Category: News

The Little Book of Mindful Social Change

It’s been nearly four years since I wrote my last book. Given I’m not a professional writer who makes a living from the art, that’s fine. But last week a book idea came to me out of nowhere, and in the spirit of not resting on my laurels I got to work on it straight away.

The universe delivered and I published it yesterday. The Little Book of Mindful Social Change is the first time I’ve written down my philosophy to social change – ideas and strategies and behaviours learnt over many years in many places.

If you care deeply, think carefully and wonder if helping might just add to the noise, this book is for you. It’s for people who believe deep down that change should be thoughtful, humane and grounded. Not rushed, performative or driven by ego.

Drawing on years of real-world experience with kiwanja.net and FrontlineSMS, the book looks at what actually makes a difference. And it’s not grand strategies or shiny tools but quiet adaptations, humility, deep listening and trust in local knowledge. The most meaningful impact often comes from letting go. Letting go of control, of certainty and of the need to be right.

Running through this short collection of observations is a gentle exploration of mindfulness, Buddhism and inner work, offering a steady counterbalance to the urgency and intensity that so often surround social change. The book speaks honestly about the risks of good intentions, the harm that can come from moving too fast, and the importance of acting with care, respect, love and humility.

In the spirit of collaboration, friendship and inclusivity, the book is available as a free PDF here. It is also available on Amazon Kindle here, and will soon be available in paperback and hardback.

Did I do things the wrong way round?

Many moons ago, during two happy years as a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University, I had the pleasure of meeting more than my fair share of Valley multi-millionaires (and the odd billionaire). Back in those days there were plenty of them about and many – after years of playing nasty as they built their businesses – decided it might be a good idea to develop a bit of a conscience and do something good with all their wealth. I enjoyed sharing my work with them, explaining how emerging mobile technology was helping reshape the humanitarian and conservation sectors, and how FrontlineSMS was at the forefront of much of it. I could never have done what they’d achieved, but I did get some comfort knowing that their work hadn’t had the kind of positive impact mine had.

One thing constantly niggled me back then though, and twenty years later it still does. Meeting those wealthy individuals who only decided to turn their attention to making the world a better place after they’d got rich, made me wonder if I’d done things the right way round. While they were ruthlessly building their startups, I was either building schools or doing conservation work in East Africa or running primate sanctuaries in Nigeria. While I was busy laying the foundations for a career in social impact, opportunities to join the tech boom and make a few quid were passing me by.

Would it have been better for me to try and make some serious money like them, and only then focus on doing good?

When I did eventually do something impactful with FrontlineSMS, when I stepped back people assumed I’d got rich from it. After all, it was incredibly successful and had scaled to just about every country on earth. But the reality was very different. FrontlineSMS was always a free tool, it had no business model behind it, and when I stepped away there was no big pay day.

I now look back with envy at those who are able to self-fund their ideas. As I reflect on a lengthy career trying to do the right thing – while at the same time looking at how messed up the world has become – the need feels greater than ever. At a time in my life when I should probably be stepping back and slowing down, I’m as engaged and motivated and driven than ever.

So, if you’re reading this and by some crazy twist of fate we happened to have met in the Valley in 2007 or 2008, and you’re still looking to invest some of your hard-earned cash in doing a little good in the world, I’d love to talk. In the new year I’ll be throwing everything I’ve got at my new project, apathy to action, and I could do with a little help.

Looking for a visionary partner

For the past few months I’ve been working on apathy to action, a project that aims to help people move from feeling overwhelmed by global crises to taking meaningful, emotionally grounded action. The idea is simple but powerful – combine behavioural science, mindfulness and modern technology to help people reconnect, re-engage and rediscover their agency in a world that can feel paralysing and overwhelming.

The basic concept has already been sketched out, and I’m now looking to take it to the next level.

To do that I’m seeking a small amount of seed funding from a high-net-worth individual, an angel investor or a charitable foundation who sees both the urgent need and the enormous potential. The funding will give me six months to fully focus on building out the core concepts for the app and website, refreshing my coding skills, and preparing the platform for private beta release.

Why does this matter?

Because millions of people care deeply about the world but feel stuck – emotionally exhausted, disconnected and unsure where to begin. If we can help even a small number shift from apathy to meaningful action, the ripple effects could be profound.

Why support this?

Because it’s a rare opportunity to invest a relatively small amount in a project that could have significant global social impact, led by someone with a long track record in social innovation. I’ve spent two decades creating and promoting tools that genuinely empower people, and ‘apathy to action’ has the potential to be my most impactful work yet.

If you’re interested in being part of this journey, or know someone who might be, please share this post or reach out.

Because when we trade silence for courage, even the smallest action can spark a wave of change.

You can read more about the project on the apathy to action website here.

Thank you.

From apathy to action

Twenty years ago this summer I was sat at a kitchen table in Finland writing the early beta version of FrontlineSMS, a project which would go on to define my contribution to what was, back then, the fledgling world of mobiles-for-development. I’ve had a brush with the odd idea or two since, but never really launched a project in the same spirit. Until now.

It took a few of my recent LinkedIn posts discussing humanitarian crises around the world, in particular the horrors taking place in Gaza, that got me thinking. Most passed through people’s feeds without comment or reaction, but I refused to believe that people didn’t care about what was going on. It’s the same with environmental issues such as the climate crisis. We’re all now living its reality, and many people speak about their concern but don’t act. Why?

Unlike many of the problems that FrontlineSMS helped solve, apathy is something I suffer from myself, making this the first time I have a very personal motivation in trying to solve something. Public apathy to global crises is such a huge problem, too, and I haven’t found much about it online. All of this makes it a particularly exciting initiative for me.

apathy to action is a research and development project combining principles of Buddhist thinking with global activism, neurology and the latest behavioural research to identify technology-based solutions that help lift people who genuinely care from a point of apathy and helplessness to one of empathy, action and change.

The first phase of the project will last until the end of the year, and will focus on building a vibrant community of interest of people who feel a mixture of anger, powerlessness, frustration and disempowerment around global issues. The project launched with a founding essay which looks at the causes and impact of public apathy to global crises. I’ll be posting the essay as a separate post soon, but you can read it here if you can’t wait.

We’ll be firming up plans for the project in the coming months, but in the meantime we’d love for you to join us. If you feel any sense of apathy to what’s going on in the world you can find us on facebook and LinkedIn. And if you don’t use (or don’t want to use) either of those platforms, you can sign up with email, too.

I hope to see you there.