The 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge is underway and proposals are stacking up in the USAID Project Gallery.  You can read proposals, star your favorites, leave comments and collaborate with project teams, or submit your own!  Here are some of the most recently submitted projects - check them out!

From the Project Gallery:

• Expanding HIV Prevention and uptake of HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing through interactive short message services in Uganda
  Text to Change will develop interactive SMS -based quizzes to increase HIV/AIDS knowledge and discussion among mobile phone users. The participants will receive general knowledge and reply to multiple choice questions related to HIV/AIDS subjects. They will send in their answers by SMS, free of charge, while retaining their anonymity. More specific background information leading to the right answers will be found in a special column printed in the local newspapers and posted on the TTC website. Three questions a week will be sent to registered participants by SMS covering a three month period. The questions will be focused on: HIV prevention (general knowledge, condom use, STI, behavioral change, Mother to child transmission (MTCT); Stigma and discrimination issues; Where to go for voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) as well as treatment for HIV and secondary infections.
• SMS Public Notification System (SPNS)
  The SPNS (SMS Public Notification System) will be solving two main problems. One is that of reaching out to the public faster, widely and at low cost. Second is that of acquiring an SMS notification system easily and at low cost. Currently there are many businesses that keep coming up with ideas of using SMS as a way of informing their publics, but their dreams are either derailed or put on hold due to (i) lack of technical staff to create such systems for them and (ii) high prices demanded by the few people who are capable of building such systems.

Participate in 4 easy steps:

• Register and/or Login 
• Click on Username
• Click on "Submit a Project to the Project Gallery" under My Project Idea
• Select "USAID" from the Prize Tag menu located below Additional Cause Area Tags on the Submission Form

Visit the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge Project Gallery to check out proposals, vote on your favorites, and comment and collaborate with the project teams or learn more about the Challenge.