U-Report

{{short description|SMS social monitoring tool developed by UNICEF}}

{{Infobox organization

| image = U Report Global Wiki Contribution SharminShiroor.png

| caption = U Report Global

| type = Fund

| status =

| purpose = Community-led development

| headquarters =

| leader_title =

| leader_name =

| leader_title2 =

| parent_organization = UNICEF

| website = https://ureport.in/

| footnotes =

| name = U-Report

| established = {{start date and age|2011|05|df=years}}

| founding_location = Uganda

| location = 99 countries

}}

U-Report is a social messaging tool and data collection system developed by UNICEF to improve citizen engagement, inform leaders, and foster positive change.{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/adelynzhou/2017/02/16/see-six-ways-bots-are-positively-changing-the-world/#4eeeef657c07|title=6 Ways Bots Are Positively Changing The World|last=Zhou|first=Adelyn|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-10-12|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://community.rapidpro.io/stories/u-report-removes-taboos-talking-about-menstrual-hygiene/|title=U-Report removes taboos: talking about Menstrual Hygiene|website=community.rapidpro.io|access-date=2018-10-12}} 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,{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicef.org/reports/bring-girls|title=U-Report and WAGGGS first ever consultation Poll on Gender and Climate Change by UNICEF|date=13 April 2022 }} water, sanitation and hygiene, youth unemployment, HIV/AIDS, and disease outbreaks.{{Cite web|url=http://www.undatarevolution.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/U-Report_1Pg_DataRev-1.pdf|title=U-Report Data Review}} The program currently has 28 million u-reporters in 95 countries.{{Cite web|url=https://ukraine.ureport.in/|title=U-Report|website=ukraine.ureport.in|access-date=2018-10-12}}

History

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.{{Cite web|url=http://unicefstories.org/2014/09/22/small-messagesbig-changes-unicef-launches-rapidpro/|title=UNICEF запускає RAPIDPRO}}{{Cite web|url=https://community.rapidpro.io/about-rapidpro/|title=About RapidPro|website=community.rapidpro.io|access-date=2018-10-11|archive-date=2018-02-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205221250/https://community.rapidpro.io/about-rapidpro/|url-status=dead}} In May 2011, Uganda became the first country in which UNICEF launched the U-Report mobile initiative,{{Cite web|url=http://unicefstories.org/2014/05/20/ureport-connecting-young-people-to-government/|title=UReport connecting young people to government – Stories of UNICEF Innovation|website=unicefstories.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-10-11}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://unicefstories.org/2014/05/20/ureport-connecting-young-people-to-government/|title=UReport connecting young people to government – Stories of UNICEF Innovation|website=unicefstories.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-10-11}} Due to U-Report's success in Uganda, UNICEF expanded the program to Zambia in December 2012{{Cite web|url=https://www.zambiaureport.com/media/downloads/PP_Zambia_UNICEF_U-Report_SMS_pilot_MR260813.pdf|title=Звіт UNICEF по Замбії|access-date=2018-12-10|archive-date=2017-06-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611083123/http://zambiaureport.com/media/downloads/PP_Zambia_UNICEF_U-Report_SMS_pilot_MR260813.pdf|url-status=dead}} and to Nigeria in June 2014.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cp-africa.com/2015/10/14/u-report-hits-1-million-responders-in-nigeria/|title=U-Report hits 1 million responders in Nigeria|date=2015-10-14|language=en-GB|work=CPAfrica|access-date=2018-10-11|archive-date=2018-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011224512/https://www.cp-africa.com/2015/10/14/u-report-hits-1-million-responders-in-nigeria/|url-status=dead}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://blogs.unicef.org/innovation/unicefs-u-report-reaches-1-million-registered-users-worldwide/|title=UNICEF's U-Report Reaches 1 Million Registered Users Worldwide - Stories of Innovation|date=2015-07-10|language=en-US|work=Stories of Innovation|access-date=2018-10-11|archive-date=2018-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012053933/https://blogs.unicef.org/innovation/unicefs-u-report-reaches-1-million-registered-users-worldwide/|url-status=dead}} In October 2015, Ukraine became the first country in Europe to join the U-Report program,{{Cite news|url=https://12marathons.bit.ua/2017/06/u-report/|title=Простые технологии: как U-Report помогает молодым людям отстоять свое мнение – bit.ua|last=bit.ua|first=от|date=2017-06-19|language=ru-RU|work=bit.ua|access-date=2018-10-11}} growing to 68,273 participants by September 30, 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://ukraine.ureport.in/|title=Офіційний український сайт U-Report}}