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Using social networking tools in to combat drug abuse in South Africa

Description: A group of former drug users and gangsters have teamed up with Mr Marlon Parker, a PhD candidate and lecturer on IT at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, to offer an online platform for people to combat their own drug use and find support on their road to wellness.

The network is a response to the increased violence and drug abuse that has occurred in Cape Town in the past several years, a trend that is causing much restlessness in society.  By providing young members of the society who may be caught up in drug use or gang activity a place where they feel comfortable, they can begin opening up and receiving help from counselors.

Tools: Mxit

How they use the tools: Mxit is a mobile service that is used by 8.6 million people in Africa, and offers an easy way to send and receive text messages via mobile phone or internet.  Parker partners with school districts to offer a counseling service through Mxit to students, who can text in or use the platform’s chat capabilities via General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) as opposed to SMS.

For his PhD thesis, Mr Parker has been researching how technology can be used for community change.

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