U-Report: Voice Matters Project

U-Reporters join the programme by visiting the U-Report website in their country (click here and scroll to the bottom of the page for country-specific sites), by messaging the programme through Facebook, following a Twitter handle, or downloading the U-Report App. Youth find out about the service and how it works through advertising, media campaigns, and field recruitment undertaken by U-Report’s partners, such as the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). Once they have joined, U-Report collects some information on the user, including age, location, and gender, which allows U-Report to understand the demographics of participants, as well as to graphically map information.

Once signed up, participants are then able to respond to weekly polls on particular issues as well as report on issues that arise. The poll questions are suggested by U-Report project partners, which include youth organisations, university clubs, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and government agencies. Polls can cover a range of topics such as education, health, immunisations, civic engagement, livelihoods, and peace and conflict.

This information is instantly mapped and analysed, yielding vital information and real-time insights about how young people see their world and what they think is most important. In turn, these aggregated views are used by development partners in their advocacy with governments, and even shared directly with elected leaders, who are encouraged to sign up with the platform. The tool does not just allow UNICEF and partners to collect and map information by district so that services and development programmes can be strengthened, but it can also be used to ensure accountability and transparency in development programmes and services.

To give a few examples of how U-Report has been successfully used - in Liberia, U-Reporters helped expose a “Sex for Grades” scandal. Working with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Gender, UNICEF used U-Report to highlight how some teachers in Liberia were exploiting children by awarding grades or pass marks in return for sex. U-Reporters were asked if they believed that this was an issue. In less than 24 hours, 13,000 people had responded, with the vast majority (86%) saying they believed this was a problem in their school. After the poll, all participating U-Reporters were told how to report abuse. The Ministry of Gender provided a helpline number for children, offering advice and support; it was inundated with calls. In the same week, UNICEF staff met the Minister of Education in Liberia to discuss the results and make a plan to address the issue. In Zambia, young people were able to develop a better understanding of HIV and AIDS, thanks to confidential counselling via text message offered through U-Report. As a result, voluntary uptake in HIV testing increased from 25% to 40%. (See Related Summaries below for more information on U-Report in Uganda).

Youth, Governance, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

U-Report was developed by UNICEF as part of their series of innovation projects led by the UNICEF Office of Innovation. U-Report runs through the RapidPro framework, a tool developed by UNICEF and partners, that enables the international development community to have an exchange and flow of information through mobile technology. The RapidPro software allows development officers to collect information through SMS and other channels, manage contacts, visually map the information, and send messages on multiple languages. Just like U-Report, other tools have emerged from the RapidPro framework, each focusing on a particular set of issues. For example, mTrac covers health services, EduTrac assesses education, while U-Report focuses on youth participation.

Countries currently (2016) implementing U-Report include: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Chile, Guinea, Indonesia, Ireland, Liberia, Mali, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Zambia, Zimbabwe. UNICEF is also preparing to launch U-Report in Chad, Jordan, and South Africa. Click here for the global U-Report website and to find links to all U-Report platforms (at the bottom of the homepage).