Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 241 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

How WhatsApp became a tool for Indian police to fight harassment

Mahima Jain

April 22, 2021 |

Rest of World |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Hyderabad, Telangana

In India, where women face high rates of harassment by men but rarely report abuse because they view the police as hostile, the Telangana State Police encouraged more reporting by turning WhatsApp into an anti-harassment hotline. By using the country's most popular phone app rather than one of the many safety apps designed for this purpose, the police now get about 40% of their complaints through this channel. Turning complaints into prosecutions remains a challenge. But, when women decline to press charges, the police require alleged harassers to attend counseling.

Read More
Go to Original Story
With phones and seeds, jobless Kenyans tackle illegal logging

Kagondu David Njagi

April 15, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Kwale

As a way to combat unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent further deforestation in Kenya, local rangers are using smartphones, satellite feeds, and global mapping to monitor their forests. The project employs more than 250 people and allows them to target vulnerable areas more effectively. Because of their efforts, there have been lower incidences of illegal logging and forest fires from poachers.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Citizen-Led Initiative Battles Dangerous ‘Infodemic'

Aline Suárez del Real

April 06, 2021 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico

Verificovid was started by a group of friends to combat pandemic-related misinformation in Mexico. They work with a group of government doctors to identify, track, investigate, and disprove misinformation. The group posts infographics with updated COVID-19 statistics on social media – mainly Whatsapp and Telegram – and offers medical tips via short audio messages and texts. They prioritize fast-moving misinformation that could cause the most harm and, along with sharing the truth, they investigate the origin of the misinformation and teach the public how to identify and stop fake news.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How META is helping women deliver safely in rural Benue communities

Desmond Okon

March 31, 2021 |

Business Day |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Gboko

Maternal Expert Thinking Analyzer is a pilot project to prevent maternal mortality that uses a mobile diagnostic, training, and outreach application to help midwives assess the risk of their patients in rural areas. Midwives input data collected from pregnant mothers into the app and generate an automated risk-based assessment score. The pregnant mother then receives a text with advice based on her risk level. A total of 33 midwives across 14 regions are trained to use the app. Initial results indicate that the app has had positive results preventing maternal mortality and even increasing antenatal care.

Read More
Go to Original Story
‘They track every move': how US parole apps created digital prisoners

Todd Feathers

March 04, 2021 |

The Guardian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

State and federal parole officials have rushed during the pandemic to embrace the use of smartphone apps that monitor the location and behavior of a person on parole. The apps and related data analytics save courts money and time by easing the need for face-to-face meetings. While there are potential benefits as well for the people being monitored, such as not wearing stigmatizing and uncomfortable ankle monitors, some complain the apps are even more intrusive than traditional monitoring – and perhaps more apt to lead to technical violations of parole that can land people back in prison.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Removing Obstacles to Mental Health Care — Over the Phone

Prudence Phiri

February 25, 2021 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Zambia

StrongMinds Zambia began offering teletherapy, in part due to COVID-19 related restrictions, but also to address the many new stressors that came with the pandemic. Counselors hold group calls with five people twice a week for five weeks. Clients are not charged for treatment or the calling costs. Some of the 1,500 women and about 100 men treated via teletherapy express the benefit of anonymity that speaking over the phone brings in a therapy setting. Without fear of being identified, clients feel more comfortable talking freely, especially given existing stigmas surrounding mental health issues.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Tech Company Aims to Disrupt Predatorial Prison Phone Industry

Shani Saxon

February 17, 2021 |

Colorlines |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

A free mobile app called Ameelio opens a free channel of communication between incarcerated people and their families, to avoid the price-gouging telephone services that prisons and jails authorize to charge people exorbitant rates to talk. Ameelio's app makes sending letters with photos easier than doing it by snail mail. Nonprofits can also use the free service to communicate with clients. Ameelio, which is supported by donations and grants, is piloting a video-conferencing service.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Anti-human trafficking apps were meant to save lives. They're failing

Emily Ding Corinne Redfern

February 16, 2021 |

Wired |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

Since its April 2018 founding in Malaysia, the Be My Protector app has enabled interventions in 120 cases of suspected human trafficking, sparked by anonymous reports that its app enables. In about a third of those cases, which mostly involved migrant workers in South and Southeast Asia, the victims were able to return to their homes, while others were offered counseling. But, like the more than 90 such apps available around the world, Be My Protector has struggled to make a big impact. Many such apps capitalize on a trendy subject without a clear focus on improving conditions and helping victims.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Egypt's farmers tap new tech to save water and boost crops

Menna Farouk

February 10, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Egypt, Samalout

A new government pilot program in Egypt is allowing farmers to use technology to tell them when their soil is dry and how much water it needs, which can aid the country as it navigates its water crisis. Sensors buried in the soil measure the ground’s moisture levels and sends the data to the user through a mobile app. The government has given 200 devices away for free, but some experts question the cost and if farmers will be comfortable with the technology. Still, one farmer says that because of the new system, she has been using 20 percent less water and her labor costs have also decreased.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In India, Smartphones and Cheap Data Are Giving Women a Voice

Yasaswini Sampathkumar

January 04, 2021 |

Wired |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India

Smartphones and cheap data are enabling Indian women, even those who never learned how to read and write, to access new networks and markets. Voice memos and images shared via apps like WhatsApp make accessing information easier. As a result, women are running businesses, finding new customers, and even saving remote forests by alerting journalists to illegal logging. As the accessibility of smartphones and affordable data increases, so does this demographic’s autonomy.

Read More
Go to Original Story