U-Report is a social messaging tool and data collection system developed by

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

to improve citizen engagement, inform leaders, and foster positive change. The program sends SMS polls and alerts to its participants, collecting real-time responses, and subsequently publishes gathered data. Issues polled include health, education, gender, climate change, water, sanitation and hygiene, youth unemployment, HIV/AIDS, and disease outbreaks. The program currently has 28 million u-reporters in 95 countries.

History

In 2007, UNICEF Innovation used RapidSMS to develop U-Report, a platform that would allow anyone to publish real-time information and data analytics in SMS format without the need of a programmer. In May 2011,

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

became the first country in which

launched the U-Report mobile initiative, due to its population being, on average, one of the youngest in the world. Another reason UNICEF cited for introducing the program in Uganda was the nation's high cellphone use compared to other developing nations, with 48% of the nation's citizens owning a cellphone. Due to U-Report's success in Uganda, UNICEF expanded the program to

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

in December 2012 and to

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

in June 2014. In Zambia, U-report was used to prevent HIV among adolescents and young people, with voluntary HIV testing in the country rising from 24% of the population to 40%. In Nigeria, U-Report primarily conducts surveys on social and medical issues. In July 2015, U-Report reached a total of one million reporters in fifteen countries. In October 2015,

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

became the first country in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

to join the U-Report program, growing to 68,273 participants by September 30, 2018.

References

External links

* U Report Globa
Official site
{{Instant messaging UNICEF Organizations established in 2011 2011 establishments in Uganda Public opinion Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Mediation Technical communication Instant messaging Technical communication tools Instant messaging server software Real-time technology

History

See also

References

External links