Webmaker and Local Content Creation in Cambodia and Rwanda

In January, the Mozilla Foundation partnered with Souktel Mobile Solutions to pilot new mobile content creation software in two countries: Cambodia and Rwanda. We showed that it’s possible for youth of any skill level to quickly become content creators and read, write and participate on the Web.
With the same 60 participants, we have now started the next phase: a case study that explores web literacy and local content creation using Mozilla Webmaker. It’s part of our partnership with GSMA.
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Participants range from ages 18 to 37, are a mix of both genders, and are mainly first-time smartphone owners. The majority of participants access the Internet through mobile data, which is why Mozilla has worked hard to develop Webmaker for mobile.
This second phase started in June with a workshop led by local Mozillians. Each participant was gifted a smartphone running Android 4.2 with Webmaker pre-installed. Participants were also given a basic introduction to the Webmaker app.
Over the next four weeks, participants will be invited to create and share with the Webmaker app on their new smartphones. We will be observing their use of the Webmaker platform and individual profiles in order to better understand how people create local content, participate on the Web, and share in their community. Findings will shared in a report published with GSMA.
So far, early interviews provided great insight into how people are using the Web. For example, 73% of participants are interested in using the Internet to learn skills and open up employment opportunities.
More at the end of July!
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