U-Report is a social messaging tool and data collection system developed by UNICEF to improve citizen engagement, inform leaders, and foster positive change.[1][2] 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,[3] water, sanitation and hygiene, youth unemployment, HIV/AIDS, and disease outbreaks.[4] The program currently has 28 million u-reporters in 95 countries.[5]

U-Report
EstablishedMay 2011; 13 years ago (2011-05)
Founded atUganda
TypeFund
PurposeCommunity-led development
Location
  • 99 countries
Parent organization
UNICEF
Websitehttps://ureport.in/

History

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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.[6][7] In May 2011, Uganda became the first country in which UNICEF launched the U-Report mobile initiative,[8] 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.[9] Due to U-Report's success in Uganda, UNICEF expanded the program to Zambia in December 2012[10] and to Nigeria in June 2014.[11] 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.[12] In October 2015, Ukraine became the first country in Europe to join the U-Report program,[13] growing to 68,273 participants by September 30, 2018.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Zhou, Adelyn. "6 Ways Bots Are Positively Changing The World". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  2. ^ "U-Report removes taboos: talking about Menstrual Hygiene". community.rapidpro.io. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  3. ^ "U-Report and WAGGGS first ever consultation Poll on Gender and Climate Change by UNICEF". 13 April 2022.
  4. ^ "U-Report Data Review" (PDF).
  5. ^ "U-Report". ukraine.ureport.in. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  6. ^ "UNICEF запускає RAPIDPRO".
  7. ^ "About RapidPro". community.rapidpro.io. Archived from the original on 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  8. ^ "UReport connecting young people to government – Stories of UNICEF Innovation". unicefstories.org. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  9. ^ "UReport connecting young people to government – Stories of UNICEF Innovation". unicefstories.org. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  10. ^ "Звіт UNICEF по Замбії" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-11. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
  11. ^ "U-Report hits 1 million responders in Nigeria". CPAfrica. 2015-10-14. Archived from the original on 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  12. ^ "UNICEF's U-Report Reaches 1 Million Registered Users Worldwide - Stories of Innovation". Stories of Innovation. 2015-07-10. Archived from the original on 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  13. ^ bit.ua, от (2017-06-19). "Простые технологии: как U-Report помогает молодым людям отстоять свое мнение – bit.ua". bit.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  14. ^ "Офіційний український сайт U-Report".
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