Today's Headlines
- Kriegler Team Ends Public Hearings
- PNU Clears Sotik Candidate
- Kimunya Wants Cockar to Summon Ministers, AG
- Bank Introduces Hajj Account
- Mumias Pretax Profits Drop By 17 Percent
- Tourism Sector Targets New Markets
- Indiza, Thethy Take the Lead
- Militia And Army Abused Rights, Says New Report
- Stars Match to Move to Kasarani
- Party Agents Aided Officer in Tally
- Michuki Criticises Donor Funding
- Bungei Lavishes Praise
- Minister Must Clarify Poverty Statistics
- Drivers Shift Focus to Nanyuki
- These Ladies Don't Need Aid, Why Force It On Them?
- Paralympic Team Gets Cash Pledges
- VP Insists On Need to Engage in Other Sports
- Jelimo Parades At the Golden League
- Value Addition the Key
- Team to Face Cote d'Ivoire in Saturday's Play-Off
- The Cutting Edge
- Githae's Bid to Claim Petition Costs Fails
- Row As Munyes Sends NSSF Boss On Leave
- Sign Contracts, House Speaker Urges Judges
- Researchers Warn Over Food Aid
- MPs Urged to Back Biotechnology Bill
- Poll Probe Team Prepares for Last Leg of Hearings
- Invest in Food Crops, Continent Told
- Govt Takes First Step in Tackling Climate Change
- Inflation Set to Ease Despite Looming Famine, Say Experts
Business Daily (Nairobi)
May 13, 2008
News Article By Kui Kinyanjui
This week, the mobile phone will be used in a peculiarly Kenyan initiative aimed at promoting an HIV/Aids awareness programme.
Young people participating in the programme are simply expected to play games on their mobile phones. The proponents of the project hope that as they play, the youths will also have a chance to get educated on vital HIV/ Aids issues.
The programme, being run by Mobile for Good (M4G), will be launched as the Games4Life Programme at the British Council on Friday. The project aims to reach out to the youth through mobile phone games.
The gadget is being taken as an innovative medium to educate them about HIV/Aids and to reinforce positive messages about healthy lifestyle choices. This is to be done in an upbeat and technology savvy way.
The objective of the Games4Life project is to make HIV/Aids information available to the youth via a medium that is readily available to them and that is fun to use. The games have been translated into English, Kiswahili and sheng.
M4G has led several other similar initiatives delivering vital health, employment and community content via SMS on mobile phones.
This helps in informing and empowering the disadvantaged as well as in bridging the digital divide. M4G says research carried out in Africa shows that it is the fastest-growing mobile phone market in the world, with an annual growth rate of 67 per cent.
Studies in Kenya show that a large proportion of the rural population has access to mobile phones, usually through sharing of handsets.
These figures suggest market need for delivery of information to marginalised communities.


