The past decade has not only seen the emergence of Mobile for Development (M4D), but also the launch of thousands of mobile-enabled initiatives which have both succeeded and failed in their aspirations to deepen programming and reach new audiences. Uniting M4D partners from across Asia, Africa and beyond, USAID’s Mobile Solutions Forum in early January, organized in partnership with FHI 360 and OpenRevolution, brought operators, NGOs, academics and implementers together in Bangkok to discuss innovation and successes in M4D across emerging markets and take stock of progress, asking the question ‘what’s working in M4D?’. The challenges are evident – from research, to set-up, implementation, evaluation and scale, the implementation of the average M4D project is rarely straight forward – but many activities are working, which was highlighted in panel discussion GSMA mWomen, the World Bank and Thai mobile operator dtac took part in. Among the many fascinating and inspiring lessons shared, three core successes are detailed below.
Offline networks – It’s crucial to recognise the opportunity that community and social networks play in shaping behaviours – peer reviews and recommendations play a very important role in the adoption of new products and services. This role was demonstrated by forum participant and Mobile Solutions for Development in Asia Contest finalist FHI 360’s Fansipan Challenge, a mobile service encouraging HIV testing and care through incentivised peer networks. Fansipan – Vietnam’s highest mountain – is used as a metaphor to encourage drug users and sex workers to test for HIV. This group then become ‘expedition’ leaders and are tasked with recruiting at-risk peers to get tested, enrol for treatment and become new Fansipan competitors – with both parties accumulating points and ‘moving up the mountain’ as new competitors progress through the program and join the network themselves. Contacts, HIV testing uptake and care and treatment enrolment are all captured through mobile and recorded in a central system. Promotional SMS messages are provided to all individuals each week and various prizes are awarded to teams/individuals during the ‘climb’ to Fansipan’s peak.
Horizontal platforms – With NGOs increasingly using mobile for multiple purposes, horizontal platforms, or platforms that can perform several functions and be used across different sectors, are growing in popularity for M4D deployments. For example, an international NGO may seek an SMS data collection service for both rural nurses on their health program and irrigation specialists working with their agricultural program, a model exemplified by Frontline who specialise in free and low cost SMS platforms, with uses across many vertical themes. The need for multi-use tools was well understood by the Open Institute who’s innovative and adaptable SPICE (Structuring Partnerships for an Innovative Communications Environment) IVR (interactive voice response) application was developed for civil society organizations in the human rights, governance and health sectors. Initially developed for Cambodia, it is connected to all mobile operators in Cambodia and is accessible to most callers in the country. The value of such platforms was acknowledged by USAID, who awarded them first place in Mobile Solutions for Development in Asia Contest, announced during the forum. Open Institute will use the award funds to develop an IVR system that will give the largest minority in Cambodia -Phnong – access to 50 articles of Cambodian Land Law in their native language, enabling them to understand their legal rights relating to land ownership.
Partnerships –Operators and NGOs have different roles and specialisations, but rarely does it occur to these organisations to partner and leverage these functions. Operators can use NGOs’ community presence, reputation and content to reach last-mile communities and NGOs can use Operators’ technical services to better engage and reach their beneficiaries. Recent GSMA mWomen Innovation Fund grantee Airtel Uganda demonstrated the different roles that partners can play. Leveraging Grameen Foundation’s knowledge and research of the habits and behaviours of BoP women in Uganda, Airtel’s Mobile Financial Services team designed and launched a bespoke mobile solution to better secure women’s savings groups processes more secure and efficient – drawing on the best of both organisation’s expertise.
Over the coming months, GSMA mWomen will profile other success and innovative partners in greater detail – including several of the Mobile Solutions for Development in Asia Contest finalists. Stay tuned!
Photo: Courtesy of USAID