According to the results of a global survey and a series of case studies in the report Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use, released by the United Nations Foundation and The Vodafone Group Foundation, Mobile technology is transforming the way advocacy, development and relief organizations accomplish their institutional missions.Wireless Technology for Social Change: By looking at 11 case studies of groups active in the areas of public health, humanitarian assistance and environmental conservation, trends in NGO Mobile Use examines emerging trends in "mobile activism".
Two conflict prevention projects, both active in Kenya are among the programs highlighted. A text messaging 'nerve center' that collected alerts about violent outbreaks during the recent civil unrest and mobilized local 'peace committees' was created by Oxfam-Great Britain and the Kenyan umbrella group PeaceNet created. By providing a hub for real-time information about actual and planned attacks between rival ethnic and political groups, the project served as a vital tool for conflict management and prevention.
Together with a handful of non-profit and private sector groups in Kenya, The GSM Association developed another conflict prevention project that allows farmers to preserve their crops while protecting wildlife. The program monitors instances when elephants approach farmed land, and provides an early warning system via mobile that is reducing the incidence of human-elephant conflict in an area where as many as five humans and 10 elephants are killed each year.
Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use was written by Sheila Kinkade (ShareIdea.org) and Katrin Verclas (MobileActive.org), and commissioned by the United Nations Foundation-Vodafone Group Foundation Technology Partnership. To effectively address some of the world's toughest challenges, the second in the Access to Communications Publication Series, this report produces studies that give governments, NGOs and the private sector research and recommendations on how to use technology and telecom tools.
The global survey found that 86% of non-governmental organization (NGO) employees use mobile technology in their work, and 25% believe it has revolutionized the way their organization or project works. While the most common uses of mobile technology by NGO workers are voice calls (90%) and text messaging (83%), more sophisticated uses, such as mapping (10%), data analysis (8%) and inventory management (8%) also were reported.
