February

On the eve of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the judges announced the four winners of the inaugural nGOmobile competition, aimed at empowering grassroots NGOs seeking to use mobile technology in their work. Out of a highly competitive field of over seventy entries the winners, who come from Kenya, Uganda, Mexico and Azerbaijan, will be provided with laptop computers, mobile phones, GSM modems, cash and kiwanja's FrontlineSMS software

The projects chosen will be using SMS to work with local communities to promote the protection and sustainable use of environmental resources; to launch an SMS-based service for rural communities allowing them to ask a range of water-based questions on topics such as sanitation, hygiene, water harvesting, and water technologies; to help rural Central American and Mexican communities solve problems of deforestation, poverty, malnutrition, unemployment and the marginalisation of women; and to help grassroots and politically excluded people understand their human and legal rights, and to engage them further in the political process

Profiles of the winners are available via the nGOmobile website Winners page. The official Press Release is available here (PDF, 320Kb)

February 2008: FrontlineSMS featured in latest UN report on ICT's

kiwanja's FrontlineSMS software has been featured in the UN's recently released "Compendium of ICT Applications on Electronic Government". The first in a series of volumes, it focuses on the use of mobile technology in the areas of health and learning. Future plans include publishing additional volumes on the use of ICTs in other areas such as human resource development, environment, management development, finance, farming, and government operations. The Compendium is described as a "unique collection of current ICT applications being used directly by or in partnership with governments, governmental institutions and the private sector around the world to support administration and public service, while addressing governance challenges"

February 2008: "Question Box" Advisory Board role for kiwanja.net

Ken Banks, Founder of kiwanja.net, has been appointed to the Advisory Board for Open Mind, a non-profit organisation which houses Question Box, a project developing a simple telephone intercom which connects rural people to the internet. Requiring no literacy or computer skills, users place a free call to an internet-enabled operator by pressing a green button and asking a question. The first Question Box went live in September in Phoolpur village, Greater Noida (India). kiwanja.net will be helping the project develop a mobile-enabled version of the Question Box application

February 2008: kiwanja.net profiling FrontlineSMS at Stanford conference

At the end of this month kiwanja.net will be profiling the use, and potential of, FrontlineSMS in the health sector as part of Stanford's Texting4Health Conference, being run by BJ Fogg's Persuasive Technology Lab. According to the organisers, "text messaging is the only viable interactive means of reaching people on a massive scale around the world - the event will highlight the significant, untapped potential for changing health behaviour through the SMS channel". Ken Banks will talk during the Showcase of Texting Applications session, and demonstrate the software during a special session on the Saturday

February 2008: kiwanja.net to speak at EComm2008

kiwanja.net has been invited to speak at EComm2008 in March. The event, being held at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley, focuses on the "communication technologies, trends, companies and individuals who are leapfrogging the industry incumbents and opening the door to the future, disrupting the telecom industry in the process. It is the gathering of thought leaders who wish to share and develop their ahead-of-the-curve ideas and products". Ken Banks' talk, "Keeping it relevant", will discuss the application of anthropology in kiwanja's work, and the need for mobile application developers to appreciate technological, cultural and geographical issues when applying their work in developing countries

kiwanja.net will be speaking at a number of conferences in the coming months, including the keynote address at a leading industry event. Watch this space for further news...

February 2008: kiwanja.net completes judging of Global Mobile Awards 2008           Romilly Gregory from Oxfam, Jessica Ekholm and Nick Jones from Gartner, Aloysius      Choong and Randy Giusto from IDC, Ian Jones from the Henley Management College      and Ken Banks from kiwanja.net have recently completed judging the "Bridging the      Digital Divide" category for the forthcoming Global Mobile Awards 2008. The identity      of the judging panel remained confidential until the final shortlist was drawn up      Winners will be presented at the Global Mobile Awards Dinner on Tuesday 12th      February 2008, which will take place at the National Palace in Montjuic, Barcelona.      Ken Banks will attend the Awards Dinner, which follows on from his presentation as      part of the "Society on the Move" track earlier in the day (see news item below)

February 2008: kiwanja.net presenting at Mobile World Congress 2008

Ken Banks has been invited to present at the "Society on the Move" track at Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona this month. His talk - entitled "Strengthening Democracy via SMS" - will highlight some of the uses of FrontlineSMS in countries such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. The GSMA Mobile World Congress is the largest, most significant and most successful global mobile event in the world. An estimated 52,000 visitors gathered last year in Barcelona to do business, to discuss the hottest trends in the mobile communications industry, and to participate in its future. This is the first of kiwanja`s two appearances at GSMA events in 2008, the second slated for Cannes in May

January 2008: Mongabay interview to be translated into several new languages

A popular interview given to Mongabay.com last year, which was recently re-published in the Sussex University "Falmer" magazine, is in the process of being translated into a number of languages including Portuguese, French, Chinese and Spanish. Mongabay.com seeks to promote appreciation of wildlands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging local and global trends in technology, economics and finance on conservation and development. Last April, Ken Banks and Rhett Butler discussed emerging technology trends, in particular the use of mobile phones in global conservation and kiwanja's own work in this field. A Portuguese translation is now available along, of course, with the original English language version

January 2008: mLearning article published in Didactics World

An article by kiwanja.net on mLearning in developing countries has been published in the current edition of Didactics World, a magazine which focuses on technologies, products and services relevant to schools, universities, colleges and institutes throughout the Middle East. The December edition tackles digital divide issues, with kiwanja.net contributing an article on the potential of mobile technology for education in the developing world. The article forms part of a longer piece, which will be published as part of a collaborative book on the subject in the summer. You can read the Didactics World piece here (PDF, 150Kb)

January 2008: Two UK-based talks lined up for kiwanja.net in January

Ken Banks has been invited to present at Nokia and Sussex University this month. The first talk, with Nokia's User Interface (UI) Team in London, will focus on FrontlineSMS and how it is being used in over 40 countries around the world. The meeting is of particular interest to both Nokia and kiwanja as the two organisations begin to work closely together on a number of initiatives, including the recently-closed nGOmobile competition. The second talk, two days later, will be back at Sussex University where Ken Banks graduated in 1999. The Sussex talk will focus on the role of the mobile for social and environmental benefit in the developing world, and will be aimed at "Anthropology of Development", "MA Anthropology of Development and Social Transformation" and "MA Social Development" students. Ken was recently interviewed by the Sussex Alumni magazine - Falmer - on the role of mobiles in international conservation and development

December 2007: nGOmobile closes after great response from NGOs

kiwanja's nGOmobile competition has now closed,
with early results indicating an impressive response
from the global grassroots NGO community. At the
first attempt - and with the help of many great
supporting mobile-related sites and Blogs - over
70 NGOs representing 27 countries submitted
entries, each competing for one of four prizes of laptop computers, mobile phones, GSM modems, software and cash. Judging will begin in the next couple of weeks, with the winners expected to be announced around the middle of February 2008

The competition is supported by a number of partners, including Hewlett Packard and Nokia, who have both donated equipment as prizes. Wieden+Kennedy, who were recently awarded the contract to build the new FrontlineSMS website, chipped in with a contribution of $1,000 in cash to each of the winners. Keep an eye on the nGOmobile website for the 2007 winners, a profile of some of the entries and details of a new and improved 2008 competition. Anyone interested in sponsoring future events should contact Ken Banks via the Get Involved section of this site

December 2007: FrontlineSMS profiled at media conference in Istanbul

A special session on FrontlineSMS has taken place at an international conference in Istanbul. Delegates from over forty countries were given a live demonstration of the software - followed by a discussion on its potential use in grassroots journalism and activism - during the 2007 Internews International Conference. The conference follows hot on the heels of kiwanja's recent attendance at an Aspen Institute mobile media event in San Francisco (see news item below), and increasing interest in the use of the software in this growing field

Internews, a non-profit news-based organisation formed in 1982, works to improve access to information for people around the world by fostering independent media and promoting open communications policies in the public interest. Internews’ programs are built on the conviction that providing people with access to vibrant, diverse news and information empowers them to participate effectively in their communities, effect positive social change, improve their living standards, and make their voices heard

December 2007: New FrontlineSMS website contract awarded to W+K

Portland-based Wieden+Kennedy have been awarded the contract to design and build the new MacArthur Foundation- funded FrontlineSMS website. The new site will reflect the growing family of global FrontlineSMS users - currently active in over forty countries - and help build on its reputation as the preferred entry-level SMS tool for the global NGO community. "W+K believes in the power of mobility and the FrontlineSMS mission, and we're very proud to be a part of this effort", said Renny Gleeson, Global Director of Interactive Strategies for W+K

W+K is a global independent advertising agency which boasts the likes of Nokia, The Guardian, Visa and The Observer among its many big-brand clients. The FrontlineSMS site is due for launch next spring, and will coincide with the launch of the next version of the software at Global Messaging 2008 in Cannes

December 2007: kiwanja.net returns to Uganda with Grameen

As part of its continuing work with the Grameen Technology Centre, kiwanja.net will be returning to Uganda this month to provide technical assistance in the latest phase of their Application Laboratory (AppLab) project. Building on the network of over 7,000 Village Phone Operators in the country, kiwanja.net is helping the Grameen Technology Center identify and develop locally relevant data applications and mobile services. Instead of focusing solely on passing on existing technologies to poor communities, the AppLab is unique in that it focuses on how information and communications technology can be developed to serve the needs and demands of poor people

December 2007: New Tactics discussion begins

As previously reported, Ken Banks is acting as a Resource Practitioner for New Tactics in Human Rights early this month, taking part in an online discussion on how mobile technology can be used to advance human rights and civil society participation. Click here to read more or join in the discussion

December 2007: FrontlineSMS in The Economist

The recent use of kiwanja's FrontlineSMS system has been quoted in The Economist magazine which discusses the use of mobile phones in the work of global activists. According to the article "more recently FrontlineSMS was used in Pakistan to get round curbs on information flowing in and out of the country. Both there and in Myanmar (Burma) recent disturbances have produced some interesting insights into the cat-and-mouse games of protesters and political masters". The full article is available in both the print and online versions of the magazine