A study about using mobile phones for political participation
May 2, 2012
A few weeks after the Ugandan general elections in 2011, Johan Hellström and Anna Karefelt - from Stockholm University and Uppsala University, respectively - conducted research to assess the challenges and opportunities in using mobile phones for political participation.
World TB Day: on behalf of a future free from tuberculosis
March 24, 2012
On the March 24th 1882, Dr. Robert Koch identified the cause of tuberculosis, a disease that at that time was killing 1 out of 7 people in Europe and Americas. This discovery was a watershed towards the diagnosis and cure of TB. In 1982, when this important discovery completed 100 years, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) launched the first World TB Day.
Text to Change wins Award at the International Conference on Mobile Communication for Development in India
March 2, 2012
Text to Change won the First Best Paper Award at the 3rd International Conference on Mobile Communication for Development (M4D 2012) in New Delhi India. The conference was organized by the Society for Education & Research Development (SERD) in collaboration with
New resource on using SMS as an effective behaviour change campaigning tool
March 1, 2012
Behaviour change campaigning is inherently interactive. In order to encourage positive behaviour change it’s important to not only push campaign messages out to people, but to listen to the responses. To run a campaign which has a real impact on behaviour, you need to listen to ensure you’re being heard.
Radio and SMS increase awareness on deforestation in Uganda
February 24, 2012
Uganda loses close to 73,000 hectares of forest cover annually, which according to some experts, has been the country’s biggest climate threat. At the centre of deforestation is the lucrative charcoal trade. An estimated 95 percent of Ugandans depend on charcoal and wood for cooking and many people in Uganda are making a living from this trade, also known as the 'black gold' trade. The lucrative charcoal trade is not only wreaking havoc on forests but also on its most famous inhabitants, the rare gorillas.
Africa carries 29% of the global burden of tuberculosis (TB) cases and 34% of related deaths, and the challenges of controlling the disease in the region have never been greater (WHO).
It’s exactly four years since the world witnessed the birth of Text To Change. That’s why Text to Change carried out an SMS survey among women in Uganda about Valentine’s Day, relationships and health. It turned out that 93% of Ugandan women knows her own HIV-status and 87% knows her partner’s HIV-status. We asked the women to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Text to Change by participating in the survey. Important data collection like this can easily be done through SMS. 80% of the people in developing countries own or have access to a mobile phone.
Research shows that health knowledge levels in rural Uganda increase with a simple SMS
January 16, 2012
In 2010 and 2011, an SMS campaign was carried out in rural Uganda by TTC and HIPS (Health Initiatives in the Private Sector) among employees of Kinyara and KCCL, two of the most important factories of Uganda. In total over 3000 people participated in the quiz. Results of this survey have shown a significant positive change in knowledge levels on health topics like of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.
Every second 200.000 text messages are sent globally. Today the use of SMS has proven itself a powerful medium to give rise to spontaneous social movements. Throughout the year 2011 the world witnessed major events, such as the protests across the Arab world, which were not only organized, but moreover registered and reported through civilians' mobiles rather than by journalists. Many of such examples confirm and underline the great influence of mobile telephony.
