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| kiwanja.net
focuses on projects which lower barriers to entry and put the power
of technology in the hands of those who need it most. The full focus
is on the end user, typically grassroots non-profits, activists and
innovators who are often overlooked in today's high
technology-driven development sector. If you're interested in
projects that didn't happen, our favourite three are listed
here. Means of Exchange
Further details are on the Means of Exchange website
FFI Innovation
Read more about FFI's work on their website
"Rise of the Reluctant Innovator"
The book will highlight the personal stories of ten social innovators from around the world. Ten social innovators - ordinary people - who randomly stumbled across problems, injustices and wrongs and, armed with little more than determination and belief, decided not to turn their back but to dedicate their lives to solving them. Until the book website launches you can read more
FrontlineSMS
As a result, many NGOs which could benefit from SMS usage were unable to use the technology. Since 2005 FrontlineSMS has successfully bridged this gap, and is today being used in over eighty countries around the world in a wide range of non-profit activities. Further details are available on the FrontlineSMS website
Silverback
Silverback is a mobile phone game which takes advantage of the game-playing features of today's mobile phones, and over eight levels teaches people about gorilla conservation. Taking the player from a juvenile gorilla to a fully-mature silverback, the game highlights threats to gorillas in the wild, and contains numerous help screens and gorilla facts. Silverback was re-launched in the Spring of 2008 in response to the escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the last remaining mountain gorilla populations. Details of the game, and instructions on how you can download it to your phone, are available on the Silverback website
nGOmobile
nGOmobile was a prototype competition aimed at grassroots non-profit organisations in the developing world, designed to encourage them to think about how text messaging could benefit them - and the impact and reach - of their work. Launched in the autumn of 2007, nGOmobile awarded prizes of laptop computers, mobile phones, GSM modems, software and cash to four NGOs who came up with the most innovative application ideas. Further details on the competition, its partners, the prizes, the
expert judging panel and the rationale behind it are available on
the nGOmobile
website Non-executed projects Big ideas count for little if you don't do anything with them. If
(like us) you believe it's all about execution, here's three of the
bigger project ideas we've had over the years but didn't do anything
with. Idea #1:
Incubation Centre
There always seemed to be some new Centre or other going up
during my two years at Stanford, and I wondered how great it would
be to have one dedicated to appropriate technologies, and I briefly
blogged about it in March 2008. Of course, Stanford wouldn’t
have been the best place for this given the cost, so the idea slowly
evolved from my crude mock-up (above) to something a little more
eco-friendly based in rural Cambridgeshire. I’d still love to pursue
this idea, but given the growing number of innovation hubs appearing
around the world, maybe the chance has gone. Idea #2: Mobile Sensing
On 8th June 2005, the idea for a Mobile Environmental Monitoring Device was born. MEMD would: “… gather environmental information as people move through their landscapes. Indicators such as temperature, air quality, CO2 levels and air pressure would be recorded along with a fix on each location. For the first time individuals will be able to monitor their own exposure to local, relevant environmental hazards” Manufacturers such as Nokia began pushing their own concepts a
couple of years later, and today mobile sensing with mobile devices
is nothing new. I originally blogged about MEMD – another idea whose
time has passed – in more detail
here. Idea #3: Mobile Payments
On 1st September, 2003 – during a field trip to South Africa and
Mozambique – I put together this diagram showing how someone might
pay for a newspaper using their mobile phone. Mobile payments are
nothing new today, but back then very little was happening. If I’d
ever wanted to make money, this might have been the idea I should
have stuck with, not that I’d ever have been able to make it happen.
Further details on a blog post
here.
“Take up one idea. Make that one
idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let
the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that
idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to
success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced” -
Swami Vivekananda. |
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