LMMS Revolutionizes Distrbutions in Zim
By Sibusisiwe Ndlovu, WV Zimbabwe Communications Officer
In the heart of the indigenous forests of Lupane, the revolution of Humanitarian Aid has begun, with Information Technology breaking down the barriers of hunger, poverty and illiteracy.
All at the touch of one button, the Last Mile Mobile Solutions (LMMS) that has been recently rolled out by the Food Programming Management Group (FPMG) in Lupane District has digitalized beneficiary registrations and commodity distribution plans, demonstrating the many immense benefits of the food programming software.
LMMS technology that uses laptops and handheld devices has distinct advantages over the widely used paper based system. The current LMMS architecture uses Local Wireless Networking which allows for an outdoor roaming radius of 100-300 metres between the handheld devices and the laptop that acts as the server.
Figure 1: LMMS Technology comes to Lupane
During registration at a food distribution site, World Vision (WV) field monitors use a hand held device to photograph beneficiaries and record important information such as name, location and states the vulnerability that makes them eligible for food assistance. The beneficiary data is transferred to the laptop using wireless to for verification and tracking.
The beneficiary then receives a photo identity card (ID) with a barcode that is scanned each time there is a food distribution for verification and calculating accurate ration size in a matter of seconds resulting in fewer errors and duplication. It keeps track of distributions and easily picks up any attempts to double dip.
This computing technology reduces the registration and verification processes to less than a minute compared to the 2-3 minutes consumed by the paper based system. Beneficiaries receive their rations faster and there are no mistakes in ration size.
The manual based calculations used in the paper based system are sometimes inaccurate and a beneficiary may receive more or less than what they are actually supposed to receive. LMMS ensures that there is sufficient food available for distributions. With this system, World Vision field staff have more time to monitor feeding projects because reporting is done automatically. Staff members have suggested a 60 per cent reduction in the time required to generate key reports, with the distinct advantage that these
automatically generated reports are accurate and can be transmitted electronically.
Donors and other stakeholders are assured of greater accountability and inventory control in the field. Every component of LMMS is password protected and is put through a strong encryption process. If the equipment is stolen or data intercepted during transmission, without passwords, all data is scrambled and impossible to read. This is unlike paper based records which if lost can be easily read by anyone.
Figure 2: LMMS has done away with finger prints during verification
World Vision’s Systems Development and Field Implementations Officer, Richard Lankas who carried out a recent LMMS training program for the Lupane Food Aid Team says “LMMS is set to revolutionize the implementation of commodity distributions, by cutting down operational costs and whilst speeding up the beneficiary verification process.
The current paper-based systems are difficult to store, easy to manipulate whilst calculations of food rations are done manually and with a high possibility of inaccuracy. There is also need for the collection of thumb prints and signatures from beneficiaries each time food is distributed and due to illiteracy, some beneficiaries may find this process demeaning.”
Having undergone an intensive one week training on the use of LMMS, the Lupane District Food Aid Team was quick put into practice what they had learnt at the next scheduled food distribution that was held at Sotani Food Distribution Point (FDP).
Following the pre-distribution address, the Food Aid Team wasted no time in distributing the beneficiary ID cards containing vital information that includes the beneficiary’s name, photograph, a bar code and the name of the respective household head.
Figure 3: Beneficiary registration card being scanned
Ululations and excited laughter soon punctuated the air as beneficiaries admired their new registration cards in anticipation and curiosity of what technology would unfold next at this particular distribution.
Figure 4: Excited to receive her beneficiary card
Eager to start the verification process, the WV Zimbabwe Lupane District Coordinator, Sinini Masuku said, “before this food distribution even begins, it is evident LMMS has eliminated the massive paperwork that my team has had to deal with in the past, thus cutting costs on paper, ink, cartridges and manpower as we had to hire seven more casual workers to do beneficiary registrations. Also the risks of losing information are minimal when comparing to paperwork that can easily be misplaced or destroyed.
Sinini added “what I like best about the system is that it’s a secure, tamper proof verification tool that encourages the registration of factual data, thus discouraging beneficiaries from inflating household member numbers thus disadvantaging really deserving vulnerable households.”
As events marking a new era in food aid programming continued to unfold at Sotani FDP, Sinini led the verification process with utmost ease, utilizing scanning technology much to the marvel of the rural folk of Lupane.
Figure 5: A beneficiary signs receipt of her ration
In a record one hour, 700 beneficiaries had gone through the verification process and were sharing their food rations amongst each other.
Unable to hide her excitement elderly Elisabeth Sibanda, who was collecting food rations for two of her orphaned grandchildren and herself said “I knew it, some day World Vision would realize that it is not easy for a poor villagers like me to spend the whole day queuing on an empty stomach due to the long verification process, hence they have come up with a dignified way of speeding up distributions. It is my first time to leave a food distribution before lunch time, in the past we have always left at sunset. This makes me feel truly valued by World Vision in the work they do for us here in drought ravaged Lupane,”
concluded Elisabeth with a smile.
By 1pm, both young and old that had gathered at Sotana FDP slowly dispersed in the direction of their various villages all touched by the information technology revolution that has made life easier for both beneficiaries and the Lupane Food Aid Team.
Before making their way back to the Lupane District Office, the field monitors had the post distribution report automatically generated all at the touch of a button allowing the team to pursue other issues on arrival at Lupane District Office.
Figure 6: The Lupane Food Aid Team compile the post distribution report at the touch of a button
LMMS’s ‘roaming server architecture’ is capable of manipulating vast amounts of data with sheer accuracy by eliminating variables at the click of a button.
Plans are underway to roll out LMMS throughout all of WV Zimbabwe’s Food Aid districts subject to the further development of the functionality around the software and mobile scanning devices.
This system that is currently being tested in Zimbabwe will be rolled out in Haiti in May after successful testing in Lesotho, Kenya and Uganda.