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RESHAPING EMERGENCY RESPONSE THROUGH OPEN INNOVATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction
06
RapidPro About RapidPro
08
Global Map of RapidPro Deployments
10
Stories from the Field Liberia Mexico Pakistan
12 13 14
Looking Forward
15
U-Report About U-Report
16
Global Map of U-Report Deployments
18
U-Report in Emergencies
20
Stories from the Field Uganda Liberia
21 22
Looking Forward
24
Principles of Innovation
25
Resources
26
The number, scale and protracted nature of humanitarian crises today is affecting the lives and futures of children across the world. Some 250 million children live in areas affected by conflict and over half a billion already live in high flood risk areas with climate change threatening to impact even more. If we are to achieve our global development goals and leave no one behind, it is critical that we respond to these children’s immediate needs and support longer-term outcomes. Only by reaching the most vulnerable children, many of whom are living through emergencies, can we help to break cycles of crisis.
6 / Introduction
Introduction / 7
UNICEF Innovation enables exponential change in helping reduce inequities and achieving programme effectiveness and results for children. UNICEF’s approach and commitment to enabling innovation for better outcomes for children remains strong in its humanitarian work. Due to the specific operational conditions, shorter staff deployment cycles, and low margins for error in humanitarian work, UNICEF’s staff and partners often struggle with the standard applications of innovation methodology in their work. Therefore, the UNICEF approach to innovating in humanitarian contexts relies heavily on connecting a network of humanitarian practitioners with specific opportunities, specialized technical expertise, human and financial resources and challenging them to suggest solutions to operational challenges. Over the past two years, real-time information systems (including community feedback and engagement platforms) for improved effectiveness have been a major area of focus for humanitarian innovation. In an effort to streamline the deployment of real-time and two-way communication solutions in humanitarian contexts, UNICEF developed RapidPro and U-Report as two flexible, scalable, open-source solutions for the global humanitarian and development communities. This booklet outlines the use of these two products in emergency settings and provides an outlook to the future of how these solutions will continue to evolve in support of more effective and adaptive humanitarian action.
8 / RapidPro
RapidPro / 9
RapidPro is an open source software platform that allows you to easily build and scale mobile-based applications from anywhere in the world. RapidPro is designed to let you send personalised messages over SMS, voice, and social media channels with responses analysed in real-time. RapidPro powers the way governments and development partners connect, engage, and collaborate directly with the most important - and often most marginalised - voices in their communities. Since its launch in September 2014, RapidPro has been deployed by UNICEF and partners in 28 countries around the world. Some of the most successful and effective deployments of RapidPro to-date have been initiated in support of humanitarian action, demonstrating the importance of real-time information systems and community feedback mechanisms in the context of an emergency response.
10 / Global Map of RapidPro Deployments
Indicates countries being explored-34
Last updated: 2016-18-APRIL The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
Global Map of RapidPro Deployments / 11
28 LIVE Brazil Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Central African Republic (CAR) Chile Guinea Indonesia Ireland Liberia Malawi Malaysia
12 PIPELINE Mali Mexico Mozambique Nepal Nigeria Pakistan Papua New Guinea Peru Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia Swaziland
Tanzania Uganda Ukraine Zimbabwe
Argentina Chad Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Germany Jordan Myanmar Nicaragua South Africa Syria Thailand UK Vietnam
12 / Stories from the Field - Liberia
In Liberia, RapidPro was deployed by UNICEF, partners, and the Ministry of Health during the Ebola epidemic in late 2014 to support improved communication and coordination with frontline health workers. Data from the human resources information system were imported into RapidPro to facilitate strong two-way communication between the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, health care providers, and frontline community health workers. Communication was enhanced to send specific messages tailored for health workers on their personal mobile phones. The messages tested knowledge and reinforced concepts; allowed them to receive information on suspected cases, stock-outs of medical supplies, and updates on the spread of disease; and coordinate with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Stories from the Field - Mexico / 13
In Mexico, the Prospera Digital programme was designed to enhance the way in which Prospera (the largest social policy and conditional cash transfer programme in Mexico) relates with its 7 million beneficiaries through new technologies and mobile tools. Prospera Digital now sends personalized two-way SMS messages through RapidPro. These messages provide expectant mothers with important information about healthy habits during pregnancy; help them identify signs of concern; remind them to attend their medical check-ups, take nutritional supplements and help them establish an emergency plan with their family for the moment of delivery. The service also enables them to hold health service providers accountable and allows them to evaluate the quality of the healthcare received in their local clinics.
In collaboration with UNICEF, the Mexican Government launched Prospera Digital in December 2015 and has since reached 165 clinics (out of 300) from 5 different states in Mexico (Puebla, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Chiapas, Estado de MĂŠxico) serving 1,826 pregnant women (out of 3,000 in the treatment groups). The project has been designed as a randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of the intervention in the health of future mothers and their babies. If the approach proves successful, it will be scaled by the Mexican Government to include the potential user base of 7 million women.
14 / Stories from the Field - Pakistan
In Pakistan, UNICEF and its local implementing partners distributed hygiene ‘WASHkits’ (soap, bucket, sanitary cloths and 2 collapsible jerry cans) in some of the most drought-affected areas of Pakistan in 2015. This project simultaneously launched RapidPro to provide a feedback mechanism for programme monitoring over SMS. A sticker with registration instructions was applied to the WASHkits prior to their distribution:
In one month, over 1200 users answered 4 short questions about the items they received in their WASHkits with the vast majority of respondents texting in Romanized Urdu. From these responses, UNICEF and partners were able to conduct follow-up surveys to determine why the jerry can was not considered useful. For those who requested non-essential items, RapidPro was used to follow-up with targeted messages that thanked respondents for their feedback and provided additional explanation about why their requests could not be honoured. Furthermore, results from the exercise were shared back with the design team for future adaptations of the UNICEF kit.
Looking Forward / 15
RapidPro’s scalable infrastructure is most effective as a tool for emergency response if it has already been established and deployed ahead of a crisis. It is easier to leverage an active deployment of RapidPro for humanitarian response than to set-up and deploy the platform (including the requisite negotiations with mobile network operators and other stakeholders) during a crisis. As such, UNICEF is working to ‘pre-position’ RapidPro as a measure of preparedness, enabling UNICEF country offices and their partners to establish connections with trusted networks of community members and frontline workers that can be activated or repositioned in times of crisis.
LOOKING FORWARD RapidPro will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the communities in which UNICEF and its implementing partners work.
NEW CHANNELS AND FEATURES Working with Facebook, UNICEF Innovation recently launched Facebook Messenger as a RapidPro channel. USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) functionality is also on the product roadmap for RapidPro, so that end users can access information the same way they top up their airtime or use mobile money to pay a bill. The ability to conduct airtime transfers over RapidPro will also be added in 2016.
NEW COUNTRY DEPLOYMENTS In Jordan, RapidPro will likely be deployed as the software platform that powers communication between refugees reporting full latrines, dispatch, waste collectors, inspectors, and planning and monitoring in Zaatari Refugee Camp. In Malawi, UNICEF and UNHCR are exploring how RapidPro can be deployed to report and visualise operational data from UN staff in response to the influx of Mozambican refugees.
16 / U-Report
U-Report / 17
Powered by
U-Report, a product powered by RapidPro, is designed to give young people and communities a chance to voice their opinions around issues that they care about. U-Reporters join through SMS, Facebook, Twitter or the U-Report App to participate in weekly polls on child protection, education, health, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, social policy, governance, and water and sanitation. Data are made available to the public through the U-Report website that provides poll results and engages U-Reporters beyond the weekly poll. In addition to weekly polls, U-Reporters can send a message at any time and at no charge. UNICEF’s partners are able to filter, analyse, and respond to the most relevant messages based on keyword analysis.
18 / Global Map of U-Report Deployments
Indicates countries with digital reach-22 Indicates countries being explored-11
Powered by
Last updated: 2016-07-APRIL The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map d o not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
Global Map of U-Report Deployments / 19
24 LIVE Brazil Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Central African Republic (CAR) Chile Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Guinea Indonesia Ireland Liberia Malaysia
10 PIPELINE Mali Mexico Mozambique Nigeria Pakistan Senegal Sierra Leone Swaziland Uganda Ukraine Zambia Zimbabwe
Argentina Chad India Jordan Malawi Myanmar South Africa Syria Thailand UK
20 / U-Report in Emergencies
In an emergency setting U-Reporters send and receive messages that tie into key themes that improve Accountability to Affected Populations, namely: •
ACCESS TO VALUABLE INFORMATION
•
UNDERSTANDING REAL-TIME COMMUNITY SERVICE NEEDS AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK
Mass messages can be targeted to vulnerable populations based on gender, age and geography. Responses can be analysed in realtime by the same criteria, helping to address one of the major inhibitors to humanitarian response —lack of information or data.
Stories from the Field - Uganda / 21
Uganda UNICEF Uganda integrated U-Report into their humanitarian response in Western Uganda’s Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement which was experiencing an influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). U-Report was implemented as a way to monitor and support the needs of refugees, link service providers with beneficiaries, strengthen referral systems within the settlement and promote the sharing of accurate information. As a result, 434 people received in-person training within 10 days which reached every village in the settlement. During these sessions facilitators gave a brief overview of U-Report, what to expect, and discussed areas that U-Reporters should emphasise. These included child rights, sexual and gender based violence, violence against children, education, the environment, the economy, health, and social issues. Following training 280 U-Reporters joined U-Report from the camp, 60 of whom were camp leaders.
As an outcome, U-Reporters reported births, deaths, violence against women and children and the impact of cultural superstitions. They were also able to report issues with boreholes, land disputes and villages lacking services including early childhood care and child-friendly spaces. Issues were reviewed by Child Protection Committees and referral services were promoted on the U-Report dashboard, ensuring U-Reporters’ concerns were addressed. Through WASH programming the boreholes were repaired within three days of reporting. With reports of mortality in the communities, relevant services were immediately put in place to ensure bodies were taken to the health unit for postmortem. The relatives of the deceased were given non-food items such as mats, soap, and blankets to facilitate burial processes. Reports concerning cases of violence against children resulted in treatment provisions and services put in place for victims and judicial action against perpetrators. Programme staff also used this information to ensure greater sensitization of the community about violence and strategies for protecting children in the community.
22 / Stories from the Field - Liberia
Liberia In May 2015 LIberia was first declared Ebola free, but new cases emerged on several occasions. In July 2015, U-Report was used to measure multiple facets of the Liberian Ebola response including the effectiveness of radio campaigns warning people about Ebola, alerting people to new outbreaks, identifying U-Reporters who had been to outbreak areas and understanding their movement since potential exposure, and the visibility of Community Mobilisation Coordinators (CMCs) in those areas. This was all done in a single day: 43,000 people took part in the polls and became aware of the new outbreak.
EBOLA PREVENTION & AWARENESS In July 2015, U-Report received 26,000 responses in 24 hours, an extremely high response rate (60%). The collected data were used to redirect resources to areas most in need in order to increase their visibility in areas reporting the highest levels of CMC absence.
http://liberia.ureport.in/poll/197/ July 11, 2015
Have U heard about any Ebola awareness messages on the radio since the new outbreak? A) Yes B) No 12,927 responded out of 52,670 polled Yes
66%
No
34%
Stories from the Field - Liberia / 23
In April 2016, additional new cases of Ebola were identified in Liberia after it was last declared free from new transmissions in January 2016. In response, U-Report launched a series of questions around the new cases. These questions measured awareness of the new cases, awareness of the the telephone number to report cases and deaths, the reach of recent Ebola messaging, and access to preventative measures like hand-washing.
https://liberia.ureport.in/poll/541/ April 8, 2016
Did you hear any Ebola prevention messages on radio in the last few days? Pls reply with “Y” for Yes and “N” for No. 10,330 responded out of 12,058 polled
All PARTICIPATION LEVEL
8,804 Responses
10,219
Reporters in All
RESULTS 70-80% HeardMsg 65-70% HeardMsg 60-65% HeardMsg 50-60% HeardMsg
69% 31%
HeardMsg NotheardMsg
24 / Looking Forward
There are 2 million U-Reporters who have opted in to U-Report and the membership continues to grow each day.
LOOKING FORWARD U-Report will continue to launch and scale in new ways linked to UNICEF development projects. However, in the future, when humanitarian crisis strikes, the platform will become a shared resource. In countries where U-Reporters are already reporting, UNICEF will work with the humanitarian community to share the tool in times of crisis so governments, UN agencies and civil society can quickly understand the needs and demands of the people affected. Where U-Report doesn’t exist, UNICEF will commit technical support to launch it with a view to becoming a sustainable tool for program use following the emergency. U-Report is diversifying the channels over which people can communicate. In addition to Facebook Messenger, smartphone apps for iOS and Android are being promoted this year, with the ability to send and receive rich media. This feature will allow U-Reporters to share their experiences and stories in their own voices, and connect with other U-Reporters facing similar issues. U-Report is also launching web-based registration, which could be applied during a humanitarian crisis.
Principles of Innovation / 25
PRINCIPLES OF INNOVATION UNICEFSTORIES.ORG/PRINCIPLES These principles are not intended as hard and fast rules but meant as best-practice guidelines to inform the design of technology enabled development programs.
Design with the User
Use Open Source
Understand the Existing Ecosystem
Reuse and Improve
Design for Scale
Address Privacy and Security
Build for Sustainability
Be Collaborative
Be Data Driven
These innovation principles have been endorsed or adopted by the following partners: UNICEF, WHO, HRP, USAID, Gates Foundation, EOSG Global Pulse, WFP, OCHA, UNDP, SIDA, IKEA Foundation, UN Foundation, and UNHCR.​
26 / Resources
RESOURCES RAPIDPRO https://community.rapidpro.io U-REPORT GLOBALOBAL www.ureport.in U-REPORT FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/ureportglobal U-REPORT TWITTER https://twitter.com/UReportGlobal UNICEF www.unicef.org UNICEF INNOVATION unicef.org/innovation unicefstories.org PRINCIPLES OF INNOVATION unicefstories.org/principles
www.unicefstories.org www.unicef.org/innovation @UNICEFInnovate
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