Social Finance going digital in Mali: Raising awareness about Child Labor and Microfinance through Mobile Technology
The partnership between the ILO and VIAMO provided a cost-effective and tailored approach to awareness-raising that accommodates the preferences and capacities of Mali's communities.
5 April 2022
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Bamako, May 2023 – In Mali, child labour is prevalent, with at least 1 in 10 children between the ages of 5 and 14 engaged in economic activities, many of which involve hazardous work in the cotton and mining industries (ILO-UNESCO Statistics). To address this issue, ILO ACCEL Africa partnered with mobile service provider Viamo to raise awareness among stakeholders responsible for guiding agricultural producers in high-risk sectors.
Viamo developed two phone-based tools – one to deliver a remote training on child labour, and second one to give Mali’s communities access to ten (10) messages on child labour and microfinance by calling for free the “Kunafoniw” service implemented in partnership with Orange Mali.
This partnership provided a cost-effective and tailored approach to awareness-raising that accommodates the preferences and capacities of Mali's communities.
Between December 2022 and February 2023, Viamo used Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to disseminate the remote training program on child labour. The program consisted of eight IVR messages delivered to participants in the Sikasso and Kayes regions, aimed at improving the knowledge of project implementers to detect and refer cases of child labour and raise awareness of the issue within their communities. Each message comprised an introduction, training objectives, a narrative on key lessons, and a short quiz to assess understanding.
Participants could access the training in French and Bambara. Using the data connectivity of Orange Mali, 375 participants were contacted and sent IVR messages. 93% of those who were contacted started a lesson and completed it, with the most participants tuning into lessons that explained the occupations that are prohibited for children in agriculture (98%), the root causes of child labour (97%) and the role supervision agents play in reducing child labour (97%). On average, there were more males (95.7%) who completed a lesson than females (88.2%).
A satisfaction survey carried out through mobile revealed that 92% of respondents reported that they have sufficiently acquired knowledge to raise awareness about the negative consequences of child labour, 90% said that they are now able to detect and refer a child who is in a situation of child labour, and 99% can convince their peers not to put their children in a situation of child labour. In March 2023, ACCEL carried out user research in the field in order to better assess the impact of the digital training. The research concluded that following the training, all the participants were feeling more confident to raise communities’ awareness on child labour; and the storytelling approach used in the modules gave them concrete communication tips on how to conduct awareness sessions given the sensitiveness of the topic, by using testimonies, case studies and stories. More specifically for field agents working in microfinance institutions, the training gave them tools to identify and prevent child labor cases among clients, and all along the credit cycle.
In addition to the remote training, Viamo made also accessible messages on microfinance and child labour through the “Kunaknoiw” service that any Malian can call for free by dialing the “37321”. More than 500.000 unique listeners listened to these messages between April 2022 and March 2023.
In order to assess the impact of the microfinance messages on the listeners’ behavior, a mobile survey was implemented in January 2023. The survey insights will be used to improve microfinance services in Mali.
Nearly double the planned number of 500 respondents participated, with 968 respondents from Sikasso, Kayes, and Ségou completing the survey. 553 of these respondents were male (57.1%) and 415 were female (42.9%), and a significant share of the respondents (34%) came from the 18- to 24-year-old age bracket.
The survey also revealed that there is work to be done in improving access to microfinance in Mali. 69% of respondents have not used formal financial services such as a bank, microfinance institution or mobile money in the last 3 months, and 65% have also not used an informal financial service such as tontines or financial assistance from family and friends. Women are less likely than men to avail of these financial services, whether they be formal or informal.
In conclusion, the partnership between ILO ACCEL Africa and Viamo has proved to be a cost-effective and tailored approach to raising awareness about child labor and microfinance in Mali. The use of Interactive Voice Response technology has enabled remote training on child labor, and dissemination of messages on the importance of microfinance, with positive results. While the remote training on child labor increased the knowledge of project implementers and demonstrated a positive impact, with high participation rates and satisfaction reported by the participants. The success of this partnership can be attributed to several factors, including the development of two tools by Viamo that demonstrated the potential of mobile to conduct trainings and make information accessible to hard-to-to reach communities, highlighting the importance of short and easy to understand messages, following up with those who did not respond the first time, and selecting appropriate technologies.
Viamo developed two phone-based tools – one to deliver a remote training on child labour, and second one to give Mali’s communities access to ten (10) messages on child labour and microfinance by calling for free the “Kunafoniw” service implemented in partnership with Orange Mali.
This partnership provided a cost-effective and tailored approach to awareness-raising that accommodates the preferences and capacities of Mali's communities.
Between December 2022 and February 2023, Viamo used Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to disseminate the remote training program on child labour. The program consisted of eight IVR messages delivered to participants in the Sikasso and Kayes regions, aimed at improving the knowledge of project implementers to detect and refer cases of child labour and raise awareness of the issue within their communities. Each message comprised an introduction, training objectives, a narrative on key lessons, and a short quiz to assess understanding.
Participants could access the training in French and Bambara. Using the data connectivity of Orange Mali, 375 participants were contacted and sent IVR messages. 93% of those who were contacted started a lesson and completed it, with the most participants tuning into lessons that explained the occupations that are prohibited for children in agriculture (98%), the root causes of child labour (97%) and the role supervision agents play in reducing child labour (97%). On average, there were more males (95.7%) who completed a lesson than females (88.2%).
A satisfaction survey carried out through mobile revealed that 92% of respondents reported that they have sufficiently acquired knowledge to raise awareness about the negative consequences of child labour, 90% said that they are now able to detect and refer a child who is in a situation of child labour, and 99% can convince their peers not to put their children in a situation of child labour. In March 2023, ACCEL carried out user research in the field in order to better assess the impact of the digital training. The research concluded that following the training, all the participants were feeling more confident to raise communities’ awareness on child labour; and the storytelling approach used in the modules gave them concrete communication tips on how to conduct awareness sessions given the sensitiveness of the topic, by using testimonies, case studies and stories. More specifically for field agents working in microfinance institutions, the training gave them tools to identify and prevent child labor cases among clients, and all along the credit cycle.
In addition to the remote training, Viamo made also accessible messages on microfinance and child labour through the “Kunaknoiw” service that any Malian can call for free by dialing the “37321”. More than 500.000 unique listeners listened to these messages between April 2022 and March 2023.
In order to assess the impact of the microfinance messages on the listeners’ behavior, a mobile survey was implemented in January 2023. The survey insights will be used to improve microfinance services in Mali.
Nearly double the planned number of 500 respondents participated, with 968 respondents from Sikasso, Kayes, and Ségou completing the survey. 553 of these respondents were male (57.1%) and 415 were female (42.9%), and a significant share of the respondents (34%) came from the 18- to 24-year-old age bracket.
The survey revealed that 70% of respondents who listened to these messages reported that the intervention helped them better manage their spending, and that 88.4% of them considered their children’s education to be a top spending priority. 67% of those who listened to these messages shared what they had learned with their family and friends, demonstrating the positive impact of the initiative. As the cotton harvest period came to an end, more than half (53.4%) of respondents also made use of external, non-family labour thanks to the microfinance messages.The messages you have sent help me a lot in my activities. I listen to the programme well and it guides me towards a better future. I manage to save and withdraw my money myself, and also to invest in my activities. It’s very useful for me, it helps me a lot."
Female user from Kayes
The survey also revealed that there is work to be done in improving access to microfinance in Mali. 69% of respondents have not used formal financial services such as a bank, microfinance institution or mobile money in the last 3 months, and 65% have also not used an informal financial service such as tontines or financial assistance from family and friends. Women are less likely than men to avail of these financial services, whether they be formal or informal.
The participants were also given the possibility to leave comments about the survey through voice messages. Viamo received 500 of these, demonstrating the wide reach and the positive impact of the initiative. One woman from the city of Kayes in western Mali shares, “The messages you have sent help me a lot in my activities. I listen to the programme well and it guides me towards a better future. I manage to save and withdraw my money myself, and also to invest in my activities. It’s very useful for me, it helps me a lot”. In addition, one man from Segou region states: “I’m a cotton producer. After listening to your messages, I have opened a bank account to keep my savings safe. I thank God today. I am currently in hospital with my sick wife, if I had not saved money it would not have been easy; your advice has been very useful to me, and I am very happy about it.".I’m a cotton producer, after listening to your messages, I have opened a bank account to keep my savings safe... I am currently in hospital with my sick wife, if I had not saved money it would not have been easy; your advice has been very useful to me, and I am very happy about it."
Male user from Segou
In conclusion, the partnership between ILO ACCEL Africa and Viamo has proved to be a cost-effective and tailored approach to raising awareness about child labor and microfinance in Mali. The use of Interactive Voice Response technology has enabled remote training on child labor, and dissemination of messages on the importance of microfinance, with positive results. While the remote training on child labor increased the knowledge of project implementers and demonstrated a positive impact, with high participation rates and satisfaction reported by the participants. The success of this partnership can be attributed to several factors, including the development of two tools by Viamo that demonstrated the potential of mobile to conduct trainings and make information accessible to hard-to-to reach communities, highlighting the importance of short and easy to understand messages, following up with those who did not respond the first time, and selecting appropriate technologies.