About Us
Mobile Media Association is a group of practitioners, those who are building SMS as a media to transform the society. MMA is founded by the founders of SMSONE. SMSONE is an Internationally Recognized Organization in Social Messaging. Our innovation of "Local SMS Community Newsletter for Self Employment Promotion" has won many international Awards like Clinton Global Initiatives YES Fund Award, NASSCOM Social Innovation Honor Award, Digital Empowerment Foundations Manthan Award and stood amongst Top 15 Best Ideas in the World at California based N2Y4 Mobile Innovation Challenge-2009.
SMSONE also has been featured by Washington Post-US, TechCrunch-US, Fast Company-US, Contagious-UK, AsiaMag-Singapore, Entrepreneur-India, I4D, NCERT-CIET, VODAFONE, UNESCO-IFAP, FICCI reports and included in Hot 5 start-ups in India by Forbes magazine.
Research studies on us were conducted by IIT-B, IIM-A, Oxford-DCI.
This initiative was started by 5 less educated - unemployed youths from Pune, Maharashtra led by National Youth Awardee, Mr Ravi Ghate has now spread in 5 states of India.
Background
With the 3 years of experience in Social Messaging, we have initiated SMS based Info Alerts Services with prime focus on Rural & Semi-Urban Youths. In our "Local SMS Community Newsletter" model, we understood that, youths are the key readers of the messages and they are 'messengers' for entire family and neighborhood.
During this work, youths demanded some special services for themselves. Especially the educated - unemployed youths. They want to know about further educational opportunities, Career Guidance, Entrance Examinations, Competitive Examinations, Government Jobs and their advertisements, Business Opportunities at rural locations, and importantly, alerts about their cast based schemes, benefits, government programs etc. The service also should not cost them more than Rs. 50 per year was their demand.
What happens with these youths is.... They do not have someone to guide them at local level. One who knows little-bit becomes guide of these youths. This 'Guide or Local Guru' is never updated himself with the changing world. Even see in the colleges, the professors doesn't know or don't bother themselves to know about latest happening in their own subject. The situation is worst in the rural areas. So after getting 'Valuable' guidance from this Local Experts, youths spends 4-5 years in the colleges and when they graduates, they don't get jobs, cant do any business, and even cant work with their parents in the farms because now they are 'educated'. They spend their time with Local Politicians or in discussing on various non-productive issues. This way, due to wrong guidance, they add to the 'Unemployment Pool' of the nation.
And hundreds of such youths are lying unutilized in the nooks and corners of the country. We have been traveling across 5 states, the situation is worst everywhere.
When their stomachs are empty, why they will think of Nation? Why they will think of Integrity? They will become violent and start gathering on any issue lifted by Local Politician (for his own benefit) and throw stones on public properties.
Remember, if this Youth Energy can't be channelised properly, no one can live peacefully. And India as a Super Power in 2020 will be a mere dream.
So come ahead, help us in our way of "Information for Transformation".
Those who can read this page are more privileged ones. It is our duty to pass some part of knowledge, skills which we have mastered.... to the real needy ones.
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