Practical Insights on SMS

The Feature Phone is Not Yet Dead in Africa – Your Weekend Long Reads

The Feature Phone is Not Yet Dead in Africa – Your Weekend Long Reads

Published on: Feb 24 2018 by Steve Vosloo - 1 Comment
Quartz Africa reports that last year feature phones won market share from smartphones in Africa. The market share of smartphones fell to 39% in 2017 (from 45%),...
Reinventing the Call Centre for Better Healthcare Services in Uganda

Reinventing the Call Centre for Better Healthcare Services in Uganda

Published on: Feb 07 2018 by Guest Writer - 2 Comments
Uganda is one of the youngest countries in the world with 81% of Uganda’s population under age 35. Public health programs in Uganda are constantly faced with...
Three SMS Program Learnings that Will Surprise You

Three SMS Program Learnings that Will Surprise You

Published on: Oct 23 2017 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on Three SMS Program Learnings that Will Surprise You
In early 2017, USAID’s StopPalu malaria control project in Guinea started implementing an SMS program to motivate pregnant women to seek antenatal care visits...
Are Messaging Apps and Emoji-Driven M&E a Game-Changing Innovation?

Are Messaging Apps and Emoji-Driven M&E a Game-Changing Innovation?

Published on: Jan 16 2017 by Jacob Korenblum - 3 Comments
Ten years ago, very few people mentioned cell phones and M&E in the same sentence. Phones were for phone calls, or for texting friends; monitoring surveys were...
4 Reasons for Large Scale SMS Text Surveys in Developing Countries

4 Reasons for Large Scale SMS Text Surveys in Developing Countries

Published on: Jan 09 2017 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on 4 Reasons for Large Scale SMS Text Surveys in Developing Countries
We know that SMS is a cheap, convenient, easy to adapt and automate, and non-intrusive way to collect data. But compared to face to face or phone interviews, text...
The Blind Spot of SMS Projects: Constituent Illiteracy

The Blind Spot of SMS Projects: Constituent Illiteracy

Published on: Aug 03 2016 by Guest Writer - 5 Comments
With the overwhelming optimism around mobile phone-based communication technologies, it is reasonable to ponder: Do literacy levels pose a serious limitation to...
4 Secrets to ICTforAg Social and Behavior Change Communication

4 Secrets to ICTforAg Social and Behavior Change Communication

Published on: Jul 25 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on 4 Secrets to ICTforAg Social and Behavior Change Communication
Most ICTforAg projects have specific behavior change goals. For example, the goal may be for farmers to change their practices to improve soil quality. Or for farmers...
Mobile Learning Lessons: From the Developing to the Developed World

Mobile Learning Lessons: From the Developing to the Developed World

Published on: Jul 01 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on Mobile Learning Lessons: From the Developing to the Developed World
The ICT4D field is proving mature enough in some instances to reverse the flow of informal technology transfer from developed to developing, so much so that it...
Yes, Farmers Do Use Mobile Phones for Market Prices

Yes, Farmers Do Use Mobile Phones for Market Prices

Published on: Jun 27 2016 by Guest Writer - 3 Comments
Farmers in Malawi had free access to market prices via mobile phones for about three months using HNI’s 3‑2‑1 Service. Usage data was rolling in. And...
The Low-Tech Way to Reach Everyone on Earth

The Low-Tech Way to Reach Everyone on Earth

Published on: Jun 13 2016 by Natasha Beale - Comments Off on The Low-Tech Way to Reach Everyone on Earth
We often focus on new technologies – developing the newest app or handing every teacher a tablet – as if they are magic bullets to solving the world’s...
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