mobile phones a tool for social and behavioural change

40 Pages·2014·0.65 MB·English

MOBILE PHONES
A TOOL FOR SOCIAL AND
BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE
A REVIEW OF CASE STUDIES

MOBILE PHONES
A TOOL FOR SOCIAL AND
BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE
A REVIEW OF CASE STUDIES
June 2013
This review of case studies on, “Mobile Phones: A Tool for Social & Behavioural Change,” is a collaborative effort of UNICEF India with Digital Empowerment
Foundation (DEF) as the core implementing partner to execute the project. This project has sought to understand the scope, magnitude and learn from
experiences of how mobiles are emerging as viable tools, devices and platforms to meet vital development and governance objectives including social and
behaviour change (SBC).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This review of case studies titled, “Mobile The presence and contribution of the resource We acknowledge the wholehearted support of
Phones: A Tool for Social & Behavioural Change,” persons representing civil society and other public team UNICEF in India led by Paolo Mefalopulos
is a collaborative work of UNICEF India and Digital and private institutions with their best practices and supported by invaluable colleagues including
Empowerment Foundation. using mobiles has been tremendous. The Alka Malhotra, Rachana Sharma, Bhai Shelly,
presence of Mr. N. A. Shah Ansari, Director, Radio Seema Kumar and Sanjay Singh in completing the
Many people contributed to the consultation Namaskar; Mr. Chetan Sharma, CEO, Datamation research compendium. At Digital Empowerment
out of which the papers emerged. We sincerely Foundation; Mr. Kamal Jeet, CEO, Kisan Sanchar; Foundation, we thank the significant role played by
acknowledge and thank the kind presence of Mr. Mr. Sudhanshu Tripathi (Mid-Day Meal Authority, Mr. Osama Manzar, Founder Director in successfully
Arun Maira, Member of the Planning Commission Govt. of Uttar Pradesh); Mr. Nishith Dholakia bringing out the white paper and the conduction
of India, for sharing his larger perspective of using representing e-Mamta (Govt. of Gujarat); Mr. of the consultation. The research and consultation
technology for SBC including mobiles. The valuable Santosh Ostwal, CEO & Founder Director, Ossian contribution at Digital Empowerment Foundation
presence of Ms. Sudha P. Rao, Advisor, Women Agro Automation Pvt. Ltd.; Madan Mohan Rao, led by Mr. Syed S. Kazi, Ms. Ritu Srivastava and Ms.
and Child Development, Planning Commission, Research Director, Mobile Monday; Ms. Zubeeda Chitra Chauhan is sincerely acknowledged.
added the much required meaning to the B. Quraishy, EZ Vidya Private Ltd; Mr. Murari
consultation discussion. We thank the presence M. Choudhury, Executive Director, NEEDS; Dr. Readers, kindly note that this white paper
and contribution of Mr. Subho Ray, President of the Sandhya Ramalingam, Head, Program Evaluation compendium is shared in 3 documents – A White
Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) for from Nokia-Arogya mDiabetes; Ms. Priyanka Dutt, Paper, A Working Paper and A Case Studies Review
his excellent contribution with facts and statistics Project Director, BBC Media Action; Mr. Nand Paper, all pertaining to widen mobiles for social and
on how mobiles can be next generational change Wadhwani , Founding Trustee, The Mother and behavioural change status, scope and challenges.
device for SBC. The contribution of Mr. Milind Child Health and Education Trust; Ms. Preeti Soni Readers may ignore the errors and mistakes, if any,
Pathak, Global Head of New Business, One97, is from Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan, Gujarat; and as human error and as unintentional.
sincerely acknowledged for adding perspective on Mr. Sudhanshu Jain of AIDS Awareness Group
value added services on mobiles for SBC. (AAG), are sincerely thanked and acknowledged. New Delhi, 2013
CONTENTS
1 Introduction 04
2 Review of Case Studies 06
A. Mobiles for information dissemination 07
• Let us go to School
• MHSM SMS Toolkit
• Kisan Sanchar
B. Mobiles for Programme Monitoring/Tracking 13
• IVRS – Daily Monitoring System of Mid-Day Meal Scheme
• E-Mamta – Mother & Child Tracking System
• Nano Ganesh
C. Mobiles for Training of frontline workers & interpersonal communication 20
• BridgeIT
• Mobile Kunji
• CommCare
• HealthPhone
• M-Diabetes
• Hello Sakhi
Summing Up 33
1 INTRODUCTION
With more than 800 million mobile subscriptions and still counting India has emerged as one of the
largest mobile phone ‘test bed’ with significant social, cultural and economic ramifications. The size
of a subcontinent together with the status of the second most populous nation in the world has led to
this technological advantage with the promise of enormous opportunity for growth and development
riding on the ever expanding horizontal mobile network.
The social advantage from mobile has been mobile’s power to trigger new form of social priority and thrust in expanding the mobile sector
manifold. The invisible social ‘revolution’ is identity, including cultural, political and and mobile governance.
happening and still churning transformations economic identities. Sociologically speaking,
yet silently. The power of mobile as the new mobiles have dismantled traditional information The social empowerment has been inclusive
“social object” has determined big and small hierarchies and gave a new design to modern and overall impacted digital inclusion status of
impacts in the lives of millions. This new day information architecture which is democratic the country. Mobile has transcended the symbol
mode of social connectivity and mobility has and decentralised and serves the Bottom of of urbanization and has become integral part of
redefined and reworked new forms of social- the Pyramid (BoP) with great force. The plenty rural India. The emergence of mobiles is having
political and economic processes with the of social returns in turn has accelerated the tremendous impact in digital inclusion in India.
spread of “anywhere, anytime” communication connectivity and access environment with more Today, it’s not just a symbol of urbanization
infrastructures. There are today new modes thrust on infrastructure, demand for services, but also it’s an integral part of rural India. It has
and linkages to seek for social and economic and increase in service delivery. This has raised the social position of underserved groups
entitlements as augmented by the mobile propelled customer, revenue and commercial and population like women, scheduled castes
technology. The broad consensus is around gains as well as led to revisit policy focus, and tribes and other marginalized groups. Mobile
culture has given birth to ‘culture of uniformity’; The widening social relevance of mobile has gives sufficient learning to address issues in
mobile culture is ‘egalitarian culture’. inspired mobile innovations and ideas into improvisation and scaling up projects? How to
project experiments using mobile technology define and understand the increasing opportunity
The expanding social space of mobile has in the form of medium, platform, device, and in mobile space in terms of partnerships and
invited keen attention on the new thematic carrier. Mobile projects more in pilot forms collaborations to bring in desired social and
area of social and behavioural change (SBC) have been launched with focus on education, behavioural gains? Is the country ready for a
having essential link with communications health, livelihood, and environment. The transition towards widespread mobile enabled
for development. There are new trends in experiments have been largely driven by social social transitions?
looking at personal behavioural change over and development needs spearheaded by civil
a period of time as reflected in attitude, level society and bilateral agencies supported by Irrespective of the contemporary challenges in
of confidence building, opinion creation, public and private partners in many instances. the mobile space, the scope and opportunities
articulation in expression, and so on around These projects have been identified to focus outweighs the limitations which are not
subjects and issues. This is further linked to on key mechanisms to deliver needs and insurmountable. There is tremendous space
interpersonal behavioural led changes due to services using mobile platform – information for everyone to work together and serve their
mobile connecting two groups of people, two dissemination, monitoring and tracking of constituents. The critical challenge perhaps is to
individuals, and so on overcoming physical and projects, interpersonal communication, and the understand the social, cultural and economic
distance barriers. The new found opportunity to training of frontline workers. contexts of mobile applicability. The bigger
share information and communicate in shortest thinking is if mobiles can drive desired social and
possible time through mobiles has pushed The pilot case studies have raised key questions behavioural changes among millions of Indians
towards a ‘communication revolution’. The that emerge in the background of the mobile this can be a turning point in bringing much
sharing of content, knowledge and experiences revolution in India. How real is the mobile needed social stability which in turn will drive
has found a new window of opportunity emergence in India and how inclusive? Is profit stable and sustainable economic activities.
which was unthinkable a decade back. With a motive determining social drives in mobile? How
‘personalised’ device, there is new freedom egalitarian has been this expansion providing
and liberty to inform and communicate and new a level playing field for all? How the policy
method to strengthen personal, familial, social gaps are perceived and attempted to be raised
and economic relationship. and addressed? Does the pilot programmes
MOBILE AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE: A REVIEW OF CASE STUDIES 5
2 REVIEW OF CASE STUDIES
Mobile innovations are delivering home-grown solutions worldwide and have shown promising results
in India, transforming connectivity and access scenario, social and development processes and driving
inclusive development and growth. The mobile access is quickly changing lives, driving governance
and service delivery, fuelled in part by collaborative efforts, and delivering innovation and localisations
in solutions. Together with Internet, mobile phones are transforming the development landscape,
injecting new dynamism in key sectors as exemplified by various pilot efforts.
A review of 12 mobile case studies for this paper indicates the most common sectors for social
investment are education, health, socio-economic development, and disaster management. The pilot
initiatives have highlighted two essential points. One, mobiles have emerged as effective mechanism
to derive project impacts in – information dissemination, project monitoring/tracking, training of
frontline workers and interpersonal communication practices. Second, mobile projects calls for
inclusive agenda among stakeholders in multi-stakeholder partnership mode.
A. MOBILES FOR INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
Information dissemination is a proactive information service designed With more than 800 million mobile subscribers in India, mobile phones are
to educate and inform focused groups of users on social, economic and certainly emerging utility tool for information dissemination. The efforts
educational issues, problems, and opportunities of interest to them1. towards information push for information dissemination to millions finds
It requires systematic planning, collection, organization, and storage of greater resonance in mobiles as instrument of information decentralisation
information for its delivery to the target audience using different media and most democratic information channel that capture mobility-specific
and communication means. The importance of information dissemination requirements cutting across cultures and geographies.
is in raising the social and economic status of focused groups including
their survival and self-development through need based technical skills
and educational programmes.
A review of select case studies of mobile applications in information dissemination as described below brings out key essential areas for
consideration and follow ups:
1 Basics of Information Dissemination, http://www.unesco.org/education/aladin/paldin/pdf/course02/unit_05.pdf
MOBILE AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE: A REVIEW OF CASE STUDIES 7
Case Study 1 The first initiative was taken in July, 2010. broadcasting a special radio programme package
To this effect, jingle was produced, broadcasted of 30 minutes twice a week. Listeners started
to motivate the parents to send their children informing regarding dropout students from their
“Chala Skul Ku Jiba”
Project Name to school. In the first month, the response mobile phones to the dedicated mobile number
(Let us go to School)
was poor and not encouraging. Subsequently, (through call and SMS). The recorded and SMS
Organisation Radio Namaskar a dedicated mobile number was announced information were broadcasted through Radio
dedicated to the purpose. Interestingly, the Namaskar in special episodes. Further, live
Project Location Puri District, Odisha
response of listeners started growing each teleconference was conducted with listener,
Project since 2010 day. But it was one way communication. local school teacher/headmaster, school
Respondents were informing the studio authority, local Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI)
Project URL http://radionamaskar.org
regarding the dropout students of their locality representative, school management committee
which was broadcasted through the community members/leaders etc. When the dropout
Project Description radio. Subsequently, software was integrated student/s returned to school thanks giving SMS
with radio programme through which a listener were dispatched to all the mobile numbers in
“Chala Skul Ku Jiba” (Let us go to school) is can ring anytime to the dedicated mobile the database of the Radio. The reason is to
an initiative of Radio Namaskar, a community number and can tell her/his view. Through this spread the good news with other listeners and
radio FM station. The project, initiated in 4 software and GSM gateway the dedicated citizens on the impact of a phone call/SMS
blocks and surrounding areas in Puri District, mobile number (9040904904) for the listeners which gives life (education is life) to a child.
Odisha, seeks to enrol dropouts’ students back was spread. Now, when any listener rings the
to school. During situation analysis and listeners mobile number an automatic voice command Result
survey Radio Namaskar got regular feedbacks on goes to the dialler with request to inform
massive dropout of school students especially regarding dropout students in their village/locality So far with these process 165 schools in
girl students. To stop this trend, Radio Namaskar if available and send them back to school. 4 blocks (Gop, Nimapara, Astarang and
decided to start a new radio programme Kakatpur blocks) in Puri District declared
covering 72 listeners group to bring back all In this process the initiative took shape of as ZERO DROPOUT SCHOOL by the
dropout students to their respective schools. a campaign and Radio Namaskar started local administration.