DigiActive.org

Tactic: Kenyan Farmers Use Mobiles to Secure Crops

Written by Talia Whyte on March 9, 2010 – 12:18 am -

Description: Whether it is a new home or a television, having good insurance is a pretty important thing to have to maintain a sound mind and prevent future problems for the many investments in our lives. So, it is no surprise that farmland should also be given the same consideration for protection. A new insurance policy in Africa is using technology to take care of some of the world’s most vulnerable farmers.

Digital Tool Being Used: Mobile Phone

What Are They Doing: Last year’s droughts throughout Africa were some of the worst in decades, causing higher food prices, illness among both people and animals and destroyed crops that took months to repair. To address these problems, the Agricultural Index Insurance Initiative at the Syngenta Foundation launched last week Kilimo Salama, Swahili for “safe farming”, to provide insurance plans for Kenyan farmers.

Here is how it works: When purchasing seeds from an retailer, farmers register to insure their seeds by filling in the insurance card. The registration process is completed when the farmer sends a text message on their mobile phone, and a record is created in a database. A local weather station records the rainfall and sends the data to the insurance company, which then calculates a payout according to an agronomic model. At the end of the season the farmer receives a text message if there is a payout and can pick up their payout at the original retailer where the insurance was purchased.

What is the Impact: Kilimo Salama actually began as a small pilot project last year with a group of 200 farmers in the central region of Laikipia. Most of the farmers were highly impressed with the program, as many of them received a payout of up to 80 percent. This year the insurance program will cover at least 5,000 maize and wheat farmers in Central, Rift Valley and Western provinces, which is at high risk of drought. This program shows that even a simple tool like a mobile phone can make a big difference in the lives of many.

Tags: agriculture, kenya, Kilimo Salama
Posted in Sub-Saharan Africa, Tactics | No Comments »

Book Review: SMS Uprising – Mobile Activism in Africa

Written by Simon Columbus on February 5, 2010 – 6:50 pm -

Editor: Sokari Ekine

Authors: Nathan Eagle, Ken Banks, Redante Asuncion-Reed, Anil Naidoo, Amanda Atwood, Christiana Charles-Iyoha, Becky Faith, Joshua Goldstein, Christian Kreutz, Tanya Notley, Juliana Rotich, Berna Twanza Ngolobe, Bukeni Waruzi

Subject: SMS Uprising gives an overview of the use of mobile technology for development and empowerment in Africa.

The book is made up of two parts. The first four chapters explore the context of mobile activism. Christian Kreutz has contributed a great summary of future trends and software developments in African mobile activism. Another essay by Ken Banks asks whether “social mobile” is “empowering the many or the few”.

The second part consists of seven case studies from several African countries. The fields they describe are equally diverse, ranging from e-agriculture to dissemination of political news. A special focus lies on the empowerment of women. Anil Naidoo from South Africa describes how mobiles are used in the UmNyango project to empower women in the rural region of KwaZulu Natal, and WOUGNET from Uganda aims to ameliorate the economic situation of female farmers in Uganda.

I especially liked the essay by Rotich and Joshua Goldstein on “Digitally networked technology in Kenya’s 2007–08 post-election crisis”. It is a short version of a case study written for the Berkman Center’s Internet and Democracy Project. The chapter looks at three facettes of social media in a conflict situation: “SMS campaigns to promote violence, blogs to challenge mainstream media narratives, and online campaigns to promote awareness of human rights violations.”

SMS Uprising combines theoretical groundwork and practical case studies useful to everyone interested in the use of mobile technology for activism and development. While some chapters are a bit longer than necessary, in combination the book provides a good overview of the issue.

SMS Uprising is published by Pambazuka Press. It is available on their website as a paperback plus PDF for £12.99 or the PDF alone for £9.99 as well as on Amazon.

[This is an altered version of a post I wrote for my blog, i like patterns.]

Tags: africa, Book, Mobiles, Sokari Ekine
Posted in Guides & Resources, Mobile Phones, Sub-Saharan Africa | No Comments »

Opportunities: Mozilla Service Week ‘09 (Sept 14-21)

Written by Amine on September 14, 2009 – 12:46 am -

We encourage all our readers (and members) to take advantage of the opportunity provided by Mozilla Service Week and its partners from September 14th to September 21st. Non profit organizations, activists and causes can seek tech help from thousands of volunteers who have already pledged more than 9000 hours providing assistance in web design, social media outreach, tech training, etc..

The project website details some ways you can provide and seek help:

During the week of September 14-21, you can make a serious difference in your local community. Here are just a few ideas of ways you can help:

• Teach senior citizens how to use the Web.
• Show a non-profit how to use social networking to grow its base of supporters.
• Help install a wireless network at a school.
• Create Web how-to materials for a library’s computer cluster.
• Refurbish hardware for a local computer center.
• Update a non-profit organization’s website.
• Teach the values of the open Web to other public benefit organizations.

Opportunities for Activists

Searching through #MozService09 opportunities on the Idealist website for “Activism” related projects already turns up about 30 interesting projects internationally including:

1. Graphic Designer
   Wetlands Activism Collective
   New York, New York  United States
   Last updated on: July 24, 2009
   Description: Wetlands Activism Collective seeks a graphic design student, professional, or other graphic skilled individual to design websites, publications, banners, presentations and educational displays. Helpful Skills: * Proficiency in graphic design for w…

1. Human Rights department
   ThirdWay Human Rights & Development NGO
   Amersfoort, Netherlands  Virtual
   Last updated on: September 3, 2009
   Description: One of ThirdWay’s primary goals in the future is to develop a Human Rights Education Centre in Anyako, Ghana. The center will be a beacon of activism and progress for the community. It will primarily focus on providing Human Rights classes that emphasize ..

Follow the Discussion on Twitter:

You can follow the discussion about the service week on twitter by following the #MozService09 hashtag.

The project is also hosting a Twitter chat on Monday, September 14, at 9am Pacific ( 5pm London time, 9:30pm in India) and will last for 1.5 hours.

DigiActive’s Participation:

Members of the (already all-volunteer) DigiActive team who think this is a brilliant idea have pledged to provide 100 hours of help to any organization or activist cause seeking assistance with their online strategies and digital activism tactics through the Service Week.

We also receive daily requests from activist campaigns working on human rights issues asking for technology and strategy assistance and we will encourage them to post their requests & find volunteers through #mozservice09.

Posted in Americas, Asia, Europe, Events, Mid-East & N. Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | No Comments »

15andCounting: Strategy Behind a Social Media Campaign

Written by Hillary Muheebwa on September 9, 2009 – 6:51 am -

video introduction to the 15andcounting campaign

15andCounting is a campaign by the International Planned Parenthood Foundation demanding better access to sexual health services for youth.  They are using a mix of old and new social media tools, from an e-petition and Flickr to Twitter, the SMS platform Mxit, and the music platform Dopetracks.

In this interview I ask Paul Bell, a campaign representative, about the strategic thinking behind their tool choice and how their use of these  online and mobile tools will lead to offline change in government policies towards youth.

What is the 15andCounting campaign?

15andCounting is a global campaign to demand better access to sexual health services and education for everyone. We’re now 15 years into a 20 year commitment signed by 179 governments to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all young people. Only five years remain and many governments are seriously failing to make progress against their goals. 15andCounting is encouraging young people to call their governments to task on their grave failings

How have governments failed to make progress to promote, protect, and provide better access to sexual and reproductive health services?

There are 1.5 billion young people in the world today and the majority of them live without access to condoms or contraception. This is contributing to: the spread of HIV, millions of unwanted pregnancies, millions of women continuing to die from pregnancy related causes every year, and millions of young people having to drop out of education at an early age.

Any attachment to the choice of the name?

Fifteen years ago, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, 179 governments signed up to a Programme of Action to improve the sexual and reproductive health of everyone. 2009 is the 15 year mark. People born in that year (1994) at the time of the ICPD, are now 15 years old and form part of the largest cohort of young people the world has ever seen – some 1.5 billion – who have a right to sexual and reproductive health services and information.

Why run the campaign now?

People born in 1994 at the time of the ICPD are now 15 years old and form part of the largest cohort of young people the world has ever seen – some 1.5 billion – who have a right to sexual and reproductive health services and information. Fifteen years after ICPD too many governments have failed to make good on their promises. Only five years remain for the vision of ICPD to become reality. Unless governments deliver on their promises young people will be denied services and information critical to their health and wellbeing.

What’s the motive for running the petition now?

The Count Me In petition will be delivered to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the 12^th of October, in an attempt to help persuade governments to promote, protect and fulfil their promise to provide better access to sexual and reproductive health services for all young people. October marks the 15^th anniversary of the ICPD conference in Cairo.

What are the network platforms you’re using to attain the goal of the campaign?

Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/15-and-counting)

Twitter (http://twitter.com/15andcounting)

Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDGoFfvvIXY&feature=channel_page)

Dopetracks (http://www.dopetracks.com/forums/4/topics/13784)

Millions of young people across the world do not have access to a computer, but do have a mobile phone. Therefore we are also working with MXit, an instant message provider to reach young people primarily in Africa through their mobile phones via a WAP site (www.15andcounting.mobi).  We are also launching SMS campaigns in Kenya, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico.

With a lot of social network sites, why did you choose these particular networks over the other network platforms?

Twitter has been used as a way to get buy-in form professional stakeholders in the charity/care sector and to connect with bloggers and influential voices in the conversation: we feel that Twitter is the ideal for this purpose, but as a secondary function it also works to extend the outreach direct to people for petition signatures.

Youtube was purely there to host the video, which is easily embedded into other sites.

Dopetracks is a unique online proposition: a community of beat-makers, singers, poets, rappers, all collaborating online via their online music player/recorder (so that people don’t need any proprietary kit). We felt that the target market will be able to express themselves effectively – and engage with – the campaign though music. These people are very active promoters of their music and it encourages brand advocates to raise awareness with their peers.

How is each of the networks used?

http://twitter.com/15andcounting – we’ve built up a following or stakeholders and interested parties, which has stimulated wider distribution through blog posts and ‘retweeting’ of the 15&Counting messages. We have used Twitter as a distribution channel, not as a content channel.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/15-and-counting/56924592285?_fb_noscript=1 – a Facebook group has been set up and is used to flag up news and drive discussion amongst members and an ‘Are you a Sexpert?’ application was developed to further engage our audience. This is designed to pull together a community of supporters and drove people to complete the survey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDGoFfvvIXY A video on what the campaign is all about was put together and uploaded onto Youtube – this is video is embedded into the 15andCounting homepage, and is used as an background information piece for the blog outreach.

http://www.dopetracks.com – We’re setting up a competition on Dopetracks – a large online music collaboration network so that young people can create and distribute tracks with a 15andCounting theme within the network and in other networks: These people are very active promoters of their music and it encourages brand advocates to raise awareness with their peers. They frequently use twitter, myspace and other networks to increase the distribution of their music. We’ll also be encouraging people to collaborate with other people in different countries, using our blog/ partner network.

We’ll also be using the collateral created to promote into local radio and with a ‘mixtape’ of the featured tracks.

How effective will these platforms be for your cause?

The web is essential for IPPF to reach the target audience. These social platforms allow the campaign to engage directly with young people and allow them to get connected to groups in their country or region who are working towards improving sexual and reproductive health and rights. More than anything, we’re looking at how to facilitate people to become advocates for the campaign and motivate others. We have created an instruction/ training blog to show our partners around the world to engage with social media http://15andcountinglearn.wordpress.com/

We’ve been effective in activating community support for our campaigns, including driving support for ‘buzz marketing’ initiatives. We have had two Digg.com front pages: http://digg.com/health/Best_Condom_Adverts_Ever (this drove 22,000 people to the site in 24 hours) and http://digg.com/educational/Teach_5_to_8_year_olds_masturbation_says_UN_agency (this encouraged 6000 people to bookmark the site and broke traffic figures for the site).

You realize that their many online petitions, most of which unfortunately have failed to make impact, what have you done not to suffer similar fate?

We have done everything we can to ensure that the petition makes an impact by supplementing it with a number of elements – we have created a dedicated website for the campaign, used social networking sites (as detailed above) to target a wide variety of youth, and used mobile phones to reach the population who have less access to the internet. In this way we hope that we have ‘randomized’ our petition as much as possible, making it available to the widest possible net, without targeting specific communities. As such we believe we have compiled a very robust study, for example in Africa we have had 94,000 people sign the petition through the .mobi site. Furthermore we know that the activists involved in this campaign will continue to work hard on the ground in their countries to ensure the message stays alive.

How will you reach the larger population, which is not much involved in using digital tools?

A combination of the below:

Advocacy programmes are being undertaken by IPPF member associations – IPPF works in 176 countries worldwide and a global leader in providing and advocating for the right to improved sexual and reproductive health. Here we

Mobile phones – as mentioned above, we are targeting millions of young people across the world who do not have access to a computer, but do have a mobile phone – both through SMS and instant messaging.

Postcards – postcards which allow people to sign the petition have been distributed in key communities across the globe

Critics say online polls are highly non-representative of the population, and the respondents are self-selected.  Isn’t this also a pseudo-petition?

To get truly representative engagement with the target audience, we would have to spend a huge amount of valuable resources engaging people on the ground in each country: that money would better be spent campaigning. Online is the most cost effective way to run the petition, and we’ve addressed the differing ways that people engage with the net in different countries (e.g. via mobile phone) and sought to facilitate signatures in non digital formats (eg. postcards).

How will it be delivered to government heads, especially those who signed the memorandum? And what is your expected outcome thereafter?

The Count Me In petition will be delivered to high-level United Nations officials on the 12^th of October, in an attempt to help persuade governments to promote, protect and fulfil their promise to provide better access to sexual and reproductive health services for all young people.

Through the 15andCounting campaign we will have engaged with a whole new generation and cohort of committed young advocates around the globe and we hope that these advocates will remain engaged with the issues 15andCounting addresses. We will continue to empower our youth advocates to become highly effective network builders and advocacy experts into the future.

Tags: 15andcounting, Dopetracks, facebook, flickr, HIV, sexual health, Twitter, United Nations, youth
Posted in Campaigns, Digital Images, E-Petitions, Microblogging, Mobile Phones, Social Networks, Sub-Saharan Africa, Tools, Video | No Comments »

Tactic: Online green mapping fights eco-injustice

Written by Talia Whyte on September 5, 2009 – 11:39 am -

Description: Being “green” has finally become a catchphrase in our daily lives. From hybrid cars to organic eating, more people are realizing that environmentalism is the right way to go to make the planet a more sustainable place to live in. However, despite all the green progress, environmental injustices still occur in both industrialized and developing countries. Recently, there has been a spur of online activism through the means of green mapping to bridge the sustainability gap.

Digital Tools Being Used: online mapping

What Are They Doing: Green maps were created in 1995 by the nonprofit Green Maps System to empower online activists around the world to locate areas in their communities that are both good and bad for the environment, such as recycling, traffic hazards, community gardens and toxic sites. The system is used in over 400 communities in 51 countries.

The system is very simple: users can create a map of their region on the website, and place icons indicating environmental impacts. Using the map created for the Banjul area of The Gambia, one can see where such things as solar energy sites, wetlands and horticulture gardens and clean drinking water sites are located. Hazards can also be seen, such as air and water pollution and waste dumps.

What is the Impact: Green mapping helps different fractions work together to make the quality of life better for everyone. Many governments and local activists have used their finished maps to proactively address environmental problems in their communities. See the video above produced by Dorst MediaWorks for the Earth Institute at Columbia University about environmental justice activists in New York City.

Posted in Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, Tactics | 1 Comment »

Serious Games: Darfur is Dying

Written by Tiby Kantrowitz on August 1, 2009 – 4:40 am -

Background: Persuasive games, otherwise known as serious games, raise awareness through the medium of an experience. By immersing players in a story or in an environment they let players absorb the desired message in an engaging way. Criticisms of such games range from the questionable appropriateness of reducing complicated and often tragic circumstances to the simple structures required by games, to not being compelling enough to play. However, over the past few years the quality of persuasive games has evolved as non-profits, activists and designers’ have taken more interest.

Game types range the gamut from puzzles, to strategy challenges, to those that require skill. They educate by illustrating the subject (in such games as Hush), by simulating the issue (as in Peacemaker), or by highlighting the call to action (as in Free Rice). Researchers are also working on developing new criteria and metrics with which to measure the effectiveness of serious games in achieving their goals.

After all, the point is not to make learning about human rights violations fun, but to send a strong message by making the process of receiving it compelling. Lastly, there are an increasing number of tools, funding bodies, support organizations and conferences available to help drive the creation of serious games. For activists, all this makes developing games a viable strategy for reaching target audiences as well as a potent way to instigate action.

Tools: Games, websites, social networking, email

How they’re being used: “Darfur is Dying” is a simulation game created by Susana Ruiz and a team of students from the University of Southern California as part of an mtvU initiative and was funded by the Reebok Human Rights Foundation. The game raises awareness of the genocide underway in the Darfur region of Sudan by providing insight into the experiences of people living in the refugee camps.

Players choose characters and follow them as they perform tasks such as getting water and harvesting crops. Players discover that the probability of success is tied to the character’s age and gender and not only the player’s ability to steer through the obstacles confronted. Significantly, the game embeds within the playing options opportunities to perform actions in the real world, such as send letters to the President or to petition Congress. (See regions highlighted in red in the image above and the red box in the image below). Taking such actions positively impacts the player’s ability to achieve a better outcome within the game context. It also encourages further activism off-line by making the point of such actions visual. Lastly, as a web-based game designed to go viral it enables players to send the link to it through social networks or email with a mouseclick.

Impact:

Darfur is Dying has inspired school children to create documentaries,  generated press both in print and television and won several awards. In terms of reach,  over a million people have played it nearly 2.5 million times. This in turn has led to over 25,000 notes being sent to then President Bush and letters to Congress asking for support for the refugees. The game (which was launched in 2006) is still available on-line, has been updated to reflect the election of Barack Obama to the United States Presidency, and continues to generate new action.

Its impact beyond this is more difficult to measure but can not be discounted. For example, as the impetus for the creation of further educational tools such as “Killing Ignorance” and “Save Darfur!“, documentary films created by high school students, it has inspired others to spread the message. The media attention the game has received has drawn focus not only to the game, but also to the cause. From the perspective of the game as a viral instrument, this suggests the game’s effectiveness as a tool for activism. Measuring the effect of such viral spin-offs would require research coordination with their individual creators and sponsors.

Analysis: For activists, the main barrier to using a game as a tool is the cost involved. Darfur is Dying cost fifty thousand dollars to produce, required a team of developers and the input and coordination of several organizations. As Susana Ruiz, creator of Darfur is Dying mentioned in an interview, the business model for the creation of a serious game is similar to that of a documentary. There may not be much financial return, but the projects do have great impact on society. For activists, they are another way to achieve social change and make a difference.

It should be noted that the development of a serious game is different than one that is just for fun. For starters, the emphasis is on the purpose. That enables serious game developers to take advantage of pre-existing tools while concentrating on the mission, story and graphics. Darfur is Dying, for example, was based on a game called Food Force, developed by Italian game company Deepend. And, while they eventually put the game together in Flash, they originally planned to use the Half Life 2 engine, Source,  and examined other engines, too.

For games such as Darfur is Dying, the educational process includes the means of pushing that change since real world actions are embedded into the game play. This does not trivialize the importance of genuine involvement, but makes it easier for users to make the connection to their actions and  situations far away. Giving people the opportunity to see and experience how their actions have cumulative positive effects upon the world is one way to inspire them to take further action on their own.

Noted organizations and companies in this space include Games for Change, which sponsors the annual Games for Change Festival, Impact Games (Peacemaker and Play the News), Persuasive Games, (Howard Dean for Iowa game), and Serious Games Interactive (Global Conflict: Latin America). These are however by no means the only ones. A follow-up article will review the current status of the industry and the tools available for activists who want to develop persuasive games.

Tags: Darfur, documentaries, games, outreach, sudan
Posted in Mid-East & N. Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Toolkit, Tools | 5 Comments »

Mobile Activism in Uganda: Environmental Issue Touches Ethnic Nerve

Written by Hillary Muheebwa on July 22, 2009 – 5:01 am -

Background: In an attempt to increase its sugar production, the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Ltd., which produces Lugazi Sugar, sought government permission to clear and annex about 71,000 square km of the adjacent Mabira forest.  Mabira forest is one of Uganda’s largest natural tropical forests.

There is has been a period of government offering prime pieces of land to investors. This has attracted widespread criticism from the opposition politicians, civil organizations and the media.

The National Association of Professional Environmentalists, under the banner “Save Mabira Crusade”, organized the demonstration in April. The demonstration took place in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.

Tools: Mobile Phones

How tools were used: Messages were sent to people’s phones. One of the messages read; “Save Mabira. Don’t Buy Lugazi Sugar.”

Outcome: After the protest, their continued tense debates on broadcast stations. The government announced that the proposal had been suspended. Also, the Indian community in Uganda appealed to Mehta Group, the Indian parent company of Sugar Corporation of Uganda Ltd., to drop the request. This was after the local population turned hostile on Indians during the riot.

The organizers were overwhelmed by the numbers that turned up. Wielding banners, posters and tree branches, the demonstrators planned to walk to Parliament to present their petition to the speaker of Parliament. These were ordinary people, most of them casual labourers who joined the National Association of Professional Environmentalists, students and politicians showing their solidarity. The police who had earlier permitted the demonstration tried to stop the protesters from reaching the gates of Parliament. This led to running battles between the protesters and police in the streets. Military police armed with peppered tear gas, water cannons and heavy ammunition were poured onto the streets. Town business was heavily destabilized, traders hurriedly crossed their shops to guard against the looters. But still some shops were vandalized, especially those that belonged to Indians.

Impact: The demonstration was successful, despite the violence, as the main cause of saving Mabira was achieved, thanks to the use of digital means – mobile phones. However, the leaders of the crusade were temporarily held by police.  

Sugar Corporation of Uganda had low sales of their Lugazi Sugar in the following months, and the company had to do some re-branding. This further forced Mehta Group to devise other means of increasing their production capacity.

Analysis: Using the complex configuration and composition of Save Mabira Crusade community Ugandans took advantage of an opportunity in crisis to learn much more about community dynamics in environment and development.

One important lesson was that it is possible to have unity in diversity and diversity in unity and that no power under the sun can crash these dualisms when a people is determined to defend its collective interest. This was a beautiful aspect of the Mabira demonstration.

Exogenous factors beyond crusaders’ control penetrated and marred the demonstration. Until then, the crusaders were in charge of it while government was in charge of security, which unfortunately broke down. Sadly some people died, others got injured and many properties were destroyed. This was the ugly part of the demonstration.

Crusaders, as an emergent, issue-focused community, learnt that, for Mabira, they had to empower themselves to act; that empowerment goes beyond political or legal permission to participate in civic activities; that empowerment includes capacity to do things that citizens want to do or be done; and that community capacity-building and strengthening for action by the community itself work where government has failed to act or discourages such action.

It was a truly socio-environmental movement for sanity in environmental governance. Despite official perception it had nothing direct to do with politics although (i) civic political leaders of diverse political orientations and association participated and may have, as they often do, developed opportunistic tendencies; and (ii) it is difficult to separate civil society work and activism from politics. Indeed civil society (organized or not organized) is part and parcel of a country’s political stream, not only to vote but also to demand good governance -environmental, political or otherwise. The accountability of non-governmental organizations is also linked to and influenced by politics and political processes.

Image Source: ugpulse.com,

Tags: Mabira, Uganda
Posted in Campaigns, Mobile Phones, Sub-Saharan Africa | No Comments »

mHealth launched in Uganda

Written by Hillary Muheebwa on July 2, 2009 – 2:13 pm -

Background: Malaria is the leading cause of illness and death in Uganda. The country spends 10% of the Ministry of Health’s budget treating the disease. A new model, mHealth has been introduced, to contain the disease. Text to Change, a Dutch non-profit organization is spearheading the initiative, sponsored by the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs and Uganda’s Ministry of Health.

Tools: Mobile phone

How the tools are used: A health question is texted to a phone. The recipient then answers back. After replying, the participant receives update information, and another question. All those who reply the message are entered into a draw to win airtime.

“Are children under five and pregnant women most susceptible to malaria?” was the first question.

Target audience: The pilot project is targeting 10,000 people. All these are from Jinja, an industrial district in eastern Uganda.

Outcome: If successful, the scheme will spread countrywide and neighbouring states of Kenya and Tanzania. The results got from this 10-day demonstration will be shared with Ministers of UN Member States at the Annual Ministerial Review session of the UN Economic and Social Council in Geneva in July 2009.

Impact: Over 900 people responded to the text in the first two hours after it was sent.

Analysis: Texting4Health is initiating this demonstration in Uganda, riding on the penetration of mobile phones in rural areas. Uganda has witnessed an increase in mobile phone coverage. Currently, there five mobile phone service providers. Most people use their phone as a ‘call and talk’ device, rarely engaging other functions. However, Texting4Health is counting on the prolificacy of the mobile phones for success.

Uganda spends almost 586 million USD on diagnosing and treating malaria annually, about Shs 19USD per person. This includes money spent by all the stakeholders. Government alone spends about 30 million USD per year on fighting malaria, 10% of the total Ministry of Health’s budget. Malaria kills estimated 320 people daily, mainly children and pregnant women.

A lot of schemes have been rolled out to combat the disease. its the first time mHealth is being used.

image: Text to Change

Tags: Uganda
Posted in Mobile Phones, Sub-Saharan Africa | No Comments »

Tactic: Homelessness highlighted in video

Written by Talia Whyte on May 28, 2009 – 1:02 am -

Description: The current economic downturn continues to take its toll in both industrialized and developing countries. According to a report from UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Miloon Kothari, nearly one billion people around the world lack adequate housing, and approximately 100 million people have no housing of any kind. Recently, there have been efforts to spotlight the plight of society’s most vulnerable members.

Digital Tools Being Used: Video, Blog, Twitter, Text Messaging

What Are They Doing: TakePart.com is a cause-related site designed to help explore today’s pressing issues using video, images and audio, and added actions to make a difference such as signing a petition or educating the community. Their latest video is called Beth’s Story, which looks at homelessness.

“Beth’s Story, was created to shine a light on the millions of people living on the street who are often times overlooked, said TakePart.com organizer KC Webster. “She is a composite of their many complicated, often heartbreaking realities and of the issues and challenges lead to homelessness.”

Impact: It is too early to tell the ultimate impact of the campaign, but so far, success has been made. Beth’s Story has also been promoted on TakePart’s blog, Twitter feed, text messaging and YouTube account, each tool has a few hundred followers supporting the cause.

“We are trying to get the word out about Beth’s Story, to get as many eyeballs to recognize the homeless issue as possible (On You Tube it is already 21,555 views strong!) and to realize that even though most of us are only exposed to numbing statistics, each individual number has a story,” Webster said.

Tags: homelessness, TakePart
Posted in Americas, Asia, Blogs, Digital Images, Europe, Microblogging, Mid-East & N. Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Tactics, Video | No Comments »

7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 7 Weeks: Campaign for AIDS Orphans

Written by Gaby on May 16, 2009 – 4:41 pm -

 

Background: Hope Runs is a non-profit NGO based in East Africa that uses education, athletics, and social entrepreneurship to empower AIDS orphans. When founders Claire Williams and Lara Vogel were travelling through Kenya in 2006, they came across the Tumaini Children’s Center, an orphanage that houses over 170 children. They were immediately impressed by the strong commitment the center had to building a haven for the children- most of them AIDS orphans- to live in.

Both avid runners and bloggers, Williams and Vogel decided to start a non-profit in which they could educate the children in many ways, especially the thrill of running. They set up marathons within the community and athletic education programs within orphanages. They created a blog  in order to teach the orphans technological skills and get their voices heard. They also started an online video series, which highlighted the children’s lives. This program led to a computer class for the kids, further advancing their digital education. The class, in turn, developed into “Tomorrow’s Leaders,” a business and social entrepreneurship training program for Kenyan high school graduates. While the program is still being developed, Hope Runs is currently working with the UCLA Anderson School of Business to launch it at a Kenyan orphanage shortly.

As stated on the website, “with its ability to show personal progress, to prove the effectiveness of goal-setting and discipline, and to improve these children’s health, running has proven an amazing tool to teach these children motivational and disciplinary lessons that can apply to every aspect of their life.” These children are just a few of the estimated 53 million children in sub-Saharan Africa who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. This is why Hope Runs created the 777 Challenge. Hope Runs works to empower this entire generation to enable them the prosperous future they deserve. All proceeds from the 777 Challenge’s fundraising will go to assisting Hope Runs in their efforts.

Campaign Description: The Hope Runs 777 challenge is a fundraising effort that literally spans the globe. It involves a team of volunteer runners who plan to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 weeks starting in January 2010. The goal of this challenge is to raise money and awareness of the plight of AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. As of now, the team consists of 30 members from all around the world, who will raise more than $26,000 each (in addition to travel expenses) for Hope Runs. This venture, if accomplished, will break 5 Guinness World Records, including Natasha Peters, the youngest woman to complete 7 marathons in 7 continents.  Peters is an 18-year-old student from  Canada, and she is one of a few team members to write about her experiences on her blog, www.tasharuns.wordpress.com. DigiActive had a chance to ask her a few questions:

Gaby: How did you hear about the organization and get involved in the 777 challenge?

Natasha: I read about Hope Runs in Runners World a couple of years ago and was really interested because I thought it was such an innovative and transformative model, and I have followed what the organization does ever since.  This year, I wanted to fundraise in conjunction with doing the Ottawa marathon and was talking to Lara and Claire at Hope Runs about this and then got more information on the 777.  It was at that point that I became transfixed with the idea of combining my passions of travel, cultures, running, and contributing to the world community.  Hence, I applied to the 777 and the rest is history.

Gaby: Did you ever think about how running could make such an impact on other peoples’ lives the way it will with the 777 challenge?

Natasha: One of my favorite quotes is “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” by Howard Thurman.  I am a true believer that everyone has something unique to offer and that change and impact can come in the most surprising of ways.  Therefore, I definitely have always thought that a lasting and powerful impact can come from running, or anything else for that matter, and am really excited to be a part of that!

Gaby: Why do you think an event such as the 777 challenge is a good tool in activism and advocacy? What do you think it can it teach other activists who want to make a difference in the world?

Natasha: For me, running is a particularly good tool for advocacy because it both pushes me to my limit and demonstrates the lengths I’m willing to go to for a cause, inspiring others to become involved as well; it also makes me come alive because it is one of my favorite activities. Running is what I love, therefore, I am able to put so much more into what I do because I love it.  If a large amount of passion and dedication is put into something, it will be so much more powerful than just trying to fit into someone else’s mold that does not inspire you.  The first step in successful activism is to show your own dedication and passion, thus, the 777 challenge is a perfect way to make an impact.

Gaby: 7 marathons in 7 weeks on 7 continents sounds exciting, but for someone like me (who is not exactly “fit”) also a bit terrifying! How are you preparing yourself physically for such an adventure?

Natasha: I get this question a lot! Firstly, training; secondly, not getting injured.  I will be running the Ottawa marathon coming up soon and have (more or less) followed pre-established marathon training plans to train for that (a long run every week, weekly base mileage, some cross training, speed training, etc).  I will be more or less maintaining that fitness while expanding on endurance and speed for the next months and will do some fall racing to keep in shape.

Gaby: Of all 7 continents, which are you most excited to run in?

Natasha: Antartica! (but really, all will be adventures)!

Gaby: How does the fundraising aspect of the challenge work? Do you raise all the travel expenses on your own? How are you accomplishing this?

Natasha: Yes, I need to fundraise for the trip itself, and also my goal is $42,200 CAD for Hope Runs as well.  I am asking for personal and corporate donations, as well as hosting several events to fundraise.

Gaby: What you and your team members are doing is truly inspiring. What can others do to help you all accomplish your goal?

Natasha: Spread the word! And donate: http://tasharuns.wordpress.com/donate/

Digital Tools Being Used: Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

How These Tools Are Being Used: So far, three 777 team members have blogs that raise awareness for the campaign. The team member blogs are all well organized and provide a lot of insight into what the runners are trying to accomplish. The blogs are also used to raise money, as each member is responsible for raising at least $26,000 and an additional $14,000 for travel costs.

Hope Runs has two blogs: the first is www.TumainiKids.blogspot.com in which the children from Hope Runs’ partner orphanages write their own posts. It possibly one of the first blogs on the Internet written by orphans and vulnerable children.  The blog is used both to raise awareness of the millions of orphaned children in sub-Saharan Africa, and to educate the children in grassroots digital activism. It has generated a lot of comments and support. Because it is, most likely, the only blog of its kind, it is refreshing to see the children’s technological education come to fruition. The other blog, http://runningonhope.blogspot.com, written by founder Claire Williams, consists of posts about the organization and the challenge. Hope Runs also has a channel on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/trippingonwords) that is used to create the online video series.

Some members have used Facebook groups that explain the campaign and encourage others to help them raise money. Team members organize fundraising events and post the information on the page. Most groups have substantial membership and discussion. Julianne Chai, a team member from California has 95 followers on two blogs and almost 3,000 followers on twitter. She has been using these tools to raise the money she needs.

Success and Impact: The 777 challenge has not officially started yet, and will only be completed in March 2010. While Hope Runs and the 777 team members use many digital tools in their efforts to raise awareness and fundraise, it is difficult to determine how successful the campaign is until the challenge commences in January. Only then can we determine whether or not sufficient funds were raised. However, it is assumed that if someone is able to raise enough money, then the awareness raised in the process is a significant amount, as well.

The fundraising aspect seems extremely difficult to accomplish. Hope Runs acknowledges this on the website:

“Raising both funding and awareness for the cause of these children, the 777 Challenge represents a sacrifice, dedication and commitment by the team that many have said is impossible. But we hear that word a lot.People also say these kids’ beating the odds to have healthy, productive lives is impossible. We simply consider that untrue. And so 777 is going to show everyone–including our kids–exactly how far commitment and perseverance can take you.”

If the challenge is completed successfully, an estimated total of $780,000 will go to educating thousands of children with extracurricular activities as well as the vocational skills they require to better their futures.

Image: Hoperuns.org

Tags: africa, AIDS, awareness, blog, children, donate, education, fundraising, marathon, non-profit, orphans, poverty, running
Posted in Blogs, Campaigns, Social Networks, Sub-Saharan Africa, Video | 1 Comment »