Text to Change (TTC) combines the growth of mobile telephony with the need for better healthcare projects, innovative education, economic development and transparency. TTC uses mobile phone technology to send out and receive information on such issues in Africa and South America. TTC's model is based on interactive and incentive based SMS programmes. Together with our local partners, we aim to support change by increasing awareness and enabling citizens to take their health and well-being into their own hands.

Text to Change is focused on SMS as it stands out as having several advantages: cost-effectiveness, scalability, convenience, broad reach and widespread popularity in the developing world. Moreover, all basic phones are able to receive SMS. Participation is fun, free, informative, easily accessible, anonymous and above all it can be life saving. Using mobile phones has proved to be a highly effective tool to inform people of the choices available to them. Communities benefit from TTC’s service as they receive information, pose questions and send back answers without being charged.

We implement a wide variety of projects such as workplace based SMS programmes addressing sexual behaviour, price information systems for farmers, data collection in conflict areas and programmes aimed at medicine adherence and targeting health issues like HIV/AIDS, malaria and reproductive health.

Problema

Inspired by a visit in South-Africa in 2007, the founders of TTC experienced an old fashioned way of education. People were informed about health problems such as HIV by billboards among highways and squares. They both considered this as an ineffective way to make people aware of serious health issues. Why don’t they use a tool, something that everybody has in their pocket? Thinking about a solution they realised the potential to communicate health information to people via a mobile phone. TTC is driven by the belief that the cell phone is becoming more affordable and accessible, also at the poorest level of the population and among the youth. Access to information in the developing world is a well-known challenge. Text to Change plays a vital role in improving lives - even in the most isolated areas - by connecting people via their mobile phones. We also collect participants’ data for analysis, which then helps us to plan our campaigns more effectively. In this way, we are reaching out to hundreds of thousands of people. Our sophisticated and innovative mobile platform uses incentive based quizzes to educate, engage, and empower people on health and wellbeing related issues. These quizzes are designed to challenge people’s knowledge. We ensure there is no cost involved for our participants. Our model encourages continued participation in our programmes and furthermore, sparks a dialogue on topics such as HIV/AIDS, which are often considered taboo.

Solución

TTC was the first of its kind in Africa, mobile phones had never been used before on such a large scale for health educational purposes. The success of Text to Change’s initial programmes in Uganda – covering HIV prevention and the uptake of HIV Voluntary Counseling & Testing (HCT), malaria, family planning, reproductive health and child abuse – paved the way for Text Change’s emerging presence across Africa and other developing regions.

Ejemplo

The Text to Change concept is simple and yet very powerful in result. An example of one of our projects is an HIV awareness campaign in Lira District. TTC carried out a survey in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), using SMS messages. Mobile phones are one of the fastest spreading technologies in the world, and they are now being used for more than just their traditional functions. Uganda has over 10 million mobile phone subscribers and throughout Africa as a whole it is estimated that more than a million phone users are being added every week. Phone company research in Uganda estimates that approximately 85% of the population has “access” to a mobile phone through relatives, friends, acquaintances and mobile phone kiosks or itinerant mobile service providers. The objective of the study was to improve HIV/AIDS awareness and to increase the number of people going for testing services in Lira in order to increase the awareness of one’s HIV status and to encourage people to seek early treatment and care in order to decrease further HIV transmission. TTC combines state of the art data collection and analysis, with advocacy aimed at individuals and institutions at all levels in society. It does so through a wide variety of approaches varying from workplace based SMS programs aimed at changing sexual behavior, to data collection in conflict areas, to campaigning for improved school quality and reduced teacher absenteeism.

Mercado

Most of the competitors of Text to change are focused locally or by sector. TTC has experience in several countries and in several sectors without underestimating the quality of each project. -Praekelt Foundation -Cell-Life -Voxiva -Dimagi -D-Tree -Grameen Foundation