio in Zambia
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with two private mobile phone service providers, is sending text messages to millions of Zambians as part of a new initiative to harness mobile technology in the fight to prevent polio. "Your child can be healthier! Take your children under age five to the nearest health centre for free vaccinations from 20-25 July," is the message Zambian mobile phone users will read.
6. Rien que la Vérité - Congo (DRC)
When Rien que la Vérité (Nothing But the Truth) was launched in 2006, it started out as a music project to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. In November 2008, the project launched a television drama series which also deals with HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of Congo. To support interactivity with the drama, the organisers are using FrontlineSMS which is SMS technology software that enables two-way communication - the collection and dissemination of information on a large scale through mobile phone SMSs.
Contact Katya Thomas thomask@state.gov
7. Text Me! Flash Me! Helpline - Ghana
The Text Me! Flash Me! Helpline uses cell phone technology to provide most-at-risk populations (MARP) with friendly and accessible HIV and AIDS information, referrals, and counselling services from qualified providers. The Helpline was launched in September 2008 through a pilot focusing on men who have sex with men (MSM) exclusively, and then was expanded in February 2009 to include female sex workers (FSW).
Contact Lucy Mugisha Shillingi lshillingi@aedghana.org OR lshillingi@aed.org AND Cheryl Mayo cmayo@aed.org OR cherylmayo12@gmail.com
8. Texts Tackle HIV in South Africa
Project Masiluleke, a text messaging project in South Africa (SA), was set up to try to counter the fact that only 5% of the SA population has been tested for HIV. It intends to tackle the problem of slowing the progress of HIV, in a country with an estimated 6 million people living with HIV, by encouraging people to seek testing and treatment. In December 2008, the project sent one million free text messages a day to push people to be tested and treated. Trials of the system showed that calls to counsellors at the National Aids helpline in Johannesburg increased by 200% when messages were broadcast.
MOBILES FOR ACTIVISM, GOVERNANCE, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
9. Mobile Telephony and the Entrepreneur: An African Perspective
By Ken Banks
This article, published in Microfinance Insights, discusses the use and impact of mobile technology for economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. The author argues that with penetration rates in excess of 30%, and handset sales among the highest in the world, the region is witnessing a new kind of mobile-driven economic development that is making clear positive impacts on people's lives. The author cites examples of mobile technology being used for a wide range of economic purposes, from farmers accessing local market information - and increasing their income in some cases by up to 40% - to individuals with no bank accounts transferring money to relatives, or making payments for goods and services via their phones.
10. Inzwa! - Zimbabwe
Launched in July 2009 by the Kubatana Trust of Zimbabwe, Inzwa! is a weekly audio magazine that disseminates human rights information and news in audio format via mobile phones. The initiative uses Freedom Fone technology which is interactive and allows users to both access and contribute information. According to its designers, Freedom Fone leverages the fastest growing tool for personal access to information 24/7 - mobile phones - and marries it with citizen radio programming.
Contact Kubatana Trust admin@kubatana.net
11. Mobiles In-a-Box: Tools and Tactics for Mobile Advocacy
This project of the Tactical Technology Collective is a collection of tools, tactics, how-to guides, and case studies designed to help advocacy and activist organisations use mobile technology in their work. Tactical Tech is an international NGO helping human rights advocates use information, communications, and digital technologies to maximise the impact of their advocacy work.
12. Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in Mobile Use by NGOs
By Sheila Kinkade and Katrin Verclas
Published by The Vodafone Group Foundation and the United Nations (UN) Foundation Partnership, this report on mobile technology examines emerging trends in “mobile activism” by looking at 11 case studies of groups active in the areas of public health, humanitarian assistance, and environmental conservation. It includes research results of a survey of mobile technology use by NGOs with statistics on both how they use mobile applications and their perceived benefits.
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INFORMATION ON MOBILE PHONES ON THE SOUL BEAT AFRICA WEBSITE
If you are looking for more information on mobile phones and their role in development in Africa, go to the ALL SECTIONS section on the Soul Beat Africa website. This section gives you the full range of summaries on the Soul Beat Africa website from all knowledge sections e.g.: Programme Experiences, Evaluations, Strategic Thinking documents, Materials, etc.). Under Regions, choose Africa (or a country/countries of your choice), and under Communication Tools select Phone/Mobiles and then submit.
The search results will include all summaries on the Soul Beat Africa website that deal with phones and mobiles phones. Filtering this further for "Digital" will further focus the results specifically to the use of hand-held digital computers.
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13. Voices of Africa - Africa
Established in 2007, the Voices of Africa Project is an initiative by the Africa Interactive Media Foundation that provides a web and mobile phone-based outlet for African journalists to engage in discussions about their continent and to report on events in their countries. The objective of the project is to help talented Africans build a career in media, using currently available technologies to stimulate citizen journalism that can promote democracy and good governance in Africa. In each African country, young men and women are identified and trained in the use of high-technology mobile phones equipped with software to permit direct uploads of photos, texts, and videos.
Contact Voices of Africa Media Foundation info@africa-interactive.net
14. A Mobile Voice: The Use of Mobile Phones in Citizen Media
By Katrin Verclas
This report, published in 2008, explores the dynamics of the role of mobile phones in creating and enhancing access to information and citizen-produced media. It explores trends in the use of mobile telephony with a focus on software and platforms that make content creation and broadcasting easier. It also presents an inventory of current and potential uses of mobile phones to promote citizen media and freedom of information, and presents short case studies of examples from the MobileActive.org community.
15. Applied Research on the Use and Potential for Mobile-friendly Content of Community Media - Global
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is working with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) to analyse the potential for mobile-friendly audio or visual content generated by community media in developing country contexts. Launched in January 2009, the applied research study is designed to meet the needs of community media worldwide by building their capacity to use mobile radio and television in their work. Organisers hope to glean out recommendations on the importance of embracing mobile media, sharing them at the end of the project.
Contact Mirta Lourenço M.Lourenco@unesco.org
16. The Promise of Ubiquity: Mobile as Media Platform in the Global South
By John West
From Internews Europe, this document from 2008 describes mobile phone technology from the perspective of its potential for media development. It seeks to address the question: what role will media play in the future use of cell phones? The document states: "If media don’t address the mobile as a viable information platform others will, and within the space of a few years media players... will have lost a large measure of their marketshare, 'mind share', and standing in society at large."
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To view previous related issues of The Soul Beat newsletter see:
The Soul Beat 109 - Mobile Phones for Social Change in Africa
The Soul Beat 31 - ICTs and Agriculture
Click here to all view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.
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