MODEL - SOCIAL BUSINESS

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEWGram Vaani (meaning ‘voice of the village’) uses technology to develop media platforms for the hardest to reach populations. It partners with over 90 organizations to deploy its voice-based technologies, reaching over 2 million users in seven countries and over 15 Indian states. It runs its own mobile-based community radio platform, Mobile Vaani, primarily in Jharkhand and Bihar, and also supports over 40 community radio stations nationwide.

THE PROBLEMSignificant rural populations remain ignorant due to either irrelevant content and language in mass media or lack of access to any media A dearth of common platforms for citizen voices sustains the low level of awareness and accountability of the local government

WHAT DOES IT DO?Mobile Vaani allows rural populations to share and receive information through a free-of-cost call on their mobiles, using an IVR system. Individuals can record their comments and listen to local content, primarily generated by other users. This voice-based social media platform has various uses, including knowledge sharing, discussion forums, social campaigns to collect data and increase awareness on specific issues, as well as entertainment. Content generated on Mobile Vaani is used to increase accountability in several ways:

Gram Vaani’s partnerships enable revenue generation as well as increase its citizen reach and impact:

Developed technology to support community radio stations, but model didn’t allow for scale due to lack

of standardization and poor financial sustainability

Built an interactive voice platform (IVR) to leverage growth in mobile phones

Pilot in Jharkhand for community to record or listen to messages on

mobiles found a variety of uses such as discussion forums and grievance

reporting

Evolved from being a technology provider to a media company that uses technology; focused on

the Mobile Vaani platform and built competency in

journalism to curate content

Scaled Mobile Vaani to reach over 400,000 users in Jharkhand and Bihar; now expanding to two more states - Madhya Pradesh and Odisha

GRAM VAANI’s RESPONSEA media platform that is easily accessible through a phone call, which empowers people, particularly those that are illiterate or offline, to share experiences and gain local visibility. This provides a forum for citizens to increase transparency and accountability of government services in rural areas.

Gram Vaaniwww.gramvaani.org

Founded: 2009 | Head Office: New Delhi | Coverage: Pan-India | Full-Time Staff: 32Budget (2013-14): Organization – INR 2 crore; Governance – INR 2 crore

HOW DID IT EVOLVE?

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013-2014

Gram Vaani

Dissemination through mass media: Prabhat Khabar, a local paper with a daily circulation of 8 lakh, dedicates one page per week to Mobile Vaani content.Advocacy through volunteers: Over 150 volunteers engaged through partner non-profits and local clubs follow up on issues with local officials, who are more responsive following the transparency created by media and fear of escalation.Direct tie-ups with government officials to respond to grievances.

It trains non-profits with local presence to develop citizen journalists who use the Mobile Vaani platform to mobilize communities. It provides partners with data generated through targeted social campaigns, which can be used for advocacy at a national level.

KEY INTERVENTIONS

1. Building awareness and mobilizing citizens2. Training citizens for public engagement 3. Creating knowledge and evidence4. Advocacy for policy design and implementation5. Technology platforms and solutions6. Facilitating independent and inclusive journalism7. Capacity building of government officials8. Capacity building of local partners9. Facilitating platforms for multi-stakeholder engagement

“Initially, our growth was constrained because we were only a technology provider and it was difficult to scale through scattered NGOs. With Mobile Vaani, we evolved into a media company that runs its own network, which is enriched by partnerships but doesn’t depend on them. Now, as a media company, our biggest challenge is funding: you need to first invest in scaling and building a user base; financial sustainability through sponsorships only comes after.” – Aaditeshwar Seth, co-founder and CEO

citizenvoice policy law servicedelivery thinktank transparency RTI elections budgets urbangovernance panchayatiraj accesstojustice

technology humanrights independentmedia

A lot of recordings were published on Jharkhand Mobile Vaani that shared the details of an illicit land dealing and the involvement of senior officials and the Block Development Officer. After taking the matter forward, the district administration has suspended the Block Development officer and other officers involved in the scam. This quick response of the government is thanks to the recordings that were run on Jharkhand Mobile Vaani.

- Sanjay Soren, from Domchach, Jharkhand (April 2014)

Independent media: Its success is reflected in the level of listenership and participation; Mobile Vaani gets over 5,000 calls per day, 3% involve individuals recording content; it has over 400,000 unique users. Grievance redressal: Volunteer action or direct government tie-ups have led to a response in over 50 cases, including cases of corruption around MNREGA job-card issuance, illegal mining and water availability.Social audits: A two-month health campaign led to responses by 400+ people on the status of public health facilities; findings were shared with newspapers and television, leading to testimonials on five improved health facilities that impacted over 100,000 people; similar surveys done on education facilities, MNREGA works.

WHAT HAS IT ACHIEVED?

VOICES FROM THE GROUND

Faculty at IIT Delhi, alumnus of IIT Kanpur and has a PhD from University of Waterloo (Canada).

IIT Delhi, where Gram Vaani was incubated.Investors: Digital News Ventures, India Angel Network.Non-profits: Oxfam, CREA, Breakthrough, CEDPA. Government: Health and Labour Departments in Jharkhand, Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Other Supporters: Knight Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation.

Economic Times rated Gram Vaani among the 14 startups to watch in 2014.mBillionth Award in 2012 and 2013.Economic Times Power of Ideas 2010.Manthan Award 2009.

Leadership Aaditeshwar Seth is the co-founder and CEO.

Partnerships

Endorsements

QUALITY INDICATORS

Gram Vaani

WHAT’S NEXT?Gram Vaani plans to continue scaling its Mobile Vaani platform through:

In order to scale, Gram Vaani would need to expand its team: its content team, which is responsible for moderating and curating content; its field team and volunteer base, which mobilize communities to use the platform; and its management team to take on more projects effectively.

Expansion to new geographies - it recently began operations in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. New partnerships with non-profits that can use its platform to mobilize their communities, and in turn increase Gram Vaani’s reach as well as user engagement.New social campaigns on issues such as illegal mining in Jharkhand, to expand the uses of Mobile Vaani.

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