mPowering

Apps For Development: Lessons From mPowering

Posted by MelissaUlbricht on May 31, 2011

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Non-profit organization mPowering is developing customized mobile apps to help reach the ultra poor -- people living on less than $2 a day -- and connect them with funding opportunities and programs in the developed world.

Reaching individuals and supplying resources in remote regions has huge challenges. The goal of mPowering is to leverage existing mobile infrastructure to open up channels of access. The organization has ongoing programs in Nepal and India which provide incentives to poor individuals for reporting to school or work, via mobile application. The organization is also working to create a mobile donor app to further connect the poor with funding opportunities.

Before a mobile app can be developed and deployed, the mPowering team conducts field research and partners with local institutions. We spoke with Kamael Ann Sugrim, Co-founder and CEO of mPowering, to find out how an app is developed.

Programs in Nepal and India

The mPowering organization is a year old and currently has two programs underway which utilize mobile apps. In Bhaktapur, Nepal, women earn points for reporting to work, and the points can be redeemed for food, clothing, and medicine.

In Orissa, India, 175 children in the village of Juanga earn points for attending school and can redeem the points for food, clothing, and medicine. Teachers have been supplied with donated Android phones with the mPowering application. Through the app, they can “scan” children in for attendance.

Basic Information
Website URL: 
http://mpowering.org/
Organization involved in the project?: 
mPowering
Project goals: 

The goal of mPowering is to help people living below the poverty line by leveraging mobile technology and developing unique mobile applications for development.

Brief description of the project: 

Non-profit organization mPowering is developing customized mobile apps to help reach the ultra poor -- people living on less than $2 a day -- and connect them with funding opportunities and programs in the developed world.

Reaching individuals and supplying resources in remote regions can present challenges. The goal of mPowering is to leverage existing mobile infrastructure to open up channels of access. The organization has ongoing programs in Nepal and India which provide incentives to the poor for reporting to school or work, via mobile application. The organization is also working to create a mobile donor app to further connect the poor with funding opportunities.

Target audience: 

Two ongoing programs are taking place in Bhaktapur, Nepal and Orissa, India. In Nepal, mPowering is working with women, and in India, with school children.

Detailed Information
Status: 
Ongoing
What worked well? : 

Before an mPowering application is developed, such as the one being used in Orissa, the team conducts field research in program locations. Also, parterning has proved key. mPowering employs local individuals to help operate the programs in Nepal and India. The organization also holds training sessions for families and individuals who receive mPowering phones, and supplies phone chargers at check-in locations.

What did not work? What were the challenges?: 

A recurring challenge for mPowering is mobile access and service. In some program locations, service can be limited and it can be difficult to figure out how to collect data via the app. There have been some design challenges, too, which stem from a push versus pull approach.