Unicef launches free SMS number for Nepalese youths

KATHMANDU - Unicef Tuesday launched a free SMS number for youths in Nepal so they could text in their views and comments on issues that concern them to the global organisation.

The number 4400 is a toll-free mobile text message service that allows users to send messages directly to the Unicef in Nepal, Xinhua reported.

The number is being launched in partnership with the popular radio show \”Saathi Sanga Manka Kura\” (SSMK), a youth oriented radio programme run by Equal Access Nepal.

Every week, SSMK will initiate a topic of debate on air and invite opinions. Listeners can then text in their views and comments on the given topic by sending an SMS, free of cost, to the \”Voices of Youth\” section of the Unicef Nepal website.

\”This service will provide a platform for Nepali youngsters to give their views on issues that concern them,\” said Deependra Joshi, country director of Equal Access Nepal.

\”Over time it will also provide an interesting wealth of material that can help pinpoint more accurately the primary areas of interest and concerns amongst the youth community,\” he added.

\”We realise that so many young people wish to voice their opinions and this modern facility will reach out to them all across the country initiating debate through a combination of mobile technology, the web and national radio networks,\” said Unicef Nepal representative Gillian Mellsop.