Over $1.5 million was donated in Egypt through mobile technology during Ramadan according to data collected by TA Telecom.
A core tenet of Ramadan is giving to NGOs to help others. This year has seen an 18-fold increase in the amount donated via mobile device to $1,662,473 compared to 2012 and a three-fold increase on figures in 2013.
Key stats from the TA telecom report are shown below:
• 15 NGOs now collect donations through mobile in Egypt
• 78% of Donations are taken in the last 10 days of Ramadan
• Over $1,662,472 was raised through mobile donations this year
View the infographic showing key donation trends below:
This has been possible by an app and SMS system called Megakheir. The application, which takes its name from the Arabic word for ‘‘mega goodness” is a suite that NGOs can use to promote and collect donations. This is considered important during Ramadan because it is a time of year when around 95 percent of all Muslim donations are made in the region.
Caps are in place to limit the size of donation given via SMS meaning that the donor must send seven SMS to donate USD 5 (EGP 35), or 28 messages for USD 20 (EGP 140). The app can send multiple SMS with the click of one button saving time and eliminating the frustration when donating a larger sum with a smartphone. It is also an informati on repository on the NGOs participating and the ‘shake and donate’ function generates a charity at random to pique interest in other, unfamiliar organisations.
Amr Shady, CEO and co-founder of TA Telecom, the Middle East and Africa’s premier mobile platform, says: “Mobile technology is changing the art of giving. It is empowering people to donate whenever and wherever they want, not only through SMS but using apps for smartphones. We expect to see this trend continue to grow. In the future i t is inevitable that the number of NGOs collecting via mobile devices will increase.
“We created MegaKheir to give something back to the community and the fact it has enabled so many people to give and receive donations makes it incredibly worthwhile. We also work closely with the egyptian government to ensure every NGO enrolled is a legitimate organisation.”
TA Telecom’s original MegaKheir service, when launched in 2010, was the first and only SMS donation platform in Egypt. It is responsible for more than 95 per cent of the mobile donations raised in the country.
MegaKheir, currently available on Android, the most popular operating system in the Middle East, allows users to send hundreds of SMS donation messages in one go.