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Jokko Initiative
Mobile Technology Amplifying Social Change
“Jokko” means communication or dialogue in Wolof, one of Senegal’s national languages.
Tostan's experience and successes have shown that communication is critical to the spread of positive social change, particularly forms of communication that enable and encourage the diffusion of ideas between individuals, through intermarrying networks, across regions, and into the diaspora.
Mobile phones and their networks are rapidly expanding to cover the vast majority of African citizens, and the technology holds great promise for more empowering and inclusive systems of communication. However, Tostan found that while many of its program participants had some access to mobile phones, they had limited knowledge of their phones'
range of uses. This observation was coupled with the realisation that writing and receiving SMS text messages was an attractive and inclusive way to practice basic literacy skills.
In response to these realizations, Tostan partnered with UNICEF in 2009 to add the Jokko Initiative to its core education program to teach the practical uses of standard mobile phone functions and to use SMS texting as a post-literacy practice tool.
Today, Tostan uses mobile phones firstly as pedagogical tools to teach and reinforce literacy, organization and management skills and secondly as social mobilization tools that help to build consensus around local development initiatives.
The Jokko Initiative was rigorously evaluated by CEGA in 2010 with some notable results, including a 40 percentage point increase in the number of participants able to use a cellphone, a 60% increase in the number of participants able to read the text messages they receive, and a 400% increase in the number of messages sent and received. Tostan has built on the successes of the literacy core of the Jokko Initiative to innovate with other programs that enhance the reach of mobile technology – a solar-powered social enterprise model, a real-time monitoring and evaluation system, and a developing tool to connect communities with members of the diaspora.
As a result of the success of the Jokko Initiative, Tostan now incorporates lessons on the use of mobile technology as part of the standard literacy modules of the Community Empowerment Program (CEP) in all communities with adequate mobile phone access.
Technology Empowering Individuals through Skill-Building and Practical Application
I have taught all my friends and family who are not in the Tostan program what they can do with their phones. We used to only call each other, but now we can do things like send text messages and use reminders.
- Fatou, Tostan participant
I use my phone in my tailoring shop to record and keep track of my customers’ measurements. Even in the market, I use my phone to make calculations faster and easier, and they are always correct.
- Maty Yanne, Tostan participant
The Jokko Initiative also aims to provide practical SMS-based applications. Placed within a program of community-led development, mobile phones and SMS text messaging have proven to accelerate positive social change by:
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Connecting women with each other and with their communities, thus helping to build consensus on local development priorities
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Amplifying the voice and influence of youth and marginalized groups in a community's decision-making process
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Providing a platform for exchanging information, broadcasting ideas, and organizing advocacy work
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Increasing social interaction and thus accelerating large-scale social change
To these ends, the Jokko Initiative is identifying mobile services that exist to serve the needs of rural communities, as well as developing new mobile applications as they are needed. Some examples of these innovations include the following:
The Clinton Global Initiative
 Commitments to Action are a unique feature of Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) membership and serve to translate practical goals into meaningful and measurable results. Tostan has committed to extend its Community Empowerment Program —including the Jokko Initiative—to reach even more villages and ensure that marginalized groups have access to empowering information and technology. Tostan’s commitment falls under the larger CGI 2010 Action Area “ Enhancing Access to Modern Technology.”
To see more photos from this project, please visit Tostan’s pages on Facebook, the project’s blog or Flickr.
For relevant articles relating to the Jokko Initiative, please click here.
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