Child-led what3words campaign wraps up

Save the Children in Mongolia and State Emergency Commission of Mongolia initiated and organized the 10-week campaign “what3words” between January 29 and April 5, 2024, in 36 rural soums of Gobisumber, Zavkhan, Uvurkhangai, Sukhbaatar and Khovd provinces. The campaign aimed to introduce and disseminate what3words application among children, parents, teachers, and public of selected communities, within the scope of Entrepreneur club interventions.

In accordance with a guideline on 10-week campaign, child-led school-based clubs such as Entrepreneur clubs, Young Rescue clubs and Young Financer clubs jointly with the Soum-level Emergency Commission (SEC) actively carried out the awareness raising and dissemination activities in their respective communities with the support of Provincial level Emergency Commission (PEC).

                           

Over the 10-week period, a variety of activities were organized for both children and adults:

• A virtual introductory training on how to find, share and navigate a what3words address in emergency situations was conducted for Entrepreneur club members, members of SEC, schoolteachers, and relevant specialists of PEC by the National Emergency Management Agency and the What3words team in Mongolia.
• The club members introduced and disseminated the What3words application to the school students, teachers, parents and other community members residing in 36 soums. They also provided information on how to install what3words application on android and iPhone, how to effectively use what3words address when they meet friends, delivering goods and giving exact locations over the phone.
• The club members created 37 short videos, 14 reels, and 24 posters to educate people on how to find their address using the app and report on their exact locations. These results were part of social media awareness raising efforts that aimed at promoting the use of what3words application.
• The “Know exactly where” simulation exercise was organized to empower children and adults on how to use what3words addresses for reporting crimes, incidents, disasters, fires, and medical emergencies in a timely manner.
• The “1 child-2 person” campaign which aimed to encourage children to promote the application among parents, caregivers, and relatives, was launched during the school holiday.
• Reflection and experience sharing meeting of 10-week campaign was held virtually in each of the 5 provinces on April 23-25, 2024.

As a result of the campaign, a total of 17,801 children and 14,101 adults including teachers, parents and government and nongovernment workers were informed about the What3words application and installed it in their cellphones for daily usage.

                         

Feedback from stakeholders who jointly implemented the campaign:

Khaliunaa.O, Member of Entrepreneur club, Must soum, Khovd province

“When I introduced the what3words application to our classmates, peers, parents, and teachers, they were very interested and curious about the app. Personally, I was thrilled to realize how effectively this application allows us to pinpoint locations, even in remote areas without internet connection. My family lives in the countryside. Last month, our relatives visited my home from Ulaanbaatar city.  At that time, they asked me to show them the way to reach my home, but I struggled to show the direction. Luckily, I remembered the what3words application and shared the three-word address of my home with guests. After that, they easily found our home using their application. It was a time I realized how important the what3words application was.”

Bayarsaikhan.Kh, Lieutenant colonel, Deputy chief of Emergency Department of Zavkhan province

“The campaign clearly demonstrated that disaster prevention and risk mitigation is not solely the responsibility of adults and those in certain positions, but the participation of children and youth play an important role in its dissemination.”

 Narantsatsralt.B, Member of Entrepreneur club, Uyanga soum, Uvurkhangai province

“Initially, the what3words app appeared difficult to learn, but as I introduced it to people, it became easier to use. For those from herder family origins, this app is very useful, and an easy way to identify precise locations. My parents also liked it very much.”

Bundmaa.B, Leader of Entrepreneur club, Kharkhorin soum, Uvurkhangai province

“As a member and leader of Entrepreneur club, we took the initiative to train and inform others about what3words application. Through this process, we improved our ability to properly handle technological challenges, as well as collect evidence.  Also, I realized that sharing knowledge with others not only enriches my own knowledge but also enhances the teamwork.”

Gantogtokh.G, Member of Entrepreneur club, Bulgan soum, Khovd province

“At first, children were hesitant to install the app on their mobile phones because they had a misconception.” Some students believed that it would consume data while others understood that installing the app would immediately reveal our location to others. However, our club members worked diligently to dispel the myth. They emphasized that no one could know what3words address unless they share. As a result, our school children gained a better understanding, installed the application, and began to use it.”

Baasanjav.Sh, Facilitator of Entrepreneur club and school social worker, Tes soum, Zavkhan province

“Most of our students go back to the countryside to help their parents during the school holidays. There are few places without network coverage in our soum, so we are happy to use this application to protect ourselves and students from a risk.”

Moreover, the students of the Entrepreneur club, who led the campaign, expressed their inspirations and thoughts during the campaign’s reflection and experience sharing meeting, “Within this campaign, we have done advocacy work on the usage of what3words application among the children, parents, teachers, and other people who are living in a rural place, which has increased our social participation for community development. Additionally, it gave us the inspiration that we can solve the problem and issues our community people face and influence people of different ages.”

A total of 41 Entrepreneur clubs are operating in the target soums across 5 provinces as part of the “Entrepreneurship-focused socio-emotional skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” project, implemented by Save the Children.