Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Over 1.2M children out of which 50% are girls are no longer invisible in Pakistan! Telenor, UNCIEF & the Government of Pakistan capitalised on Pakistan’s transformative Tele-density (80%) to leapfrog outdated, paper-based birth registration systems. No office trips! No paperwork! Just a tap from the palm of your hands with a simple Android mobile application can now save lives. With Digital Birth Registration (DBR) a precious life is registered in just 10 minutes; for absolutely free. It's not just an app, it’s a passport of hope for the remaining 60 million invisible Pakistanis who are still devoid of an identity.

Background

SITUATION UNCRC states that “every child in this world has a right to a name & nationality” and one’s national identity is crucial to social, political and economic inclusion. It’s a child’s passport to protection against underage labor, child marriages & trafficking. Despite this 60M Pakistanis lack an official identity and are devoid of basic rights because of inaccessibility and complexity of the registration process. BRIEF Telenor aims to empower societies by connecting customers to what matters most, and to further this ambition of digital inclusion under United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG #10: ‘Reduce Inequalities’ it wanted Pakistan to become a safer place for children by naming invisible Pakistanis. OBJECTIVES Expand DBR to 36 villages in Pakistan and register 500K unregistered children Reduce overall application time to 240 mins from 4230 mins (72 hrs ≈ 3 days) Ensure 100% registrations in all villages where DBR is implemented.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

This transformative digital intervention was executed via an easy to use, android based mobile solution. It was put in the hands of authorized personnel, including health workers, marriage registrars who moved from house-to-house key information and documents using a phone camera. Each application reached the authorities via the DBR app and the subject received a certificate on their phone upon approval from the government. Leveraging Telenor’s mobile financial services platform (Easypaisa), digital payments were made to facilitate the monthly distribution of incentives to over 10,200 community-based gatekeepers. Lady health workers partnered with local clerics to build credibility and a door-to-door drive was used to build word of mouth. Elaborate tutorials adapted to regional languages were used as training syllabus for end users; health workers, local administration employees and marriage registrars. Project messaging and campaign narratives were centered around the themes of civil rights, human rights and patriotism.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

• Almost 1/4th of the country’s workforce is made up of child labor • 1 in 4 girls are married before the age of 18 • 22.6 million children between 5-16 years are currently out of school • 3.2 million children do not receive vaccinations All such marginalised, unregistered children and their parents from rural Sindh and Punjab remained our core demographic. These families have low digital literacy but have a low-end smart phone which they primarily use for social connection. These daily wagers contribute to the economy but remain devoid of any government benefits in return, so we anchored DBR’s call to action on a nationalistic rhetoric. Evoked passion for inclusion by using straight-to-the point communication, like, ‘Your SIM is your ID’; ‘You are from Pakistan – be proud of your identity’. This ensured that the issue became one of national importance and of interest to every Pakistani.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

This transformative digital intervention was executed via an easy-to-use, Android-based mobile solution in Pakistan’s most populous provinces; Sindh & Punjab, which contribute to the highest number of unregistered births. The target audience was primarily rural with low literacy rates, very low TV viewership, and little access to electricity. A year-long door-to-door drive was used to build word of mouth which peaked during months of high birth rate. The strategic objectives of all stakeholders were aligned that were essential to deliver DBR services. DBR supported the government’s national development strategy by protecting the rights of children listed on the sustainable development goals (SDG). Telenor fulfilled their commitment to reduce inequalities and improve living standards in local communities through mobile technology.

List the results (30% of vote)

• Today, 426 villages in Pakistan are DBR enabled (1083% more than planned). • 1.2+ million children are no longer invisible; 50% out of those are girls (140% Target vs. Achievement) • Registration time is now 10 mins (43,100% time reduction) • Less than 1% of the applications have been rejected by government (9% better acceptance rate than planned) • Pakistan ranks among top 6 countries by UNESCAP to increase CRVS indicators and to realise the shared vision of "Getting-Every One-in-the-Picture" • The Government plans to scale DBR to 36 more districts • One district will soon reach universal birth registration a first in Pakistan’s history • Due to the subsequent uplift of these provinces Telenor also earned data revenue of PKR 15.8 million in 2020 & avg. revenue per user in DBR enabled districts has increased by 100% • DBR has also successfully piloted in Myanmar

Please tell us how the brand purpose inspired the work

We live in an unequal world. The gaps between those who have and those who have not are widening, and the greatest gains in innovation and technology are sometimes not always shared. Telenor Pakistan believes that this world would be a better place if people were empowered with data to shine as individuals. In a highly saturated industry, it’s the only Telco that spearheaded digital transformation and sustainability so Pakistanis could do more, be more and achieve more. The brand truly stands for empowerment for all and is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a special focus on goal #10 Reduced Inequalities. This focus is reflected in the business strategy and its brand’s sole purpose to ’empower societies’. This shared vision of empowerment for all and digital inclusion inspired and propelled Digital Birth Registration which aims to make Pakistan a safer place for every Pakistani, particularly children.