Project information
| Status | Finalist |
| URL | Go to website |
| Category | Public Administration Governance - politics and elections |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Operational areas | Urban, Rural |
| Target groups | Youth, Women, Men, Seniors |
| Wireless connection | GSM |
| Interact | Desktop Computer, Cellphone, Laptop |
| Software License Types | Open Source |
Project location
Random images Challenge 2008
FrontlineSMS: Text Messaging Hub for the Grassroots NGO Community
- Brief description
- FrontlineSMS is a simple-to-use, free, open source, entry-level text messaging solution for NGOs in the developing world interested in using SMS in their work, but who are confused by the array of options and technical language used in the mobile field, or who are unable to use the majority of current systems due to a lack of internet connectivity in their project geographical areas and the lack of appreciation in the conditions under which they work. With little or no expertise, and within the minimum of time, NGOs can be up and running with a FrontlineSMS hub and begin sending - and receiving - text messages with their constituents
- Vision, Objectives and Goals
- At present, grassroots NGOs are faced with a confusing array of information on the uses of mobile technology for positive social and environmental change. Many read case studies on how mobiles are promoting human rights, reporting environmental incidents, helping people find jobs, distributing health information and so on, yet up until now there has been no concentrated effort to develop a universal text messaging solution for them. Most existing applications are web-based, something not easily available in many of the areas where these NGOs work, or do not provide necessary two-way communication. Instead, what is required is a simple to use, works-out-of-the-box, feature rich application which allows them to take those first early steps into the mobile arena. FrontlineSMS - launched initially in Beta format in 2005 - is now successfully filling that gap and now, with MacArthur Foundation funding, is beginning to reach out to the wider NGO community and being applied to an increasingly wide range of non-profit activities. NGOs in over 40 countries have used, or are using, the platform
- How does ICT contribute to the organisational objectives
- Mobile phones are revolutionising communications across the globe, more so in developing countries where landline infrastructure is lacking in many rural (and also urban) areas. Mobile phones represent the only means of communication for hundreds of millions of people. At the same time, mobiles have opened up huge economic opportunities for their owners. They can now be more easily contacted when work is available, they can use them to advertise their services, receive market prices, job information, and so on. Others now make a living 'sharing' their phones and charging non-owners to make calls. Some make a living charging phone batteries, selling top-up vouchers, or covers and chargers. FrontlineSMS is designed to allow NGOs previously excluded from the SMS revolution take part, and explore the potential of SMS in their work without needing to buy into costly systems or contracts, or take risks on systems not designed with their specific needs in mind. Furthermore, FrontlineSMS can be set up in a matter of minutes without the need to establish relationships with network providers or technology companies. This is particularly useful for organisations working in the human rights field, or those based in countries with oppressive regimes where it is essential (as a matter of life and death, in many cases) that they don't draw attention to themselves or their work. As testiment to this, FrontlineSMS is being succesfully used in countries such as Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, and during the recent crisis in Pakistan (where it was identified by activists as the best solution to their needs)
- Transferability
- Anyone, anywhere, any size with any social or environmental mission can get access to FrontlineSMS and use it in their work. Currently only Windows-based machines are supported, but this will change once the second version is complete in the Spring of 2008. Support for the Apple Mac and Linux/Ubuntu is crucial for its continuing growth and uptake. FrontlineSMS is 100% replicable and, once the new version is released in the Spring, will also be fully scalable. Too many solutions are developed for specific places or specific organisations or needs, without consideration for wider potential. FrontlineSMS could be described as an SMS "Swiss army knife".
- Project summary
After approximately 18 months of small-scale trials, FrontlineSMS hit headline news in April 2007 when it was used to help monitor the Nigerian Presidential elections (it was also used in the Philippine elections, although this wasn't so widely reported). Since that time interest in the software for a range of non-profit activities has grown considerably and it is being used in countries such as Afghanistan to provide security alerts to fieldworkers, in Aceh providing market information to hundreds of coffee farmers, and in Pakistan to circumvent government reporting restrictions. This summer the MacArthur Foundation announced their funding of the project - to the tune of $200,000 - which will build a new, platform-independent version of the software, and a new dedicated website for its community of users. The project is due for completion in the Spring of 2008
Interest and anticipation among the community is high, and FrontlineSMS is now seen as 'the' text messaging solution for non-profits and is now regularly cited in industry and academic papers. Its use in the Nigerian elections has spawned a new wave of election monitoring projects - Sierra Leone, Kenya and Ghana are just three of the countries which have since either carried out or are planning mobile election monitoring activities. Finally, the GSM Association have invited kiwanja.net to present a case study on the use of the software in the Nigerian elections at the forthcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (as part of the "Society on the Move" track). The new version of the software is planned for launch at a second GSMA event in Cannes, where kiwanja.net is doing the non-profit keynote address
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