Hi everyone!  I would like to share another great advocacy tool--FrontlineSMS.  FrontlineSMS is a FREE text messaging system that was created to eliminate the communication barrier in grassroots NGOs.  All you need to use it is a computer and a mobile phone.  Once downloaded, the program enables people to send and receive text messages through mobile phones. 

SMS stands for "short message service."  Otherwise known as text messaging, this tool enables individuals to send messages to large numbers of people in a short amount of time.  It does not require an internet connection.  Rather, it stores all phone numbers on your computer and records all ingoing and outgoing messages. 

FrontlineSMS is used around the world for human rights monitoring, disaster relief coordination, conducting surveys, emergency alerts, mobilizing task forces, organizing protests, and more. 

 You can download the software free here: http://www.frontlinesms.com/download/.  Actual text messages can be sent in any language, and the setup software comes in Chinese, English, Finnish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili.  It works with many mobile phones and just requires that they are connected to a desktop or laptop computer (Windows, Macintosh or Linux) through USB, Serial, Bluetooth, or Infrared.