Economic Development

BioDesign

operates in:
Kenya, Nigeria

contact:
http://biodesign.webeden.co.uk/

BioDesign has instructions on their website for building a solar charger for a mobile phone.

References / Past Projects

By showing people how to make simple small pv panels that they can use to power radios and charge rechargeable cells thus avoiding the need for expensive control devices as well as minimising the cost. Our efforts are aimed at helping the poor in developing countries, the many millions without any electricity.



Mobile for Good

operates in:
Kenya

contact:
www.mobile4good.com

Mobile for Good (M4G) is a social franchise project designed to use mobile phone technology to help alleviate poverty and improve the lives of people in the developing world. It delivers vital health, employment and community content via SMS on mobile phones in order to inform and empower disadvantaged individuals and help bridge the ‘digital divide’ – the widening technology gulf which exists between rich and poor countries.

References / Past Projects

The Mobile for Good project has already been implemented in Kenya, where it has been instrumental in helping more than a hundred people to find jobs every week. The success of this pilot has driven plans to replicate the franchise in further countries across Africa and the rest of the developing world including Cameroon, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and Nepal. The team are currently looking for potential franchisees and investors. Please see the Get Involved section for further details.



Fahamu

From Pambuzuka News:

Read More >>

References / Past Projects

Fahamu has a vision of the world where people organise to emancipate themselves from all forms of oppression, recognise their social responsibilities, respect each other’s differences, and realise their full potential.

 

Fahamu supports the struggle for human rights and social justice in Africa by:

  • Supporting social justice advocacy through the innovative use of information and communication technologies
  • Stimulating debate, discussion and analysis
  • Distributing news and information
  • Developing training materials and running distance-learning courses

Fahamu focuses primarily on Africa, although we work with others to support the global movement for human rights and social justice.

The word Fahamu means ‘understanding’ or ‘consciousness’ in Kiswahili.

Fahamu comprises a small core of highly skilled and experienced staff based in Oxford (UK), Cape Town (South Africa) and in Nairobi (Kenya). We also have a network of Associates located in Africa, UK and elsewhere. Fahamu also works with a wide range of international partners. Our work is also made possible through the commitment of volunteers and interns.

Fahamu’s work is made possible through generous support of funders and by individual donations



UNICEF

UNICEF has used mobile phones and sms messaging in various development work, fundraising, and communications projects. UNICEF projects that include mobiles have taken place in India, Bosnia, and Romania.

You can read about UNICEF's work in Africa on the MobileActive blog here.

References / Past Projects

UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. We have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. That makes us unique among world organizations, and unique among those working with the young.

We believe that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress. UNICEF was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We believe that we can, together, advance the cause of humanity.

We advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future.

We promote girls’ education – ensuring that they complete primary education as a minimum – because it benefits all children, both girls and boys. Girls who are educated grow up to become better thinkers, better citizens, and better parents to their own children.

We act so that all children are immunized against common childhood diseases, and are well nourished, because it is wrong for a child to suffer or die from a preventable illness.

We work to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people because it is right to keep them from harm and enable them to protect others. We help children and families affected by HIV/AIDS to live their lives with dignity.

We involve everyone in creating protective environments for children. We are present to relieve suffering during emergencies, and wherever children are threatened, because no child should be exposed to violence, abuse or exploitation.

UNICEF upholds the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We work to assure equality for those who are discriminated against, girls and women in particular. We work for the Millennium Development Goals and for the progress promised in the United Nations Charter. We strive for peace and security. We work to hold everyone accountable to the promises made for children.

We are part of the Global Movement for Children – a broad coalition dedicated to improving the life of every child. Through this movement, and events such as the United Nations Special Session on Children, we encourage young people to speak out and participate in the decisions that affect their lives.

We work in 191 countries through country programmes and National Committees. We are UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.

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Updated 04 October 2007 -->

 



Grameen Foundation: Village Phone

operates in:
Bangladesh, Rwanda, Uganda, United States

contact:
Main information on the website is at http://www.grameenfoundation.org/what_we_do/technology_programs/village_phone/ Grameen Technology Center staff is here: http://www.grameenfoundation.org/who_we_are/our_people/staff/grameen_technology_center/ The Center is directed by Peter Bladin.

Village Phone: Connecting Technology and Innovation

Access to affordable telecommunications simply does not exist for millions in the developing world. For some, placing a phone call can require traveling over six miles from their homes. This can mean leaving work and losing out on desperately needed income. Cut off from easy access to communications, these communities are at both an enormous economic and social disadvantage.

Read More >>

References / Past Projects

What We Do: 

Microfinance helps people to escape poverty by giving them collateral-free loans and other financial services to support income-generating businesses. As each loan is repaid, the money is redistributed as loans to others, thereby mulitiplying its impact. We support microfinance programs that enable the poor, mostly women, to lift themselves out of poverty and make better lives for their families. To do this, we partner with a worldwide network of microfinance institutions.

Our work focuses on four key areas. 

1. Supporting microfinance institutions: Our partner microfinance institutions (MFIs) work on the front lines daily, meeting the needs of clients and reaching out to others who can benefit from microfinance. To help them be efficient and effective and increase their outreach, we provide microfinance program support in the form of funding, technical assistance, training and new technology.

2. Harnessing the power of technology: Grameen Foundation's Technology Center is the leader in information and communications technology (ICT) initiatives that are dedicated exclusively to advancing microfinance. To help microfinance reach its full potential, we are driving industry-changing innovations that increase the efficiency of microfinance institutions' operations, create new microbusiness opportunities for the poor, and provide telecommunications access for the world's rural poor.

3. Connecting microfinance institutions with capital markets: Our Capital Markets Group is harnessing the vast resources of local and international capital markets to bring new financial resources to our microfinance institution partners. With more than 400 million poor people cut off from financial services, there is a huge, unmet need for microfinance. To reach them, MFIs need capital beyond the traditional philanthropic support to rapidly expand their operations and increase outreach.

4. Expanding microfinance industry knowledge: New ideas and innovative thinking will drive the expansion and effectiveness of microfinance. Knowledge sharing is an important component of our work. To have the greatest impact on global poverty, we are committed to sharing ideas and innovations with the wider microfinance community. We hope this "open-sourcing" of information will guide other organizations in improving the industry's outreach to the more than one billion people living in abject poverty.



 
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Wireless Technology for Social Change
Read the new report on trends in mobile use by NGOs:
Wireless Technology for Social Change.

The report was commissioned by the UN Foundation/Vodafone Group Foundation Partnership and written by Katrin Verclas and Sheila Kinkade.