Mobile4Good

Issue: Jobs for the worlds poorest communities

Location: Kibera (largest informal settlement in Africa), Kenya

Problem: There is 80% unemployment in Kibera, and access to jobs information is unavailable and/or unaffordable

Partners: Accenture/Vodafone/local partners??? With support from seven local OneWorld staff in Nairobi, 10 volunteers, over 30 mobilisers and partnerships with local government and mobile operator

Action: OneWorld created a pilot programme using mobile text messaging technology to create an intelligent platform that connected employers and job-seekers

Why Mobile Video Technology?: Mobile growth is vital in the African context. More so because the continent has leapfrogged from no connectivity to instant connectivity via mobiles. With the rapid deployment of infrastructure around the continent by mobile operators, a large percentage (over 80% in some areas) of the population has access to mobile phone and messages sent via mobile phones

Results:

Mobile4Good now connects more than 250 jobs to jobseekers every week
In 2005, more than 13,000 jobs in and around Nairobi were filled by people who received the information about the job via KAZI560
An independent survey confirmed that each such job effectively helped at least five other people in community to change their life in a positive direction
The project has resulted in indirect benefit to more than 150,000 people in Kenya

Today: Mobile4Good is now self sustaining. Today over 60% of population are aware of the SMS messaging services rendered by OneWorld, which includes the Health service (focused especially on AIDS and breast cancer) and Community News. These services have been provided free of cost

Contact: Program Director: Shashank Kansal. shashank.kansal@oneworld.net