Support Group celebrates success

Today an article appeared in the Weekend Post by Yolande Stander "Support group celebrates success" featuring the work we've been doing over the past year using mobile technology to support people in need:



"THE South African group who conceptualised using social media like MXit to address social problems affecting young people has celebrated one year of success – and sealed a deal with a Bay company to further their progress.

The success story began a year ago with 12 men and women who called themselves The Reconstructed. All had experience of either drug addiction and dealing as well as gangsterism but, fully rehabilitated and trained to council people, they began using MXit to reach out to those at risk.

The brainchild behind the principle is social entrepreneur and information technology lecturer Marlon Parker.

Parker was in Port Elizabeth this week to introduce non-profit organisations, NGOs, community-based organisations and charities to social media and help them use these technologies as strategic tools for engagement, relationship building with stakeholders, networking and fundraising....."

BBC Interview - Drug Advice Support

Tuesday afternoon (25 August 2009) we had the privilege to share our experiences on how we using mobile phones to support people impacted by the problem of drugs. I had an interview on the BBC World Service and you can listen to it online. The interview about Drug Advice Support (DAS) starts at 42:32 (See image for guidance) on the BBC iPlayer.

Interview with the BBC

Tomorrow Drug Advice Support will be featured on the BBC World Service - News Hour Radio programme at 12h06 GMT / 14h06 (South African time). This is a wonderful opportunity to share our experiences of how mobiles phones can be used as tools to support the needs of people in need. You can listen live and get more information here

Drug Advice Support featured in Business Week

Yesterday the Drug Advice Support (Our mobile counselling drug support service) was featured in US publication BusinessWeek, The article "MXit Mixes Mobile Networks with Social Conscience" was the second major publication the project featured in this week. MXit being more than just a Mobile Instant Messenger but moving towards becoming more of a Mobile Social Network have become one the big African Mobile Innovations that will continue to grow in Africa and in parts of Asia according to Herman Heunis, CEO of MXit Lifestyle. He also added in the Business Week article that MXit has an advantage over telecoms in understanding social behavior because that's "the core" of their business. With this perspective towards their product and their innovation we should see a greater increase of MXit type technologies being deployed in the area to support Social Good.

The full article featured in BusinessWeek can be read here.

Featured in New Scientist Magazine - More facts...

It was a privilege to be featured in this month's New Scientist Magazine, however there were some key information that was excluded from the article and I would like to make mention of it here:

- The service Drug Advice Support (DAS) service helps people across South Africa and have a counsellor base of 19 volunteers
- Wesley Nitsckie is the lead developer on the project working closely with the community as co-developers.
- The leading Community organisation who run the service is Impact Direct Ministries who are based in Bridgetown and partner is Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)
- The HIV service has been launched in collaboration with the National AIDS Helpline, Lifeline in association with Cell Life.


Many thanks to all who contribute to the success of this project and the community of Bridgetown.

Mind Your Language

The above episode reminded me of how important language and community is. Trying to get people who are foreign to the language to understand it is a struggle but always leads to interesting interpretations. This is not so much different to what we are currently experiencing with people trying to understand the Chat or MXit language.

On the Advice Support Network (ASN) service we speak to thousands of youth and it is interesting to see their interpretations of the chat language. Having conversations such as:

Me: Hi. Welcome to DAS how r u doing?
@mxit: hi. gd thx u?
Me. Well thanx. What r u up 2?
@mxit: libl2mnjc

With conversations containing chat acronyms such as libl2mnjc (laying in bed listening to music and just chilling) and wuu2n (what are you up to now) does cause us to mind our language. With many parents who see their children on MXit and even when they do see the conversations they still need an interpreter to try and understand what the conversation is about. We could easily have a Mind Your Language back but this time instead of teaching the international language of English we could be teaching "Chat language" to the millions out there who would like to get a better understanding of it.

Drug Advice Support Featured in Business Times

With the Drug Advice Support (DAS) service growing and so much more people to reach we once again featured in a prominent South African News Paper The Business Times yesterday. The article titled "MXit put to some good use" written by Toby ShapShak can be read below:

MXIT, the cellphone instant messaging service best known for chatting teenagers, is now being used to help drug users on the Cape Flats kick their habit.
In the service, based in Bridgetown in Athlone, former drug users who counsel tik addicts use the messaging service as a primary method of support.
The project, which has been running for about a year, is the brainchild of a remarkable young man, Marlon Parker.
Parker, now an information technology lecturer at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology where he’s doing his PhD, grew up on the Cape Flats and directly experienced the consequences of drug abuse when his brother was jailed for dealing tik, a highly-addictive methamphetamine drug.
Drug users can “chat” with the services’ counsellors when they feel the urge to use, says Parker. It is the first step in a rehabilitation programme run with nongovernmental organisation Impact Direct. Read more

Debt Breaker feature on CPUT website

Our latest addition to our Advice Support services was featured on the CPUT Website. You can read the article here

Latest Media List

Below find a list of links to online news, portals and blogs about the reconstruction project. We need to spread the word that technology can be used to make a difference in the lives of people.

2009

Business Week (20 August 2009)

New Scientist (19 August 2009)

Mobile Active (27 July 2009)

mLearning Africa (17 June 2009)

The Times (15 June 2009)

My Broadband News (15 June 2009)

Mail & Guardian (12-18 June 2009)

Cape Times (10 June 2009)

CPUT Online Publishing (3 June 2009)

The Herald (30 May 2009)

The Weekend Post (30 May 2009)

East Coast News (April 2009)

Athlone News (8 April 2009)

NMMU (20 March 2009)

Digital Edge (March 2009)

Die Burger (10 March 2009)

Cosmopolitan (March 2009)

Daily News (6 Feb 2009)

Fair Lady (January 2009)

The Vessel Newspaper 11 January 2009

Today Magazine (January 2009)

2008

The Weekend Post (20 December 2008)

Athlone News (17 December 2009)

Weekend Post (29 Nov 2008)

Die Burger

People's Post

Die Son (Cape) 4 November 2008

Witness (4 November 2008)

News24

Biz Community

NGO Pulse news

IT Web (9 October 2008)

Business Daily

DigiActive

Athlone News (1 October 2009)

http://www.sabcnews.com/features/report_on_highway_africa/html/indaba.html

Die Burger

Athlone NewsPg3_20Aug2008

CPUT Website

http://highwayafrica.wordpress.com/2008/09/11/microblogs-help-addicts-get-clean/

http://mobbedbymedia.wordpress.com/2008/09/10/blogging-rehab/

http://www.zoopy.com/blog/detail/id/12064

http://www.pverweij.hu.nl/HighwayAfrica/?p=473

http://www.pverweij.hu.nl/HighwayAfrica/?p=443

http://dci.ru.ac.za/article.php?ssID=27&aID=75

http://bushradionews.blogspot.com/2008/09/popular-chat-service-used-to-counsel.html

http://www.zoopy.com/blog/detail/id/12116

Storypot: A writer's online journal

Pambazuka News

News from Africa

IPP Media

Debt Counselling as close as your cellphone

Debt Breaker featured today in The Herald and Weekend Post newspapers in the Eastern Cape as we continue expanding our services to consumers accross the country. The article “Debt counselling as close as your cellphone” already managed to attract many consumers to the service and we know this is only the beginning.

YOUR fancy top-of-the-range cellphone might be able to help you in all sorts of ways these days, but you probably never imagined it could offer debt counselling.

However, with the global credit crunch and South Africa now officially in recession, you might only have to look as far as your cellphone to find answers to your debt problems.

A South African entrepreneur has developed an innovative cellphone service called Debt Breaker which can be used by over-indebted consumers to access advice and support remotely through MXit, Google Talk, Fring, Nimbuzz, Mig33 and other chat applications. Read the article here

Breaking Barriers with Debt Breaker

Last night we had our first radio interview on 1Africa media sharing more about Debt Breaker and its advantages to consumers. With many being over-indebted and being able to get advice and support via mobile and web technologies it interesting to see how this will be accepted in other African countries that was listening in to the interview. For more information about Debt Breaker visit the website or the mobi site.

East Coast Radio "News Watch" features The Reconstructed

It was very encouraging to have The Reconstructed project beaing featured on East Coast Radio and on their "News Watch" blog which shows that their are many who can make a difference using the technology that they have at hand.


With examples this past week from people like Ashton Kutcher using Twitter as medium to raise awareness of Malaria but also to acquire Mosquito nets through using this new media format for donations. Another incident is also a British woman, Susan Boyle, who had the life long dream of becoming a famous singer and at the age of 47 her dream are being realised through her audition on Britian's Got Talent show, being seen my millions of people accross the world via sharing sites like Youtube.

This shows that with the technology we have at hand and if its being used appropriately that we can Empower our Communities as we see the lives of The Reconstructed being transformed.

Debt Breaker offers debt counselling online

The article below appeared in the Athlone News, Wednesday 8 April 2009 titled "IT Guru offers debt counselling online" introducing Debt Breaker for the first time to the media. Click on the picture to have it enlarged.

Digital Edge

Last week we had an interview on popular SA Technology debate podcast show Digital Edge. The show is definitely worth listening into and is managed by Saul Kropman and Jarred Cinman.

Why not listen to the podcast here and join the debate.

How to be glamorous...

Well how do you become glamorous and appear in one of South Africa's premier women magazines? Simple, use what you have and make a difference in the lives of others. The Drug Advice Support (DAS) appears in the Cosmopolitan Magazine March 2009 edition Page 60. The article is by Glynis Horning and extracts of it can be read below...

"A pioneering addiction-advice
service using MXit has been
launched by Cape Town
IT buff Marlon Parker, 30,
who got the idea when working on his
PhD thesis. 'Exploring how technology
facilitates change, I found that the
most commonly used technology in
all communities is cellphones,' says the
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
lecturer. He also found that one of the
biggest needs for young people in his
area, the Cape Flats, is drug counselling
that allows them to stay anonymous.
'I thought, why not use MXit?'
Parker launched a pilot programme
early last year, operating out of Impact
Direct Ministries Centre, a local NGO in
Bridgetown, and using recovered addicts
and ex-gang members. What began as
five volunteers giving advice in text chats
with local substance users has grown
to 12 volunteers helping everyone from
students to young professionals 'from
Athlone to Sandton, even rural villages
in Limpopo!..."

"...'We answer what questions we
can, then direct people who need it
to their nearest source of face-to-face
counselling,' says adviser Monique
Theron, 25, who was an addict for eight
years. 'Most people just need to hear
that they're not alone, that we've been
where they are, and that it is possible to
get out of it - even if you're suicidal like
I was. Becoming suicidal is what finally
got me to go to the Impact Centre for
counselling, and it changed me. If I'd just
had to SMS, I could have done it sooner
and saved my family so much pain.'..."


For further reading why not get your copy at bookstores nationwide.

Radio SAFM Interview

This morning I was part of a panel on the SAFM after 8 morning debate. The discussion was around the problem of substance abuse and youth in South Africa and it was good to hear what others are thinking about the current substance abuse problems we have in our country. While listening to the other members on the panel and the callers I realised that there are so much for us to do and with the technologies that we have we could see how we can support the reduction of demand of these illegal substances.

Exciting Week ahead

After a week of making good contacts and meeting interesting people at the Innovation Conference an exciting week is lying ahead. The week starts off with an appearance on national television SABC 2, at 07h35 Monday 2 February. This week will also be the first of its kind where we are hosting all Honours students from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)at the Impact Centre for two weeks. The students will be part of this exciting phase with the launch of the Athlone Living Lab where innovation will emerge that will be used to empower the citizens from the local community.

This is also the week where we will explore the possibilities of linking up with local and provincial government to see how we can roll out the Drug Advice Support initiative. It is also our official 6 month celebration with DAS as we continue using technology to change lives of citizens in Communities in Tension (CiT).

Reconstructed Radio Interview

This evening we had the privilege to share more about the Reconstructed project on a late night show on Radio CCFM 107.5FM. This year we intend to increase the amount of work to empower communities in tension (CiT) with many new additions to the Reconstructed project.

Help with social problems on MXit

Yesterday Angel was in the news again after being launched a week ago. An article by Yolandé Hayward from The Weekend Post in Port Elizabeh "Help with Social Problems in MXit":

AFTER successfully using MXit to counsel youngsters with drug abuse problems, a young entrepreneur is now using this networking tool to equip them with knowledge on various social issues...read more

Using Free and Open Source Software to fight drug abuse

An article appeared in the UWC campus newsletter...

"An increase in gang and drug activity on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape Province has been causing tension within communities. These activities have a negative impact on citizens in these communities and contribute to a sense of helplessness. Reconstruction or rehabilitation of ex-drug addicts and ex-gangsters are challenging due to communities with tension not being able to empower these citizens or the addicts themselves being unwilling to be rehabilitated. This presented the opportunity for the use of technology as part of the helping substance abusers to rebuild their lives.

A project called DAS@Mxit was the brain child of Marlon Parker, an IT lecturer from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The project uses mobile and web technologies, including the popular cell phone chat application Mxit. In collaboration between CPUT and UWC's Free Software Innovation Unit in ICS, a system was developed to offer counselling, advice, frequently asked questions for people impacted by drug and substance abuse. DAS@Mxit is aimed at (but not limited to) MXit users. This allows a user to send and receive text and multimedia messages to and from PCs and phones via the Internet, rather than with standard SMS technology." ...

Paul and Wesley, key architects and developers on the DAS project (Source:dkeats.com)