Fahamu has used innovative technologies, including SMS (text messaging by mobile phone) as a means of promoting public awareness of social justice issues in Africa. The use of these technologies has been particularly appropriate given the spread of mobile technology on the African continent and the fact that, as communications devices, they have leapfrogged non-existent telephony infrastructure, opening up the potential for communicating with new audiences.
Fahamu has used innovative technologies, including SMS (text messaging by mobile phone) as a means of promoting public awareness of social justice issues in Africa. The use of these technologies has been particularly appropriate given the spread of mobile technology on the African continent and the fact that, as communications devices, they have leapfrogged non-existent telephony infrastructure, opening up the potential for communicating with new audiences.
Campaigning for the African women’s rights protocol
During the campaign to persuade African states to ratify the African Union’s Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, Fahamu set up a facility for the Solidarity with African Women’s Rights coalition whereby people were able to register their support for the protocol using mobile phone text messaging (SMS). In addition, an SMS alert service was established, which enabled users to sign up for free SMS alerts about the progress of the campaign. Nearly 1,000 requests for subscription to this service were received over six-months.
Domestic violence and land rights
Fahamu is developing programmes in in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, with the Rural Women’s Movement, under the Umnyango project, on the use of SMS to help women report and act on violence against women and on land rights.
Supporting other organisations
Fahamu is working to establish a network of organisations in Africa who are using mobile phone technologies for social justice with a view to learning from the breadth of experience in the field and also to provide mutual support for those using such technologies. Fahamu will publish a review of the current use of mobile phone technologies for social justice in Africa, and is working with the network partners to develop relevant ‘toolkits’ of software and other resource materials to facilitate effective use of mobile phone technologies.
Election monitoring
Fahamu is developing initiatives in cooperationn with the Pan African Mobile Activists Network to enable citizen participation in such activities as monitoring elections.