Featured Documentary - Life Apps: World of Apps

Summary

This video series explores how mobile apps can create social change by helping underserved communities. It follows app developers as they visit places like South Africa, India, and Brazil, learning about local challenges such as sexual health, agriculture, and education. Developers then design apps to address these issues, such as promoting health education or supporting small-scale farmers. The series highlights the potential of mobile technology to empower individuals and solve real-world problems, particularly among youth and in marginalized communities.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The mobile world is increasingly important, with calls, texts, and apps making life easier but not everyone is benefiting equally.
• 📱 A series challenges app developers to create apps that can make a difference in communities that are currently missing out.
• 🇿🇦 In South Africa, mobile phones are more relied upon than landlines, especially in poorer communities.
• 💡 Boza, a company in Cape Town, designs apps that provide not only entertainment but also health information.
• 📈 Sexual health is a significant issue among young people in South Africa, and apps are seen as a potential solution.
• 🤔 Nanzi, an app designer from the townships, is tasked with creating an app for sexual health education.
• 🔍 Nanzi's research takes her to Johannesburg to understand the sexual health issues and the potential of a life app.
• 🗣️ There's a need for an app that can communicate sexual health messages effectively, especially considering high rates of HIV and teenage pregnancy.
• 💡 The idea of an app that uses text messages to share sexual health information within communities is explored.
• 🌍 The script also looks at London, where young people are encouraged to create apps for social good through programs like Apps for Good.
• 👮‍♂️ An example app mentioned is one that documents police stop and search incidents, aiming to empower individuals.
• 🌟 The script highlights the potential of mobile technology to empower young people globally and solve local community problems.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the 'Life Apps' series?

The 'Life Apps' series focuses on challenging app developers to create mobile applications that can improve lives and communities, particularly those who are currently missing out on the benefits of technology.

Why is mobile technology important in South Africa according to the script?

Mobile technology is crucial in South Africa because it is more accessible and affordable than landlines, especially for poorer communities. It has the potential to revolutionize everyday life by providing entertainment, health information, and other services through cheap mobile phones.

What is the specific challenge that app designer Nanzi faces in South Africa?

Nanzi's challenge is to design a mobile application focused on sexual health to address issues like HIV, AIDS, teenage pregnancy, and the lack of awareness and use of protection among young people in South Africa.

How does Nanzi plan to approach the creation of her sexual health app?

Nanzi plans to conduct research by visiting Johannesburg and engaging with young people to understand their needs and perspectives on sexual health. She is considering an app that could provide guidance and information on the topic.

What is the concept of the 'Life App' that the cafe owner in the script suggests?

The cafe owner suggests developing an app that collects and shares text messages about sexual health, allowing people to exchange these messages within their community. This concept is inspired by the idea of electronic word of mouth to spread health information.

What is the 'ABS for Good' program and how does it work?

The 'ABS for Good' program is an initiative that inspires young people to become problem solvers by using mobile technology to address local community issues. It works by engaging young people in the process of identifying problems and finding solutions through the creation of mobile social and web apps.

What is the purpose of the 'Stop and Search' app developed by Satwant and Aaron?

The 'Stop and Search' app is designed to document and upload a user's experiences when they are stopped by the police, particularly in areas where ethnic minorities are more likely to be stopped. The app helps users understand their rights and provides a platform to report and rate their interactions with law enforcement.

How does the 'Buzzer Buddies' app work and what is its purpose?

The 'Buzzer Buddies' app is an alarm clock with a twist. It asks the user to record a reason for waking up, which is played back as the alarm. The purpose of the app is to help young people find motivation to wake up in the morning by associating their alarm with a personal goal or reason.

What was the outcome of the 'Life Apps' team's visit to Kenya and how did they help William, the farmer?

In Kenya, the 'Life Apps' team helped William, a farmer, by developing an app that shares information about market prices and transportation costs for his specialty vegetables. This app was well-received and helped William farm more efficiently.

What was the challenge faced by Dalton in Namibia and how did he address it?

Dalton's challenge in Namibia was to design a 'Life App' for the Himba people, who are mostly illiterate but familiar with technology. He addressed this by creating an app that translates text into speech, allowing them to access information despite their lack of literacy.

What is the main message or takeaway from the 'Life Apps' series?

The main message from the 'Life Apps' series is that mobile technology and app development have the potential to empower individuals and communities by addressing local challenges and providing solutions that can lead to social and economic improvements.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Mobile Apps for Social Good

The script discusses a series challenging app developers to create mobile applications that benefit communities currently underserved by technology. It highlights a visit to South Africa and London, where young developers are working on apps for social good. Cape Town, a city in South Africa, is noted for its reliance on mobile technology, with Boza, a company creating apps for both entertainment and health information. The script emphasizes the importance of mobile phones in providing access to information, especially sexual health education, to people who may not have access to computers. The app developer, Nanzi, is tasked with creating a life app focused on sexual health, and she embarks on a research trip to understand the needs and challenges of people in terms of sexual health and HIV.

05:01

💡 Inspiring Youth through Mobile Technology

The script describes Nanzi's quest for inspiration for her sexual health app, leading her to a local internet cafe where she explores the potential of SMS and mobile apps to disseminate health information. She learns about an app idea that could collect and share sexual health text messages within a community. Nanzi's concept is an electronic word-of-mouth system for spreading health messages. The narrative then shifts to London, where young people are encouraged to develop mobile apps that solve social problems. ABS for Good, a program by the Center for Digital Inclusion, is highlighted for its work with young people in creating apps that address local issues. The script also introduces an app designed to document and upload police stop-and-search incidents, aiming to provide knowledge about rights during such encounters.

10:02

📱 Empowering Youth with Mobile Apps

This section of the script focuses on how mobile apps can be tools for empowerment and problem-solving among young people. It showcases 'Buzzer Buddies,' an app designed to help users wake up by recording a personal reason for waking up. The script emphasizes the importance of creativity and imagination in app development, suggesting that knowledge should be used for the benefit of all. It also reviews the global impact of mobile technology, with examples from the series 'Life Apps' where apps have been developed to help farmers in Kenya, small-scale farmers in India, and the Himba people in Namibia. The script concludes by celebrating the potential of young people to create technology that can solve real-world problems.

15:04

🌱 Life Apps for Farmers and Communities

The script details the efforts of 'Life Apps' to develop mobile applications that assist farmers and communities. In Kenya, an app was created to help farmers like William sell their produce more efficiently by sharing market information and transportation costs. In Namibia, a software designer developed an app that translates text to speech to assist the Himba people, who are not literate but are familiar with technology. In India, a software developer named Sarin aimed to help small-scale farmers by creating an app that allows them to record and share ideas with their community. The script illustrates how technology can be adapted to local needs and how it can empower communities to improve their lives.

20:05

🌟 Impactful Life Apps Around the World

The final paragraph of the script summarizes the global impact of the 'Life Apps' series. It discusses how the app developers have not only created apps but also learned about the lives of people in their own countries who are often left out of development. The script highlights the importance of believing in young people's ideas and their potential to be problem solvers. It emphasizes that apps are not just for entertainment or profit but can be powerful tools for creating positive change in communities. The narrative concludes with a celebration of the achievements of the life app designers and the potential for further innovation and social impact.

Keywords

💡Mobile Apps

Mobile Apps refer to software applications designed to run on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. In the context of the video, mobile apps are highlighted as tools that can be designed for social good, aiming to improve lives in communities that are typically underserved by technology. An example from the script is the app designed to provide sexual health information in South Africa.

💡Social Good

Social Good refers to initiatives aimed at promoting the well-being of individuals and communities. The video emphasizes how mobile apps can be created for social good, such as apps that address sexual health issues, teen pregnancy, and HIV awareness. The script mentions young people in South Africa creating apps that serve this purpose.

💡Sexual Health

Sexual Health encompasses physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality. The video discusses the importance of sexual health, particularly in South Africa, where there's a high prevalence of HIV. The app designed in the script aims to provide guidance and information on sexual health to help combat these issues.

💡HIV Positive

HIV Positive is a term used to describe individuals who have tested positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The video script mentions that in Johannesburg, it's been estimated that about one in four adults are HIV positive, highlighting the severity of the issue and the need for apps that can provide relevant health information.

💡Digital Inclusion

Digital Inclusion is the concept of ensuring that all members of a society have equal access to, and the ability to effectively use, information and communications technology. The video showcases the ABS Good program, which aims to inspire young people to become problem solvers by using mobile technology to address local community issues, thus promoting digital inclusion.

💡Stop and Search App

The Stop and Search App is an example of a mobile app designed for social good, specifically to document and upload a user's experiences when stopped by the police. It is mentioned in the script as a tool to empower individuals, particularly those from ethnic minorities who are more likely to be stopped, by providing them with knowledge of their rights.

💡Mobile Technology

Mobile Technology refers to communication technology that is easily transportable and often used outside of standard workspaces. The video emphasizes the potential of mobile technology to empower young people globally. It is used in various apps designed to solve problems in local communities, such as the app for small-scale farmers in India.

💡Problem Solvers

Problem Solvers are individuals who actively seek solutions to challenges or issues. The video encourages the idea of young people becoming problem solvers through the creation of mobile apps. For example, the script describes how apps are developed to address issues like teen pregnancy and lack of access to sexual health information.

💡SMS

SMS stands for Short Message Service, a text messaging service component of phone, and web communication systems. In the script, SMS is mentioned as a traditional method of communication that can be utilized in mobile apps, such as the app idea that collects text messages about sexual health and allows people to share them.

💡Community Empowerment

Community Empowerment is the process of enabling individuals and groups within a community to take control of the decisions and actions that affect their lives. The video script illustrates this through the development of apps that allow communities to manage their own health issues, like the app idea that tracks HIV infections and treatments within a community.

💡Mobile Economy

Mobile Economy refers to the economic activities and transactions that are conducted through mobile devices. The video discusses the importance of engaging young people in the mobile app economy, not just for commercial purposes, but also to solve social problems and create positive change in their communities.

Highlights

Mobile phone apps have the potential to make a better world by addressing social issues.

In South Africa, mobile phones are more accessible than landlines, especially in poorer communities.

Boza, a company in Cape Town, designs mobile apps for social good, not just entertainment.

Sexual health is a significant issue for young people in South Africa, and apps could provide valuable information.

Nanzi, a member of Boza, is tasked with creating a life app for sexual health, drawing from her own experiences growing up in townships.

Despite high rates of HIV, many South Africans have access to mobile phones, which could be leveraged for health apps.

Nanzi's research trip to Johannesburg reveals a need for apps that address AIDS, teenage pregnancy, and other sexual health issues.

Young people in South Africa express a desire for more information on sexual health and the use of protection.

Nanzi explores the idea of an app that uses text messaging to share sexual health information within communities.

In London, 'Apps for Good' is a program that teaches young people to create apps that solve social problems.

The 'stop and search' app documents and uploads user experiences when stopped by the police, particularly useful for ethnic minorities.

Apps for Good is working with schools to create a generation of problem solvers using mobile technology.

Buzzer Buddies, an app created by students, uses personalized messages to help people wake up in the morning.

Life Apps in Kenya helped farmer William by creating an app to share market information and transport costs.

In Namibia, a life app was developed to translate text into speech for the illiterate Himba people.

In India, software developer Sarin created an app to help small-scale farmers share ideas and knowledge.

In Brazil, a life app was designed as a game to encourage planting real plants in the community vegetable garden.

The life app designers learned about the lives of those missing out on development and shared inspiring moments.

Transcripts

it's a mobile

world with calls texts and apps to help

make our lives

easier but not everyone's

benefiting

yet canm mobile phone apps be designed

to help make a better world this series

challenges app developers from around

the world to visit communities who are

missing out and then come up with an app

that could

help a life

app yes yes yes yes this week life apps

visit South Africa and London to meet

young people who are creating their own

apps for social good and looks back

across the series to see what's been

achieved

[Music]

Cape Town the beautiful city on the

southern tip of

Africa South Africa is a rapidly

emerging economy it relies on mobile

phones and wireless technology far more

than on expensive toay landlines

young company Boza designs mobile phone

apps not just for entertainment but to

help people in poorer

communities cheap mobile phones have

revolutionized everyday life we have an

enormous generation of people who will

never have access to a computer but they

will have access to a mobile phone so

we're focusing on entertainment to being

the backbone the backbone which holds

people there they can come and they can

have a good time but they can also get

health information so on our application

it's not always about just listening to

Great hip hop or gospel if that's what

you're into you can also get some love

life information around Sexual

Health sexual health is a huge issue for

young people in South Africa and BOS I

believe apps can

[Music]

help so the challenge for app designer

nanzi is to come up with a life app for

sexual

health nanzi grew up in the townships

now she's a key member of bz's creative

team oh cool so she's giving me pens cuz

she knows she collects inspiration oh

man that's cool it's pretty edgy I don't

connect with negative energy it be a

caring creative make a difference so I

am a caring creative because I tell

stories that mirror my Society people

can easily relate to the stories that I

write therefore I am

bser let's go have breakfast

[Music]

so can creative nany come up with a life

app for sexual

[Music]

health nanzi sets off on a research

trip she's heading Northeast towards

Johannesburg a city where it's been

estimated that about one in four adults

are HIV

positive and then Soo where despite the

poverty 99 in 100 households have access

to a mobile

phone nanzi wants to find out if a life

app could help with issues like AIDS

teenage pregnancy and other sexual

health

issues it won't prove

easy sure I'm trying to find

out what are some of the things that AB

would want to access

from that's health related why why you

you have to sleep me with after after

three 3 weeks or after a month we're

together the thing is you're going to

make the same thing that's what you guys

say that's what you guys say what the

point of waiting for 3 to three months

when you when you can do it now the idea

is that listen the idea is that you

you're getting to know the person you're

getting to know maybe it's not even a

conscious decision or a rational

decision the women NY meets researching

her app are a little more helpful like a

lot of people are somehow infected or

affected by serious viruses that comes

through

sexual engagement

you understand so with that said

especially with young pup teenage

pregnancy is high this side clearly

people don't don't protect or don't use

protection or don't see the need to use

protection why is that like it's not

like we facing right now cuz we facing

like Teenage

pranc like teenage pregnancy is very

high the side sure yeah maybe we really

do need like help

yes yes we need

yeah a life app could offer guidance on

Sexual Health the question is

how in her hunt for inspiration nany

steps into a local internet cafe meet

you how can I help you today surrounded

by computer literate kids nanzi knows

they now access the internet through

smartphones as well as laptops and

internet cafes many young people still

use SMS or text messaging nanzi wants to

know what's the best way of building a

sexual health app all right um how can

one actually build application that

would best meet

requirements the youth here when it

comes to sex when it comes to health

when it comes to access of information

in that regard um traditionally you know

uh an SMS get transmitted between two

people you know could be n's got

lucky the cafe owner is trying to

develop app that collects text messages

about sexual health and let people share

them in between those two people so you

can create uh a mobile application for

the whole Community sure you know so

that the community can be able to manage

its own uh health issues you know it can

see how many uh people we have who are

infected with this uh how many people

are taking treatment you know how many

people are getting better sure you one

that kind of thing it's managed by by by

the whole Community not only the

healthare system cool I'm Blown Away yes

Zan's idea is to help spread health

information by a kind of electronic word

of mouth and she doesn't know how to

nany thinks his idea could form the

basis of her own life app communicating

Sexual Health messages but there's a

long way to go so let's connect go Skype

and then we can take this conversation

and then just let's elaborate more on

the whole idea of mobile and access to

information and around how we can

actually EMP them using phone from what

I and what you presently doing with that

whole Health

thing sure thank you so much Nan's Life

app is clearly going to need much more

work it's a mission she's still working

on Nan's convinced technology can

Empower young people and not just in the

developing countries but the world

[Music]

over London a 21st century World City

close to the skyscrapers of its

Financial Elite lies shage London's

creative digital

Hub a digital incubator and designer

Heaven it's all about young people

developing new ideas making money and

also doing good incl including with the

mobile

phone a mobile phone is a very powerful

tool and it can Empower people around

the world and using mobile phone

technology to solve problems in one's

local community can be a great way to

create

change one leading charity showing how

mobiles can be used for good is CDI the

center for digital inclusion based in

Brazil but with a branch here in sh

ditch the program is called abs good and

it's about inspiring young people to

become problem solvers through getting

them to think through a process of what

is their problem in their local

community and how can they solve it

using mobile

technology abs for good are now working

with 50,000 young people across Britain

creating mobile social and web

apps so we're trying to create a

generation of problem solvers so that

young people can get the skills that

they need to actually understand what

the technology is so that they're not

just consuming technology ABS definitely

not about money and games apps are about

solving a problem and yes there's a huge

commercial industry out there doing that

but the main thing that we Advocate is

that getting young people interested in

the first place in being part of the

tech mobile app economy is really

important

apps for good satwant and Aaron are

working on a stop and search app people

from ethnic minorities are two times

more likely to be stopped by the police

than white people the app documents and

uploads a user's experiences when

they're stopped by the

police so I have been stocked and search

before um obviously coming out of TOS

Hills just next to brickton as a place

where a lot of people are stopped and

searched on a daily basis and not always

for the right reason as well do you know

what I mean so a lot of the times when I

was stopped and searched I used to kind

of think to myself is this the right

procedure that they're carrying out am I

even allowed to be stopped for this or

you know what I mean so not having that

knowledge just kind of put me in a

position where I just felt a bit

disempowered in that situation so the um

stop and search app was um created in

2010 we wanted to help people know what

they right so when they get stop and

search by the by the police in a quick

and easy way once you've downloaded the

app you click click into it it tells you

what you can do and say or why you might

be stopped and searched um when you're

walking down the road or when you're in

a vehicle and we've got a section for

photography as well cuz a lot of um

reporters and stuff have issues when

they're filming and stuff with stopping

search if you are stopped in search now

what you have to do is just upload your

experience and that consists of

basically putting your aging your

ethnicity your sex and then um just like

you to put in the office's badge number

who stopped and searched you and the

stop and search slip number if you get

one also after that you just basically

rate how you feel you were treated by

the officers and there's like a set

criteria of questions here such as how

valid do you think the reason was for

the Stop and search and how much respect

do you feel you were shown when you

stopped and searched and while you're

doing all this the app would have picked

up your location automatically using the

GPS um so once you f out the form just

upload it 100% um anonymously to the

database and that's your experience

[Music]

there abs for good are now working with

400 schools across the

UK one of the first to enroll was East

London Central Foundation girls

school pups have shown how designing

mobile phone apps can help young people

to identify and solve everyday

[Music]

problems an app is a a pro something on

your phone that does one thing and one

thing only really really well why is it

good to be able to solve problems

because you're going to face them every

day and Absa teaches you how to think of

a problem in a creative way and not take

it as an oh my God this is going to go

completely wrong you have to go WR let's

try and solve it

creativity in your imagination

absolutely has no limits so as long as

you got ideas up here you can do

anything with

me knowledge is like gift you have to

use it for the good of everyone really

otherwise what's the point of having if

you're going to be selfish with it B is

called buzzer buddies it's available on

the Android market it's an alarm clock

uh with a Twist it ask uh you time and

date as usual and then it askers you why

and this is your chance to recording

reason why you need to wake up

some young people find it hard to wake

up in the morning so the girls here have

designed the buzzer buddies app so this

is a step-by-step process to set up a

buzzer buddy so you set your time you

can choose to repeat it on a on a date

so maybe on weekdays or weekends you can

label the

alarm and then you set your recording so

it's anything that you'd like to do your

reason to wake up after that you can

choose your buzzer buddy so this is

anyone from your contact list and you

write a

message so after you've you're happy

with your message you press save and

then you save your alarm and you're

ready to go for the course organizers

the pupil's enthusiasm and success show

how mobile phone apps can help solve

problems not just in London but across

the world exp mobile technology is a

great way to empower young people

throughout the world and our course is

at actually about doing that so that

they become the problem solvers and they

can do that

globally so let's look back at what the

life app designers from across the

series have

achieved in Africa life apps visited

Kenya and met William who's a farmer in

rural Yuga

the challenge was to see if a life app

could help William Farm more

efficiently the team life apps invited

to help William live 300 km East in

Nairobi Kenya's capital

[Music]

M's startup company ban has been going

for just over a year Kenyan film

director Tony who helped come up with

the life app's idea filmed munil

developing his life app a mobile

application for small scale Farmers like

[Music]

William hello hello Mr William

[Music]

William didn't know how much his

speciality vegetables could fetch at the

biggest local markets

[Music]

so M's team came up with an app that

would help share information and costs

like

transports it was well

received you should have seen the smiles

on those guys

faces the smile on the other end is what

gives you the

drive his company ban is still looking

for an investor to help take his life

app forward

[Music]

still in Africa life apps also travel to

Namibia local software designer Dalton

set off on a voyage of Discovery in his

own

Homeland his challenge was to design a

life app to help the HBA

people back on our journey of

Discovery we see what comes out

[Music]

dton and his colleague lamech had to use

plenty of tax to work out how a life app

might be able to help these highly

independent

Nomads do the women from the himba

community go to

school the himba are familiar with

technology but most can't read or write

[Music]

it's day day two we um have been up the

whole night basically then a brain wave

if literacy was a problem how about an

app that translates text into speech

from

M using simple software downloaded from

the internet the live app that we

managed to come up with is I love my

voice so I think that's simple but it

would be very useful app for them so we

going to be going out today and we're

going to be testing it and see how the

reaction is from the

[Music]

[Music]

community yeah yeah

uh I feel absolutely good I wish and I I

hope will take some more time and really

just go back to the community and give

back

[Music]

[Applause]

again dton is now working on developing

his app with HBA accents and will return

to the north in the future

[Music]

[Applause]

in Asia life apps travel to India where

the challenge to design an app was taken

up by software Hot Shot

sarin based in the capital Delhi sarin's

goal is to use apps to help the less

[Music]

fortunate my quest is to find answers to

help people who are living at the bottom

of the economic pyramid

it's sain's long-held ambition to help

India's millions of beleaguered small

scale

Farmers so he undertook a 2,000 km

journey to see for himself how he could

help farmers like via

[Music]

[Music]

it's stories like this that Mak sarin

determined to use his technological

skills to help small scale Farmers so uh

we want to do something for them we want

to build something for them can I come

her to again and show her what I can

[Music]

build back in Delhi sain and his team

came up with a life app which would

allow Farmers to spread their ideas by

simply making a voice recording and

uploading it using the app so they could

share it with the whole

Community here I want to develop this

application make it more robust and take

it through the p Pilots those trials and

make it something you know which can be

adopted

Nationwide so long way to go it's just

the beginning of the

project from rural India to the dramatic

setting of Brazil's Rio de

Janeiro here the life apps challenge was

eagerly accepted by software designer

Pedro

[Music]

Pedro's challenge was to come up with a

life app that could help the millions

who live in Rios faas or Shanty towns

[Music]

Pedro realized that choosing a single

life app was going to be tough

together with his colleagues Pedro

finally settled on one daring

idea Pedro's Life app is a smartphone

game that allows players to plant seeds

in a virtual garden and watch the

virtual plants grow for every virtual

plant there's a real one planted in the

favas community vegetable

garden Pedro believes his life app could

change how people think about technology

and life in the favas

[Music]

yes apps do make money yes apps are used

to play games but that's not the only

use of apps young people have a lot of

talent and given the right steer they

can help solve the problems that are

happening they're not always given the

opportunity to do so it is important to

show them that you do believe in their

ideas you do believe that they can

actually be the problem solvers to solve

their own problems and to create

something that will actually help them

and their

Community for the life app designers in

Namibia

Brazil South Africa in India and Kenya

researching the need for a life app has

revealed new realities in their own

countries the life app design has

learned about the lives of those who are

missing out on

development made some new friends and

shared some inspiring moments

[Applause]

[Music]