App development has been having a powerful influence on the developing world, helping impoverished and rural populations to connect with the global marketplace and access information. From sub-Saharan Africa to the remote villages of Haiti, mobile app development has been influencing lives across the globe. Here are some of the innovative ways that mobile apps are transforming the lives of people in the developing world.
Connecting rural populations to the Internet can improve health and safety.
App Development Promotes Health with Information
The modern world has made major leaps in healthcare, and part of that relies on the availability of information. In order for people to keep themselves healthy, they need to have access to information regarding health and wellness. With mobile apps, women in the developing world are able to access information about sexual and reproductive health, which can minimize the spread of STDs, decrease the infant mortality rate, and reduce unwanted pregnancies.
App Development Facilitates Charity
After the earthquakes struck Haiti, citizens everywhere were left without food and shelter. With the help of a mobile app, people could send donations to people in Haiti, which victims from the earthquake could access directly from their mobile devices. There are a variety of apps that can facilitate donations, enabling people to send food, clothing, and supplies to those in need.
App Development Can Improve Sanitation
Poor sanitation is one of the most critical problems facing the developing world. With poor sanitation, the disease becomes more prevalent, infant mortality rates rise, and clean water becomes scarce, due to contamination. Unfortunately, poor sanitation is a pervasive issue, with over one-third of the global population not having access to clean sanitation facilities.
In 2013, the World Bank sponsored the Sanitation Hackathon, which encouraged app developers to create apps to improve global sanitation. One of the finalist apps, Taarifa, is an open source app that allows people throughout Uganda and Tanzania to share their sanitation problems through the app, allowing local authorities to monitor sanitation problems in the country and respond to the problems more punctually.
App Development Encourages Global Food Production
There are a variety of apps created for rural farmers that can connect farmers to information that will improve production. An app called VetAfrica helps farmers to diagnose livestock more effectively, so they can minimize and treat diseases among farm animals. Another app, Farming Instructor, allows farmers to access information about agricultural practices, so they can enhance their farming approach and increase production.
Mobile apps are improving food production in remote areas.
App Development Can Help with Elections
Political corruption is unfortunately rampant in much of the developing world, but new apps are hoping to change that. One of the main reasons political systems are less effective in developing countries is because many people lack the ability or awareness to participate in local government. An app in Senegal is helping to get people involved in the political process by updating citizens about polling stations through their mobile devices. It provides a map of all local polling stations, as well as real-time updates regarding late opening or cancellations, encouraging more people to participate in the voting process.
Mobile app development has been having a tremendous impact on the developing world. With apps that encourage donations, help coordinate the supply of goods, educate people, and encourage sanitation and agricultural development, mobile apps have the ability to greatly improve the life-quality of people across the world. Talk To Us to learn how our app development platform will turn your vision into a reality.
