Policymakers in developing countries promote wide-coverage programs that fight poverty and fight social exclusion. They have to spend money, while doing it wisely to avoid inefficiencies and corruption, resorting to costly bureaucracies to monitor program execution. This project intends to use low-cost mobile technology to improve the efficiency of public programs through better monitoring and evaluation. The technology can also be used to reach the poor for services, such as microfinancing and microinsurance.
The nearly universal coverage in developing countries like Mexico, make cell phones an ideal communication tool. Economies of scale and the advance of technology make today's cell phones as powerful as computer desktops we had only a few years ago. Inexpensive phones today have internet connectivity, photo, video and voice recording capabilities.
Our software is being used to supervise a public program that allows any citizen to open up a publicly-funded family day-care. Day cares have been created everywhere, from the urban neighborhoods of Mexico City to the indigenous villages of Chiapas. The Ministry of Social Development hired us to develop technology to apply a national satisfaction survey and supervise physical and safety conditions. The project hired 170 "supervisors" of varying skill and education and provided them with a $50 cell phone with the installed software (which is based on open-source and supervisors could download updates themselves) to conduct the study.
Survey results and pictures were delivered and monitored in real time. Researchers were able to relay any information about hazardous conditions, child abuse or neglect. Pictures were sent for full assessment.   The technology allowed for monitoring of the supervisors (i.e. knowing when a very short visit had been conducted). The project was a success: it provided an efficient way to gather information from remote areas whose public programs often go unsupervised and quality is not assured.