Recently we've been working with kiwanja.net, a mobile-focused specialist in anthropology, conservation and development founded by Ken Banks, chair of the W3C's Mobile Web for Social Development Interest Group. Previously we've developed Silverbackers for Ken, and over the last 12 months we've been developing FrontlineSMS.
FrontlineSMS is an SMS hub aimed at the not-for-profit sector. Setup costs are minimal - all that's required is a computer and a mobile phone. The desktop client can then send and receive SMS messages in bulk, and organise contacts. More advanced functionality is also available, which we'll be going into in future blog posts.
The first public (beta) release was 6 months ago, and we've recently hit 700 downloads. As the map shows, usage has been widespread and varied.
Here are some of the most high-profile uses so far:
Malawi - Rural Healthcare
In St. Gabriel's hospital in Namitete, Malawi, Josh Nesbit used FrontlineSMS to set up a system to co-ordinate volunteer health workers. The hospital's catchment area covers 250,000 people over 30,000 square miles, with only three medical officers employed by the hospital. Using FrontlineSMS, St. Gabriel's 600 volunteer Community Health Workers (CHWs) can now get quick access to information about drug doses, keep the hospital updated with the status of discharged patients and request further assistance. The hospital can also contact a CHW if one of their patients has missed an appointment.
Afghanistan - Security Updates
A major international aid organisation has been using FrontlineSMS in Afghanistan to help keep their staff out of harm's way:"Drivers receive updates on traffic congestion, road blocks, police operations, VIP movements, local minor security incidents and anything else that might be useful as they travel. Senior staff receive SMS messages regarding larger security incidents that may require them to modify program activities for the short term. Incidents that influence activities in other areas are sent to the sub-office group. Finally we have an 'All Staff' category for those situations where we need to notify or account for everyone as quickly as possible"
Zimbabwe - Election News Updates
Zimbabwean human rights NGO Kubatana used FrontlineSMS to share information during that country's turbulent elections earlier this year. As well as helping to distribute updates on the latest developments in the presidential struggle, they used FrontlineSMS it to collect and share opinions from their readership.
For more info on FrontlineSMS in action, check out this post on the kiwanja.net blog.