Minch

No cost phone access to disability information

Introduction

In Ethiopia, individuals with disabilities (estimated by WHO/World Bank to exceed 17% or over 17 million persons), parents and family members, as well as governmental and non-governmental service providers have limited access to disability-specific information.

Where to go for physical rehabilitation services, assistive devices, inclusive schools and educational materials, skills training, accessible transportation, financial services, job opportunities, and other practical information? In addition, persons with disabilities have few ways to find and share information with each other. An accessible phone platform was proposed, based upon a successful similar platform in India (Enable Vaani).

Minch is a voice-based, Amharic language, a social networking platform that is helping to bridge the information gap for persons with disabilities who do not have access to smartphones or internet connections. It is a free-for-use platform, where users are required to dial a toll-free number 6768, where they can listen, record, and share relevant opportunities and information, stories and experiences too.

Since its launch in February 2021, Minch has received over 24000 calls on the platform with users requesting various types of information.

Minch presents a scalable model with additional local Ethiopian languages and has the potential to deliver knowledge and information to persons with disabilities and others living in cities, towns, and rural areas of Ethiopia.

The Minch Platform – what is it?

Minch (or “Source” in Amharic) is an interactive voice response (IVR) telephone platform, was launched in February 2021, to connect persons with disabilities and others to disability-related information, in Amharic. Users access the platform by giving a call to a toll-free number 6768, which can be done through a basic mobile phone without internet, or a landline. The user then listens to audio information and announcements about health and rehabilitation services, education and skills training opportunities, employment and self-employment opportunities, as well as about government and NGO development programs. The platform is free to the user and has clocked over 24000 calls since its launch.

Minch Platform Content

The Minch will replicate the EnAble Vaani model as a voice-based (but with an SMS based text option for the hearing impaired) social media platform for information dissemination, collaboration, and sharing for and between:

Person with disabilities
Family members
Care-givers
Rehabilitation service providers
Providers of assistive aids, devices, and technologies
Development program practitioners
Government officials

and covering key areas such as:

Key events, updates, and upcoming events – such as recruitment opportunities, job fairs, disability-related events, workshops, etc
General Disability Information– such as definitions of various types of disabilities, information on national policies and disability directorates, etc
Inclusive Health Services –location of disability-friendly services and accessible facilities, including SRH, eye tests, medical rehabilitation,
Inclusive Education –location of inclusive primary and secondary schools, higher education opportunities,
Inclusive Livelihoods – information on job opportunities, location of inclusive technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, formal sector employment opportunities, recruitment services, job-seeking skills training, support for income-generating business activities, financial services,
Share with Minch –an opportunity for persons with disabilities to share their experiences, post queries, tips,
The Minch phone platform for disseminating information and facilitating collaboration will be run as a partnership between the following entities:
- Lead Partner –ECDD
- Knowledge Partner – EnAbleIndia
- Technology Partner – GramVaani/OnionDev
- Employment Content Partner –net
- Telecom Partner – Ethiotelecom

Role of each Partner

Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) – Lead Partner

ECDD is an Ethiopian civil society development organization, established in 2005. ECDD works with other organizations to promote and facilitate the inclusion of persons with disabilities and disability issues in mainstream service delivery and development programs in Ethiopia. ECDD work focuses on inclusive health services, inclusive education, inclusive livelihoods, and inclusive community development. The ECDD Association has 59 prominent Ethiopians as members, a 7-member Board of Directors, with the majority of women, and 50 staff members out of which 19 are persons with disabilities. ECDD Head Office is located in Addis Ababa and also has regional offices in SNNPR and Tigray region. In 2015, ECDD helped establish the Ethiopian Business and Disability Network (EBDN) of companies and organizations employing, or interested in employing persons with disabilities. EBDN counts over 30 members.

ECDD Role in Minch:

Strategy and growth
Develop short and longer-term strategies for platform development and growth
Content
– Moderate content – choosing which recordings to publish
– Contacts with content creators to give advice and feedback on the content
– Content creation – particularly during the startup phase, creating audios and texts that can be published on the platform
– Basic level reporting on content
Organization engagement
– Contact NGOs, DPOs, other organizational partners for content
– Encourage EBDN members to post vacancy announcements on the platform.
– Encourage and train partners to engage with the platform
– Assist with Content
Reporting
– Organizing and collating data
– Reporting: daily, weekly, monthly, annually

EnAble India – Knowledge Partner

EnAble India is an Indian-based NGO that has developed EnAble Vaani and currently operates it across 15 states in India. EnAble India has been working for the economic independence and dignity of persons with disabilities (PWDs) since 1999. EnAble India collaborates with 600+ companies with 4500+ persons with disabilities gainfully employed. EnAble India’s content and training best practices have become the norm for the disability sector in India, paving the way for the EnAble Academy, India’s first online collaborative community initiative for mainstreaming the livelihoods of persons with disabilities.

EnAble India Role in Minch:

Training
ECDD staff on the operation of the platform

Implementation & Set-up
Initial hand-holding to set up the platform and promotion strategies Guidance on best practices for successful implementation of Minch

Onion Dev Technology – Technology Partner

Onion Dev is a social tech company incubated out of IIT Delhi in 2009 with the intent of reversing the flow of information, from bottom-up instead of top-down. Using simple technologies and social context to design tools, Onion Dev has been able to impact communities, with more than 2.5 million users in over 15 Indian States, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Namibia, and South Africa

Onion Dev Role in Minch:

Technology transfer
- IVR Platform development and MobileApp
- Content moderation platform
- Reporting from platform
- Setup and tech support for the operation of the platform
Training and guidance on:
- Use of technology platform
- Development of new content
- Development of platform engagement strategy
Troubleshooting

Initial assistance with technical troubleshooting of the platform

Ethiotelecom – Telecommunications Partner

Ethiotelecom is the sole telecommunications company in Ethiopia, providing mobile phone 4G network and Internet service throughout the country to over 65 million mobile phone users.

Ethiotelecom Role in Minch:

Services
- Provide a toll-free phonenumber
- Provide reduced fee call charges
- Provide a 4-digit callback number
Equipment

Make available necessary equipment, servers, etc

Corporate Partner

The corporate partner is committed to the principle of responsible corporate citizenship and is actively engaged in supporting the social and economic development of the communities it operates in.

Corporate Partner Role in Minch: