Chatbot on Viber launched

Kathmandu, July 10

Messaging app Rakuten Viber and UNICEF, United Nations’ agency working for child rights in Nepal, have collaborated to launch U-Report Nepal chatbot on Viber.

U-Report Nepal is a community participation tool empowering young people to be active advocates for positive change in their communities. The partnership has also launched a free Viber sticker pack called ‘Covidko Kura’.

U-Report Nepal is a chatbot on Viber that enables young people to receive information related to COVID-19, mental health issues, and other relevant matters, said a joint statement from the two agencies.

“It enables direct and rapid data collection and analysis while keeping its users’ privacy safe by keeping them anonymous. The bot users can also share their opinions and voices through the bot’s built-in surveys,” it read.

U-Report Nepal is designed to address issues that young people care about so that state institutions, non-governmental and international organizations, as well as the media, can have informed decisions and strategies guided by the poll results.

To subscribe to U-Report Nepal on Viber, users can search ‘U-Report Nepal’ on the search box. Once the chatbot opens, users can type and send ‘coronavirus’ or ‘covidinfo’ to get started.

Meanwhile, Covidko Kura sticker pack on Viber is now available and free for download.

"Viber has always strived towards making itself a platform to empower the youth. Especially in the context of Nepal, where mental health and other concerning issues are less talked-about, we hope that U-Report Nepal chatbot provides a medium for the youth to get connected with authentic and reliable information," said Anna Znamenskaya, the Chief Growth Officer of Rakuten Viber.

“U-Report is a critical tool in UNICEF’s engagement with young people. We are delighted to collaborate with Viber to provide the opportunity for young people in Nepal to share their views on matters that affect them and their ideas for improving their communities,” said Elke Wisch, UNICEF Representative to Nepal.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 11 July 2020.