Mobile Vaani
MLC Vanguard | Created by Gram Vaani (OnionDev Technologies Private Ltd.)
Mobile Vaani (MV) is a federated network of voice based & vernacular community media platforms. MV is an inclusive & participatory framework which reverses the flow of information to bottom-up. It is designed to promote community building & behavior change
2,500,000 Lives Impacted
MV has been nothing short of an information revolution in the participatory media space. It primarily caters to the low income groups in the remote regions, who do not get represented well through mainstream media.
The impact of our intervention is gauged primarily at three levels:
At individual and community level, our users record and broadcast their self-experiences which leads to solidarity and community building, through shared concerns and identities. The intervention also builds capacities and nurtures volunteers from the community who act as agent of social change.
At institutional level, our impact encompasses outreach with a large partner network to draw attention to key gaps in the administrative and governance process and suggest appropriate changes. We have engaged with government departments for improved functioning of government schemes.
As far as social accountability is concerned, there is palpable impact pertaining to grievance redressal in public and private services at the individual level, facilitated by community volunteers and group solidarity. Our intervention has led to community-based monitoring of local health and education facilities too.
The Innovation
The Mobile Vaani (MV) networks based on IVR (Interactive Voice Response) + smartphone app are freely available 24x7 live platforms. All phone users (with or without internet access) can access the platforms, navigate the playlists, record voice messages â comments, like and forward messages, take surveys, etc.
Few of the peculiar characteristic of MV are mentioned below:
MV is a cost effective source of information dissemination
MV helps build strong institutions for rural and urban poor population: The bulk of the content on MV is user generated with recordings contributed over the IVR itself and subsequently moderated and curated by MVâs content team for publication on the IVR
The MV platform is localized at the district level with unique phone numbers for each active district of operation
These channels are driven by local network of community champions
MV has thematic channels serving specific user segments such as women, youths, informal-formal workers, which cuts across various regions
Amid COVID19 crisis, MV was repurposed to enable communities get informed about the pandemic and secure relief even in the hard-to-reach regions
Implemented in
South Asia & Ethiopia
Get in touch
Vijay Sai Pratap, CEO & Co-Founder
About Gram Vaani
Gram Vaani Community Media (registered as OnionDev Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) is an award winning, Indian social enterprise, incorporated in 2015. Its flagship solution, Mobile Vaani (MV), is an IVRS and mobile app based two-way, audio community media platform. The MV solution has been used to design and implement more than 150 projects across the country in collaboration with organizations across the spectrum including non-profits, grant-making organizations, commercial entities, and government departments.
