Challenge
Mobile phone penetration in Rwanda is above 80% but internet penetration remains low at 39.76% which means that access to information on mobile phones through the internet is still out of reach for the majority of the population. Without access to information about individual, family, and land rights, many people are left without means of utilizing Rwanda's legal system to ensure their peace and dignity. Therefore, it was essential to make legal information and aid available to all.
Description
Viamo launched the 321 service in Rwanda in January 2018, allowing people to access information on their phone through IVR, SMS, and USSD in Kinyarwanda, free of charge. In a series of “listen, then choose” steps, callers use their simple mobile phone to select from among hundreds of messages including health, news, weather, etc. Content promoting access to legal aid information was added to the service with the option to connect to a live call center staffed by lawyers from the Legal Aid Forum.
Outcomes
Legal Aid information was added to the 321 Service in Rwanda in September 2018 and received over 165,000 calls in Q4 2018. This solution aims to scale to the 16 other countries where the 321 Service runs across Africa and Asia.
