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BRAC Development Advisory Team

December 9, 2014

BRAC: Final Project Report

The BRAC Social Innovations ICT4D Team tasked our group with addressing three
different areas in which to implement technology. The goal of adding technology to these areas
is to more efficiently deliver services, grow the BRAC communities ability to connect with
target populations, and engage community members to provide feedback on BRAC services.
I.

Project Implementation Challenges

All of the three deliverables that we have been working on present challenges that are

particular to the context in which our client operates. For the social media deliverable, the
audience is limited to the younger generations that have access to internet. This challenge should
direct the strategy and focus of the social media campaigns to fit this audience. Bigger challenges
come with the implementation of technology on the CSA work role. BRAC employs thousands
of CSAs and our solution must be scalable and affordable. We must consider that BRAC will
have to train the CSAs and buy technological equipment for each of them, and that any additions
of ICT4Ds into one location must be implemented at all branches. Finally, the even bigger
challenge comes with the feedback loop deliverable. We thought an easy solution could be
texting, but not all mobile phones in Bangladesh have Bengali characters and additionally most
of the target audience is not able to read. If we are to propose using mobile technology for the
feedback loop, we must ensure it is voice operate.
II.

Using Social Media to Connect with Youth and Teens

With respect to BRACs social media outreach, there are two main initiatives that BRAC

can implement in order to target and engage young populations and improve service delivery.
For one, we believe that BRAC can generate more attention by creating a BRAC Connect -

Bangladesh, Facebook page which would focus specifically on dispersing information to young
populations. By creating a separate page under this identifier, young populations would have a
platform to discuss questions and concerns, and be made aware of the programs offered by
BRAC.
In order to further this initiative, we launched a sample Facebook page titled BRAC
Connect - Bangladesh Sample and posted examples of specific content suggestions that BRAC
can include on their Facebook page and ways in which BRAC can use this content to deliver
services in a more efficient way. In addition, we constructed a sample BRAC logo that
distinguishes this new Facebook page from the existing BRAC Facebook page and created a
mock event called BRAC Connect Open House to provide an example of an event that would
allow BRAC to disperse information about BRAC services specifically to young people.
We also included a photo contest on the Facebook page in which young people post
pictures of themselves with a statement or phrase, such as I Stand For: Female Empowerment.
We feel as though this would be an effective social media campaign that can rally the youth
around community issues and raise awareness about BRAC services. Yet another way to increase
awareness about BRAC services and community issues is by creating a hashtag campaign such
as #IStandFor, so that young populations can post this hashtag with their photos. This would
be a wonderful way to encourage positive conversations and empower the youth population.
Furthermore, we provided an example of a sample quiz question titled, What do you think is the
biggest barrier to youth in Bangladesh? in which young populations can mark their responses in
the comments section. To further the efforts of the hashtag campaign, this quiz would serve as an
effective tool to provide a platform for dialogue about specific issues that directly impact the
young population.

In addition, another way in which BRAC can target and engage young populations is
through the use of an app called Ureport (Appendix B) and FrontlineSMS (Appendix C).
Ureport is an app that can be downloaded on a basic phone and can send poll questions to users
(Ureport). As soon as users respond to questions, this app quickly sends the SMS response,
which is immediately sent to the administrator. In 2011, Ureport was used by UNICEF in
Kampala, Uganda to specifically to target youth populations (Ureport Application
Revolutionizes Social Mobilization). There are over 89,000 users and the app has been translated
into many different languages to serve different communities throughout Uganda (Ureport
Application Revolutionizes Social Mobilization). It was through this app that UNICEF was able
to swiftly address an outbreak of an epilepsy related disease found because of quick access to
Ureport survey responses (Ureport Application Revolutionizes Social Mobilization). This app
would serve as an essential tool for BRAC because BRAC can use Ureport to engage youth in a
conversation about issues in their communities and inform the youth populations about access to
BRAC services and resources.
We also recommend that BRAC use FrontlineSMS, which is a free and open source
software that turns a basic mobile phone or laptop into a mobile communications hub
(FrontlineSMS Overview). This app allows users to send and receive text messages with groups
of people at a time and can even work without internet connection (FrontlineSMS Overview).
Since its inception in 2005, FrontlineSMS has been downloaded over 100,000 times and has
been used by organizations and NGOs in over 80 different countries (FrontlineSMS Overview).
In addition, in late 2010, FrontlineSMS developed a new and improved version of this software,
called FrontlineSMS Version 2, which includes polling capabilities that visualizes incoming
data, allowing you to quickly understand the results (Hudson). We recommend that BRAC use

FrontlineSMS Version 2 to conduct polls with the youth population to identify the issues that
impact their communities. In this way, BRAC will identify the issues that are pertinent to the
young populations and disperse information about BRAC services that relate to these specific
issues.
III.

Integrating Technology in CSA Training Classes

One of the Social Innovation Labs goals for the BRAC DAT team was to find a way to

incorporate ICT4D's to the CSAs Financial Education courses that they offer to their
microfinance clients. Instead of using a flipchart that is too small and only accessible to a few
people at a time, we thought it would be more effective to:
A. Incorporate videos into the financial education sessions. Two approaches are
suggested here:

1. Gandhi, R., Veeraraghavan, R., Toyama, K., & Ramprasad, V. (2007, December). Digital green:
Participatory video for agricultural extension. In Information and Communication Technologies
and Development, 2007. ICTD 2007. International Conference on (pp. 1-10). IEEE.
2. http://wbi.worldbank.org/wbi/content/entertainment-education-0
3. https://www.microfinanceopportunities.org/how/page/2/

B. A second, arguably more important technology is the use of voice enabled quizzes to
reinforce lessons from these CSA courses once they complete all modules. A useful tool
that BRAC can use is IVR: Interactive Voice Response Systems. IVR is an automated
telephone system that interacts with callers via a combination of voice telephone input
and touch-tone keypad selections.
a. In 2009, Dimagi worked with BRAC to complete a study in which the IVR
mobile phone technology was tested on 20,000 phone calls in Bangladesh (IVR
Mobile Education). Dimagi and BRAC developed a voice interactive course that
could be completed using a phone, by pressing numbers on the keypad to select
answers (IVR Mobile Education). By using these courses, BRAC and Dimagi
were able to disperse information about the importance of hand washing and HIV
transmission (IVR Mobile Education). Since BRAC has previously used IVR
technology, we feel that this same platform can be implemented for the purpose of
financial literacy training. This platform can be used to assess the publics
knowledge of financial literacy after they complete training courses to ensure that
the people have retained the information they received on financial literacy.
b. Alternative Software Developer: Wintel Limited. Their website describes them
as the most preferred Value Added Service (VAS) provider in Bangladesh
operating with all six Mobile Operators, that is: Grameen Phone, Banglalink,
Robi, Airtel, City Cell and Tele Talk. Products and services offered include IVR,
as well as SMS, USSD, WAP, etc. We suggest a collaboration between BRAC
and Wintel Ltd to create these quizzes.
Suggested Use:

Course Delivery Methods Compared

Delivery Method

Advantages

Disadvantages

Print Flip Charts:

Low Cost
Existing Availability

Difficult to see by every student

simultaneously

Video:

It will standardize the content

imparted at different offices.
Research shows that using in-
class video clips benefits
auditory and and visuallyoriented learners because
videos incorporate multiple
learning modalities.

Cost and scalability

Possible equipment failures
Requires more time and
coordination than traditional
lecture

Quizzes:

Research shows that students

perform better on class
examinations
following
multiple-choice
quizzes,
compared to students who do
not take quizzes or who receive
the material twice in class. This
is due to the strength of the
information retrieval practice
as a learning mechanism.2

Start-up costs
The
challenges
of
incentivizing participation;
these can be overcome by
offering raffles, free airtime,
or
making
participation
mandatory for subsequent
loan disbursements.

1. Fu, Jo Shan. ICT in Education: A Critical Literature Review and Its Implications. International
Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology
(IJEDICT), 2013, Vol. 9, Issue 1, pp. 112-125.
2. Test Enhanced Learning in the Classroom: Long-Term Improvements from Quizzing. By
Roediger III, Henry L.; Agarwal, Pooja K.; McDaniel, Mark A.; McDermott, Kathleen B. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Applied, Vol 17(4), Dec 2011, 382-395.

IV.

Feedback Loops for BRAC Users

Taking into account the low literacy rates, and the difficulty of using Bengali characters,

we explored the possibility of using voice messages to create feedback loops from BRAC
customers. This would allow BRAC to keep in contact with their clients and receive evaluations
on how well their services are meeting the needs of the community. In order to study the
effectiveness of voice messages, we read in-depth about the lessons learned by the Grameen
Foundation in their Mobile Technology for Community Health (MOTECH) implementation.
The most convincing piece of evidence is seen in the survey of clients in rural Ghana conducted
by MOTECH. When asked, 99% of women who have signed up for the Grameen Foundations
MOTECH program in Ghana chose to receive pregnancy-related messages via voice rather than
SMS text messaging (engageSPARK).
While MOTECH has the best benefits specifically for health services, we found that
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology is most useful for a feedback loop that provides
the most flexible adaptability for any service BRAC offers. For instance, IVR can be used for
microfinance, health, education, CSA applications, or general communication with clients. IVR
Junction is a free and open-source software that is designed to be easy to install and implement.
IVR Junction enables low-income populations to record and listen to posts via mobile phone,
while the global community can access and contribute recordings via the Internet (Vahistha).
This creates a forum for sharing knowledge, information, and opinions. It also encourages
engagement from people of all economic levels and those in rural populations who lack internet
access. It also reduces illiteracy and language barriers by utilizing voice communication rather
than text.

IVR Juncion Case Study: A case that clearly displays the effectiveness of the IVR
Junction application in Somaliland is Ila Dhageyso (translated as Listen with Me in English).
Please see Appendix C for a visual of communication loops connected through IVR systems. In
Somaliland, IVR Junction provides the foundation for Ila Dhageyso: a direct communication
channel between the rural tribal population and government officials to bring transparency and
trust in the political processes (Vashistha). In order to solve the problem of Somalilands
fragmented landscape creating fact distortion and manipulation that prompts hostility and
instability, a transparent communication method to reach low-literate and low-income rural
populations was desperately needed. There is a need for independent and unbiased civic media
platform which is responsible to broadcast information from critical governmental agencies and
collect feedback from citizens (Ila Dhageyso).
As a solution to this problem, IVR technology was utilized to create a voice discussion
forum which enables a direct communication channel between government officials and rural
tribal population. This voice discussion can then be exported easily to Facebook, Youtube, and
Twitter in order to raise awareness of what BRAC is doing and the feedback provided, which
could result in funding from donors or ways of communicating a shared mission statement,
giving those in rural Bangladesh a way of voicing their opinion. While many people have access
to the internet, those without internet can still utilize IVR Junction in order to share their opinion
and voice their concerns to BRAC, who as a mediator can share their voices to the world via
Youtube and Facebook. An example of this is clearly demonstrated with the IVR Junction
utilized in India to create a voice petition for female empowerment and safety after a brutal
gang rape incident. Government officials created a voice petition for women all over India,
especially in rural populations, to create awareness for women rights and a tool to encourage

female empowerment (Vashistha). For BRAC, the upload to Facebook and YouTube would be
optional in the interest to share the feedback received. They can also simply use the information
collected from the voice recording for their own data analysis.
Voice calling and mobile voice technology has proved to be a great tool for addressing
the information loop challenge presented by BRAC. However, due to the large scope of this
project and vague details regarding who is to be served by the information loop, our DAT has
discussed the possibility of creating a separate project for a future Development Advisory Team
in order to effectively add value to the information loops. We have formed a framework that
could be further narrowed in scope: voice communication and dual applications such as in the
MOTECH case and IVR technology in order to serve communities. Our ideal information loop
involves the CSAs but may be more applicable to a health service that is offered by BRAC. Due
to constraints in time and lack of information regarding specific, concrete uses for the
demographics served by the information loop, we feel that the information loop is a separate
project to be addressed by future DATs, and an area worthy of future expansion. An outline
providing our research and ideas for a value-added feedback loop for BRAC are included in
Appendix D.
V.

Conclusion
While illiteracy, language barriers, and lack of Bengali characters have posed obstacles,

we believe our DAT has provided possible solutions that work around and overcome these
challenges. Especially important to our solutions is the utilization of voice communication to
engage illiterate populations and those lacking access to computers.

Our platforms for

implementing a feedback loop illustrates great progress and an opportunity for a team to work on
customizing our applicable approach to BRACs service line of choice in the future. In order to

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overcome challenges related to reaching younger populations in urban areas with access to and
knowledge of social media, we have create a user-friendly model of a Facebook page: BRAC
Connect - Bangladesh.

We believe this deliverable will engage with the targeted youth

population of Bangladesh to spread and share information and knowledge of BRACs services to
increase participation and utilize technology effectively. In addressing the CSA improvement
goals, our plan for introducing technology and interactive quizzes will increase clients
information retention and make the CSAs more effective exponentially. Overall, our theory of
change to optimize technology to achieve successful connection and dialogue with target
populations has been implemented to solve each task and create opportunities for BRAC.

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Appendix A: Facebook Post Examples

Sample question

Sample Photo Contest

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Sample Event

Sharing information about opportunities

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Appendix B: UReport

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Appendix C: Frontline SMS

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Appendix D: IVR in Ila Dhageyso Case

Source: http://www.iladhageyso.com/

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Appendix D: Pico Projectors

For the implementation of Video into the CSA training, we suggest using pico projectors.
In looking into different models, the AAXA P2 Jr. Pico Projector 1920 x 1080 (resized) DLP
projector - 55 lumens seemed like the best reviewed and most affordable. It is small and light
weight and does not require it to be plugged into a power source. It also has built in speakers for
videos with audio. Online it is listed as $150 per projector, however Alibaba offers discounts
when bought in bulk. Below is a link to purchase this projector, and a picture of the projector.
http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=AA
XA+P2+Jr.+Pico+Projector+&country=US

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Appendix E: Feedback Loop Outline of Resources for Future Team

Current task from BRAC
The flow of information is pretty much one way. We were thinking can we kind
of create a loop of events and information exchange within the community and
BRAC. The idea of a information loop sounds interesting to us. This could add
something to our approach of service delivery.
What is needed from BRAC to develop concrete solution ready for implementation:
Area of service line wished to be served- Health, Education, Microfinance, CSAs
Demographics of population and clients in feedback loop
Concrete goal and description of what kind of information will be in the loop in
order to customize and tailor to specific benchmarks
Researched models we found to be the most useful platforms
IVR Software
Design and How to Implement: http://www.iladhageyso.com/design/
MOTECH- Platform to be utilized if BRAC decides to use for Health Services
Case: http://www.grameenfoundation.org/resource/motech-lessonslearned
Implemented at low cost with engageSPARK systems:
http://engagespark.com/blog/sms-really-solution-change-voice-calls-arefor-most-poor-people/

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Appendix F: IVR Technology Graphic

Interactive Voice Response System: is an automated telephone system that interacts with
callers via a combination of voice telephone input and touch-tone keypad selections. This
graphic illustrates this process of how a BRAC customer would interact with the IVR voice
recording call. This is relevant for both the financial literacy quizzes and the feedback loops. The
BRAC customers would press numbers, as shown, in response to questions (whether that is a
quiz question on the financial literacy training or asking them to rate and evaluate their
experience with a BRAC service) and their responses will be recorded and accessible to BRAC.

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Works Cited
EngageSPARK. "Is SMS Really the Solution for Change? Not for Most Poor People."
EngageSPARK. 17 Apr. 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
<http://engagespark.com/blog/sms-really-solution-change-voice-calls-are-formost-poor-people/>.
"FrontlineSMS Overview." FrontlineSMS. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.frontlinesms.com/technologies/frontlinesms-overview/>.
Hudson, Laura. "Announcing Frontline SMS." FrontlineSMS. FrontlineSMS, 12 June
2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.frontlinesms.com/2012/06/12/frontlinesms-same-vision-new-userdriven-design/>.
Grameen Foundation. Women, Mobile Phones, and Savings: A Grameen Foundation
Case Study. Grameen Foundation, October 2012.
Ila Dhageyso. "Enhancing Civic Engagement in Somaliland Through Mobile Phones." Ila
Dhageyso, 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
<http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iladhageyso.com%2F>.
IVR Mobile Education. Using Incentives to Improve Health Knowledge through IVR
Mobile Phone Quizzes. Dimagi Inc. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.dimagi.com/ivr-mobile-education/>
U-Report Application Revolutionizes Social Mobilization, Empowering Ugandan
Youth. UNICEF Kampala. 14 Mar. 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/uganda_62001.html
Wintel Limited. http://wintelbd.com/
Vashistha, Aditya. "IVR Junction: Connecting Unheard Voices to Global Social Media."
The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 08 Aug. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aditya-vashistha/ivr-junction-connectingu_b_3726371.html>.