Stories

PEKKA: SMS Monitoring in Lembata, NTT

To monitor activities reports or important events that occurred in PEKKA’s working areas, PEKKA creates an initiative called SMS Monitoring. This initiative means to use text message/ SMS (Short Message Service) to monitor the activities.

The reason behind SMS monitoring is because the distance of one village to another village, which is ineffective for PEKKA’s facilitator to make a regular visit. The mission is to find out various development of groups’ activities, to find positive impact in the community, and also as media liaison to advocate anyone in need. SMS Monitoring also aims to involve public in general to play an active role in providing information needed.

Anyone in the working area can be a reporter but they have to be officially registered to the admin. The SMS Monitoring SMS services in Lembata is managed by PEKKA administrative staff, named Maria Firtanti. Moreover, the reporter will receive special training so that the news delivered can be verified. To facilitate coordination and work systems, the reporter held meetings regularly.

The information sent to SMS Monitoring can covered various news or important events, either good or bad news. While the format of SMS content should be contains 5W + 1 H elements (What, Who, Where, When, Why and How). After being verified, the information will be followed up and resolved.

“The training system for the reporter is similar to citizen journalism. The reports sent to SMS Monirtoring will be published in a bulletin published once a month. Of course, the report contents will be evaluated first. If it has been verified, then it will be published in the Bulletin.” Maria explained.

The implementation of SMS Monitoring was supported by MAMPU Program. MAMPU also support it by providing equipment and training.