App-efficiency

Care Channels (CCI) takes a holistic approach by equipping the poor to earn their income by being self-reliant. The cow dispersal programme was started in 2016. Poor families in seven districts of the divisions of Rajshahi and Kulna in the western part of Bangladesh were given cows to raise.

One of the major challenges has been keeping up-to-date records of the beneficiaries and the animals that have been dispersed to them. Keeping accurate information about the cows – age, weight, purchase and sale price, breed of cow, type of feed given – is very critical. This helps us to know the health of the cows and make informed decisions as to when to sell them.

What used to be a tedious process of manual record-keeping has now been simplified through a phone app and Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

With the affordable cost of smartphones and the ease of use of the app, CCI staff’s work is now more efficient. All the staff needs to do when they require any information about any animal is to scan its tag using their smartphones. This makes it possible to identify the animals even when they look alike.

The technology is helpful in other ways. With up-to-date information on the health of cows being easily accessible, the CCI country manager is able to ascertain any potential issues, such as an outbreak of disease. He is able to instantly contact the field worker to take the necessary action. If needed, the manager contacts the livestock department of the Bangladesh government to help contain the disease.

Through the tags, the CCI staff can also share information and experiences of beneficiaries whose cows are doing well with those whose Cows are not.

Through technology, people’s lives have been uplifted. Through innovation, the people of Bangladesh now realise that they have the capability and dignity to be responsible for their own future.