Saving lives

Real time reporting through SMS

INDIA

Deepti Pant

State Representative - CRS

March 30, 2011

ICT4 Development Conference

Lusaka, Zambia

Introduction

• Deepti Pant

• Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

• State Representative

Project: Short message service

(SMS) to report key health indicators

Sector: Maternal & newborn health

Place: Northern India

Opportunity: • Late/Under reporting of maternal &

Newborn deaths• Limited access to sub-district level

data

Why ICT4D: • Real time reporting• Availability of updated data to managers for informed decision making

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The Process

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Data analysisProgram managers

ASHA reporting through SMS

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Analyzed data on block trends, reasons and places of death

ICT Solution

• Solution: Coded SMS program

• Hardware:– Win2003 server, SMS Modem, cell phones at the field level

• Software:– Frontline SMS, Web Server, Reports designed using ASP DotNet

• Vendor : In house development (Overseas Development Support Unit)

• Technological support:– Program Development, Designing the report

• Staff support– To train ASHAs on the codes and sending the text messages– To analyze the received data on periodic basis and present it to the

relevant program personnel

Key Challenges

• ASHAs were inexperienced in using mobile phones to send text messages

• Low literacy among ASHAs also posed a problem in reporting

• All ASHAs do not possess mobile phones

• Reporting through mobile is an add on activities for ASHAs

• Low buying in from Government stakeholders

C-FAARM Help Desk

James Campbell

Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator

March 30, 2011

ICT4 Development Conference

Lusaka, Zambia

Introduction

• James Campbell

• CRS Zambia Country Program

• Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator

Project Background

• Project: Zambia MYAP

• Sector: Agriculture, Nutrition, and Community Resiliency

• Place: Western Province in Zambia

• Issue Addressed: Providing an opportunity for the community to address implementation issues and/or provide technical support and guidance

• Why ICT4D: - Limited staffing to cover a vast area although there are a

number of dead zones - Most cost effective way to communicate with project staff

ICT Solution

• Solution: Creation of a help desk to answer queries and provide guidance to program beneficiaries

• Hardware: Laptop, Modem, network connectivity, sim card

• Software: Frontline SMS; a CRM system

• Technological support: One programmer to modify the off-the shelf CRM program

• Staff support: person(s) to manage the help desk; Technical leads to address queries and issues;

Key Challenges

• Finding a suitable Customer Relations Management (CRM) package;

• Finding a phone that is fully compatible with Frontline SMS;

• Devising a system for the beneficiaries with limited network coverage to communicate with the help desk

Dr. Jayachandran V, Ph.D.

Head of Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Management

ICT4 Development Conference

Lusaka, Zambia

March 30, 2011

Collecting Food Insecurity Data Using Mobile SMS

Technology: An Application of Household Hunger Scale

(WALA, Malawi)

Introduction

• Project: WALA is a five year (2009-2014) Title-II program targeting eight districts in southern Malawi.

• Sector:Maternal and child health, Livelihood (Ag. & NRM, Irrigation, Agri-business, VSL); Safety net; Disaster risk reduction

• Place: Malavi (ADD REGION/STATE)

• Issue Addressed: (PLEASE ADD)• Why ICT4D: To monitor and analyze the data flow on a

monthly basis from remote locations

ICT Solution

• Solution: Collecting food insecurity/shortage data using a modified version of the Household Hunger Scale (HHS) developed by FANTA

• Hardware: Mobile SMS technology using Nokia 2690 models

• Software: Java mobile software is used for developing the application

• Vendor: CRS Global IT Technical Support Unit based in Lucknow, India

• Technological Support: Develop SMS application, Setting up server to receive SMS

• Staff Support: Staff to monitor and analyze the data

Key Challenges

• Setting up of server using remote access due to poor internet connectivity.

• Unavailability of equipments, such as modem locally.

• Poor mobile networking in rural areas.

Overall - Lessons Learned • Coded SMS technology can be used only for limited indicators

• Notification of receipt of messages to the senders is helpful

• Quality of reporting through coded SMS technology needs continuous support and handholding

• Dedicated staff to manage the project adds to the effectiveness

• Involvement of Government partners is very important for ownership and continuity.

Adopting ICT4D will necessitate technological, personnel and process changes that

require careful managementSustainability issues pertaining to the continuing operation and maintenance of ICT4D systems

need to be considered from the outset.

Sustainability

• Recurring operational and maintenance cost of phones

• Contribution of mobile service providers as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.

• Buying in by the government system to adopt this strategy for reporting and decision making

• Technical Support to government for managing the program

Summary and Close

• Use of SMS has been successful in tracking few indicators at a time.

• Results are yet to be seen in the two SMS pilot that have been recently launched in Malawi and Zambia.

• Future plan is to pilot a program where the phones can serve dual purpose– Reporting indicators– Using it as medium to share the messages on maternal and

child health

Thank You!