Tuesday, November 22, 2011

FWD Contest

You might remember FWD Day. Through social media, the day brought 117 million forwards of the online campaign to raise awareness on the famine crisis in the Horn of Africa. Now you have a chance to deepen this impact with your own ideas for the Famine, War, and Drought campaign.

In collaboration with USAID, GOOD and the Ad Council, the contest encourages Americans to submit ideas for raising awareness of the crisis in the Horn of Africa. The individual or group that submits the winning idea will be awarded $5,000 from GOOD to implement the proposal. 

Proposals can be submitted between now and December 2nd at 12noon PST at http://fwd.maker.good.is. Americans will be able to vote on which proposal should be implemented.  USAID and the Ad Council will feature the winning project on their digital and social media networks.

You can view submitted proposals here: http://fwd.maker.good.is/projects

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Visualize: Learning out of poverty

November 13 - 18, 2011 marks International Education Week. As the State Department celebrates the many advantages studying abroad brings to American students, we should also not forget that access to education is still out of reach to many.

Source: USAID

Friday, October 14, 2011

Visualize: The 25 worst countries for child marriage

Last month, The Elders announced their initiative to fight against child marriage. Girl brides are a pervasive problem in the developing world, where every 3 seconds a girl under the age of 18 are married. Here are some of the worst offenders:

Source: TrustLaw

Sunday, September 25, 2011

FYI: Vaccine-preventable diseases

Last week at the Social Good Summit, there were many panels devoted to women-centric issues: Christy Turlington spoke about reducing deaths in women due to childbirth and news anchor Juju Chang covered maternal health in the developing world. In many of these sessions, the story wasn't just a strengthened focus on women issues but also putting women in the seat of the activist, especially moms. Nonprofits are now targeting mothers in America  as a key activist group to impact women and children in the developing world.

An organization that is aiming to utilize this power of mothers' voices is Shot@Life. Launched by the UN Foundation at last week's Social Good Summit, the campaign aims to create awareness on vaccine-preventable diseases and provide children vaccines where they are needed the most. Part of the problem is that many developing nations need to strengthen their health systems to properly store and administer vaccines. The numbers are grim (see below) but expanding access to vaccines can prevent an additional 1.7 million deaths each year.

The numbers:
  • Every 20 seconds a child dies to a vaccine-preventable disease.
  • 1 in 5 children do not have access to life saving vaccines. 
  • Around 1.7 million children in developing countries die each year of a preventable disease like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, and polio.
  • Measles is still a killer with  an estimated 450 people dying to the disease each day.
  • Though polio is almost near eradication, it still remains endemic in four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. There has been a resurgence of polio in other countries, such as Angola, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • The rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhea in children. More than half a million children under age five die as a result of rotavirus each year.  Approximately 2 million more become severely ill.
  • Access to vaccines is particularly problematic in some countries:  75% of non-vaccinated children live in just 10 countries -  India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, China, Uganda, Chad, and Kenya. 
Watch the full panel discussion from Social Good Summit:



    Watch live streaming video from mashable at livestream.com

    Wednesday, September 21, 2011

    Social Good Summit: Day 3 Recap


    Day 3 of the Social Good Summit was marked with inspirational words from noted personalities. The day began with the presentation of the Social Good Award to the much deserved President Kikwete of Tanzania. Kikwete has championed social media in his country to create awareness on health issues, including maternal health. "We want to get to a point where not a single woman will die from childbirth," he said. 

    "Social media is taking over the medium of communication all over the world." Tobeka Zuma, First Lady of South Africa
    In a light-hearted but informative session, two First Ladies joined the stage to talk about the power of Twitter. Tobeka Zuma, First Lady of South Africa, and Dr. Ida Odinga, First Lady of Kenya, both alluded to how social media has helped spread awareness about health issues in their respective countries. "Social media helps to network, inform, and educate," Odinga said. The session ended with both ladies tweeting for the first time on the stage on smart phones.

    "I made the choice to work for the poor," Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank
    One of the most inspirational sessions of the Summit was with the father of micro-finance, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who spoke about the "social business way." This entails starting a business that not only creates profit for the entrepreneur but solves a particular social issue. For example, "you can design a business with the sole purpose of creating jobs for young people," he said. "Pick up one problem that bothers you, refine it, and find a business solution for it," he asked of the audience.

    Yunus also commented on the technology-savvy younger generations. "They have all this power at their disposal but don't know what to do with it. In 10 to 20 years time, all this power will be at our disposal. The question is what do you use this power for." He ended his session with advice for younger generations on starting their own business: "The first thing to learn as an entrepreneur is patience. I have never seen failure as a separate issue. It's part of the process. You fail. You overcome."

    "I fed the entire neighborhood using only the power of the sun." Chef Jose Andres
    FYI: Smoke inhalation from cooking is the fifth largest killer in the developing world. Around 3 billion people around the world are still using methods to cook food that exposes people to harmful smoke. Chef Jose Andres, Ambassador to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, is not only passionate about food but also about using food to solve some of the world's problems, including clean cookstoves. "Food is the most important energy on the earth, not gas. Food should be at the heart of energy talks," he said. Andres advocated for solar cookstoves, which would reduce the loss of trees and protect the soil and farming.

    "Let girl be girls and not brides." Archbishop Desmond Tutu
    A moving session with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson was one of the highlights of the day. Both personalities make up The Elders, an independent group of global leaders who lend their name, voice, and expertise to pressing social issues. The group, founded by Nelson Mandela, have launched a campaign to address child-bride marriages called Girls Not Brides. Ten million girls under the age of 18 are married. This translates to 25,000 girls getting married every day. In order to be successful, the campaign needs to target cultural and religious traditions. "One of the issues that causes girls to feel like a second class citizen is a misuse of religious tradition," Robinson said. "We can end child marriage in a generation and we couldn't have 10 years ago without the technology we have now," she added.

    Tutu also spent some time chatting on hope. "I'm not an optimist but I am a prisoner of hope," he said. "How often over the span of history that good prevails. Even when the stakes are high against us, in the end good wins." And Tutu believes that the younger generation shares in this hope: "I’m glad to see what young people can do. They blow my mind. I’m amazed at how idealistic they are. They believe that poverty can in fact become history." The Archbishop even said that young people are "awesome" and "have oomph!"


    Tuesday, September 20, 2011

    Social Good Summit: Day 2 Recap


    Today's sessions were definitely star-studded, with athletes, singers, actors, and other noted personalities gracing the stage.

    "The question of all questions: how do you prepare a human being to not use technology for the wrong reasons." Elie Wiesel
    In a four-day summit discussing the power of technology and social media, the second day's first session started on a very different note. Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel doesn't seem to take to technology. In fact he stated that he doesn't use the computer. "I come from an old generation. I use the pen," he said. Wiesel's words were a welcome addition to the summit, touching about the potential negatives of technology. "You can use technology against humanity unfortunately," he stated. But he asked young people who use social media or technology to "respect the words. Respect the other."

    "We are exporting a negative portrayal of women around the world." Geena Davis
    At the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, actress Geena Davis in on a mission to clean up the portrayal of women in media. Davis is concerned that media do not portray women in a variety of occupations and this stereotyped portrayal is being exported around the world. "Eighty percent of the media consumed worldwide is produced in the US," she said. For example, only 17% of crowd scenes are female. Her institute is working with media executives to push for more females onscreen and in more occupations.

    "The yellow band democratized philanthropy. It also de-stigmatized the disease that we fight." Doug Ulman, President & CEO of LIVESTRONG
    Athlete Lance Armstrong and LIVESTRONG President & CEO Doug Ulman championed the use of messaged rubber wristbands to spread awareness on a particular issue, or in their case cancer. Now, like many other non-profits, the organization is using technology and social media to create awareness. Ulman stressed that the message has to be authentic, regardless of the messaging medium. He also noted a challenge in targeting messages online to specific audiences. Prior to social media, the team would snail mail or phone call potential donors to help with their advocacy and public policy campaigns. Now, "social media allows us to be more effective in the public policy arena for very little cost," Ulman stated.

    "If you can't promote education, you can't end poverty. We need to break this cycle." Jeff Sachs, Director of The Earth Institute
    The Earth Institute and Ericsson have teamed up to use broadband and mobile technology to improve education around the world through the organization Connect to LearnJeff Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute, started the session with an overview of the state of education in the world. There are approximately 100 million primary school aged children not in school around the world. He also noted that the MDG goals were inadequate in not including secondary education as its aim.  Secondary education is imperative to land jobs and move ahead in society. Hans Vestberg, CEO of Ericsson predicted that by 2016, 5 billion people will have mobile broadband capabilities. This can help education. "Teachers get a chance to get access to information to teach children," Vestberg said.

    "Malaria is a bigger killer than AIDS and we don't talk about it enough." Derrick Ashong, host of The Stream on Al Jazeera English
    In the last panel of the day, actress-singer Mandy Moore and Al Jazeera English host Derrick Ashong wanted to bring greater awareness to malaria.  Speaking on behalf of Nothing but Nets, the duo talked about problems stemming from malaria in Africa. "Every 45 seconds a child dies of malaria," Moore said. "I've had malaria 3 or 4 times," Ashong said. "Malaria medicine is expensive and it is not a guarantee. It's a huge drain on productivity and the economy in Africa."

    Monday, September 19, 2011

    Social Good Summit: Day 1 Recap


    The UN Foundation's and Mashable's 2011 Social Good Summit opened to a packed auditorium at New York City's 92Y. Here are highlights from the first day of the four day summit.

     "We have to work together like never before. It is no longer you or me. It is you and me." Ted Turner
    UN Foundation's founder and media mogul, Ted Turner, opened the summit with a very witty chat with Mashable Editor Adam Ostrow. Aside from keeping the audience in stitches, Ted Turner pointed to important goals to work towards including disarming nuclear weapons, reducing climate change, and providing easier access to electricity. This being UN Week, Turner also added that the UN is still very relevant with the many issues that the world needs to tackle currently.

    "The UN is getting better at telling the story, but we need the public to share the story."  Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General
    Monique Coleman, a singer and philanthropist, and Valerie Amos, the UN Under-Secretary-General, led a discussion on engaging youth in humanitarian action and focused on the power of connectivity. Coleman stated "Technology is a tool to get us somewhere" but also asked how should we take online interaction among youth and convert it to offline, tangible efforts.

    "If you want to expedite education, leverage the children themselves." Nicholas Negroponte, Founder of One Laptop per Child Foundation
    One Laptop per Child founder Nicholas Negroponte aims to tackle universal education through technology. Already the organization has gained success in Uruguay, where every single child between the ages of five and fifteen have a laptop. But to achieve universal education, Negroponte argues that building schools and training teachers are not enough. In fact, he points out that many teachers in the developing world are illiterate themselves (shocking stat: 25% of teachers in Afghanistan are illiterate). He believes that children can learn on their own. The organization will be testing this notion out.

    "It is our time to use technology innovatively and socially to affect change." Michael Teoh, a youth ambassador with One Young World
     The next two presentations highlighted the power of younger generations. David Jones, the founder of One Young World, claimed that the young generations of today are the most unique as they are the most knowledgeable, responsible, and powerful generation. "Eighty-four percent of the world’s young people believe it is their duty to change the world for the better. Eighty-two percent believe they can do so," Jones added. He also said that today's leaders are failing and they should listen to the younger generations to find solutions to global problems. 

    Nancy Lublin's presentation was short but captivating. (She also opened her talk with getting the audience to sing Whitney Houston's Greatest Love of All!) As CEO of Do Something, she knows how important it is target the younger generation. Her tactic: texting. Texting has a 100% open rate and only a 0.4 percent opt-out rate among youth.

    "We are on the cusp of a huge wave of deaths in the Horn of Africa. But it doesn’t have to be that way." Raj Shah, USAID Administrator
    With the famine crisis in the Horn of Africa still ongoing, the organizers of the summit were wise to devote some time to speaking on possible solutions. Raj Shah stated that the USAID launched a new online initiative in response to the crisis - FWD (Famine War Drought). "The FWD campaign is our attempt to make our world smaller, to connect people with the clear knowledge and understanding of exactly what is happening in the Horn and giving them a powerful way to respond," Shah said. The new campaign provides live and accessible real-time, open source data as well as online citizen engagement.







    Thursday, September 1, 2011

    FYI: How to prevent a famine

    Source: REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

    Speaking at a meeting in Kenya on food crises, agricultural experts agreed to four ways to prevent future famines in the Horn of Africa. The panelists included representatives from CGIAR Consortium, UN Somalia Food Cluster of the World Food Programme, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI).

    AlertNet summarized the meeting with the top four ways future famines could be prevented:

    • Get the private sector to adopt new research
    Investing in innovations can not only help to curb hunger but can also seed future businesses in the region. For example, KARI has helped to develop sorghum in the region. East African Breweries, the largest beer company in the region, is investing $2.6 million in buying the sorghum from small-scale farmers.

    • Eat different foods
    Investing in famine-resistant crops and changed food preferences can help the region.
     
    • Invest in livestock and agriculture
    “Modest investments in agricultural research that allow the world’s most vulnerable people to take charge of their food security are far less expensive than constantly parachuting in with food aid and humanitarian assistance,” said Lloyd Le Page, CEO of Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). “Yet donors and governments continue to fall short of their promise to boost investments in the farm sector.”

      • Use irrigation to support pastoralism, not switch to farming
      "The food crisis in the Horn is essentially a livestock crisis,” said Le Page. “The best way to prevent famine in arid lands is to ensure access to critical dry season grazing and water areas for livestock.”

        Tuesday, August 23, 2011

        FYI: The developing world's toilet crisis


        The Gates Foundation recently announced a contest to create an innovative toilet. No, the purpose isn't to produce a new, shiny apparatus for your bathroom. Rather, the Gates Foundation wants to address the world's toilet crisis: 40% of the world's population still have no access to toilets.

        Here is a roundup of why having access to a toilet is so important:


        Health:
        • 2.6 billion people have no access to a toilet. Of this group, 75% live in rural areas.
        • Poor sanitation can lead to diarrhea. 2.2 million people die from diarrhoeal diseases every year, according to WHO.
        • Diarrhoeal diseases are the second most common cause of death in children under five. 88% of these deaths were caused by lack of sanitation, poor hygiene practices and contaminated drinking water.
        • Intestinal worms are also a problem for those who lack proper sanitation facilities. Children in poor environments often carry 1,000 parasitic worms in their bodies at a time. 
        • Getting sick from poor hygiene and sanitation means a loss of income for families, missed school, and extra expenditure on medications.
        Social development:
        • Schools in the developing world are often built without toilets and washrooms. This is one reason why teenage girls often drop out of school as there are no private places to change menstruation cloths/napkins.
        • Many women walk to remote areas to defecate and often face the risk of violence at nighttime.
        Environment:
        • 90% of human excrement end up untreated in rivers in the developing world. 
        • Sewage dumped at sea or carried upstream by rivers increases the level of nitrogen in bodies of water, leading to the loss of aquatic life.
        Watch Current TV's Adam Yamaguchi travel around Asia, detailing the problems and solutions associated with the world's toilet crisis:

        Tuesday, August 16, 2011

        Is the developing world focusing enough on education?


        Rebecca Winthrop, Director at the Center for Universal Education at Brookings Institution, thinks not. In the video interview below, Winthrop notes that there is a learning crisis in the developing world. There are still large segments of young populations that are not receiving an education such as children in areas of conflict and girls. Many that are in schools are not learning fundamental skills such as reading. Equally as important, secondary grade students are not learning skills that are needed to acquire jobs in the private sector.

        According to Winthrop, investing just four percent of national GDP in education can lift children out of poverty and improve overall economic success for the country in which they live.

        Watch the full interview:



        Monday, August 15, 2011

        Can Africa grow enough of its own food?



        The famine in the Horn of Africa is highlighting an important question in food politics: Does the continent have the capacity to grow its own food for all its inhabitants?

        According to Harvard University professor Robert Paalberg, it can but the farmers in Africa need help.

        "Part of the problem in rural Africa is that most African farmers are physically cut off from markets. Seventy percent of all people in the countryside in Africa live more than two kilometers - that's a 30-minute walk - from the nearest paved road. So, their marketing costs are so high they don't have any incentive really to invest in more productive methods," Paarlberg says.

        He also notes that US assistance to African small farmers has declined 85 percent. 

        Listen to his full interview with NPR to find out what the US can do to help African farmers.

        Wednesday, August 10, 2011

        Visualize: Somalia's children in numbers

        "This famine will be remembered as a famine that has destroyed generations of children." - Supermodel Iman who is from Somalia
        US officials estimate that 29,000 children under the age of five have died in the last 90 days from the drought in the Horn of Africa. These numbers will rise as over 640,000 children are actuely malnourished and are in desperate need of aid.

        Want to understand these numbers better? Here is another perspective:

        CBC News

        Tuesday, August 2, 2011

        Who is giving to the Horn of Africa crisis?

        
        Source: Mohamed Sheikh Nor/AP
         The famine crisis in the Horn of Africa still continues and experts in the field still say there needs to be more money. The UN estimates that 12.4 million people need humanitarian assistance and $2.5 billion aid is needed to reach these people. That's $1.4 billion more than what has been committed to so far.

        So who is giving? The Guardian has been keeping tabs on which countries are giving and how much. (See IBM's interactive chart below for data from OCHA or download the full spreadsheet here.)


        Aid to Horn of Africa Many Eyes
        Topping the list is the United States with a committment of almost 400 million dollars to the region. But more of this committment is going to Ethiopia and Kenya, rather than Somalia. Following behind, the UK has given over 111 million to the region and the EU has given over 91 million.

        Who will step up to help fill that $1.4 billion gap of aid?

        Thursday, July 28, 2011

        Visualize: Somalia's Nutritional Needs

        The UNICEF Somalia Country office prepared this infographic demonstrating the depth of the Horn of Africa famine in Somalia. Source: http://yfrog.com/kkli3aj

        Sunday, July 24, 2011

        Famine in the Horn of Africa: What you can do to help

        Rebeca Grynspan of the UNDP recently stated, "Food aid is a decision between life and death. We have no right to be fatigued." I couldn't agree more.

        The famine in the Horn of Africa is now being labeled as "the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world." Little or no rain in the past year has left Somalia, in particular, in dire need of food and emergency supplies. Refugees are leaving by thousands each day to neighboring countries of Kenya and Ethiopia, who are also affected by the drought.

        According to UN's OCHA, 11.6 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in the Horn of Africa region.


        REUTERS/Jakob Dall/Danish Red Cross/Handout
        SIMON MAINA/AFP/Getty Images
        ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images

        Aid agencies need help. Many refugees who make it to camps are now facing the reality that there isn't much food there either. Relief organizations estimate that $300 million is needed in the next two months to stop the spread of the famine to surrounding countries.

        Below is a list of organizations taking monetary donations to supply the famine victims with medical care and supplies, shelter, and of course, food and water.

        Equally as important, spread the word. Use twitter, facebook, linkedin, google+, emails, etc to pass the word along.

        UN World Food Programme:
        https://www.wfp.org/donate/hornofafrica
        *supplies food and water

        Save the Children:
        http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.7539035/k.B9FB/Africa_Drought_Sparks_Food_Shortage_Child_Hunger_and_Humanitarian_Crisis.htm?msource=weoexchc0711
        *supplies food, water, and medicine

        UNICEF:
        http://www.unicefusa.org/work/emergencies/horn-of-africa/?gclid=CKTynZ-2kKoCFQHu7QoddxOsxw
        *supplies food, water, sanitation, and immunization for children

        Oxfam International:
        http://www.oxfam.org/eastafrica
        *supplies water

        UNHCR (Refugee agency):
        http://www.unhcr.org/emergency/somalia/global_landing.html
        *supplies food, shelter, and survival kits

        CARE:
        http://www.care.org/emergency/Horn-of-Africa-food-poverty-crisis-Dadaab-2011/index.asp
        *supplies food and shelter

        International Rescue Committee:
        https://www.rescue.org/donate/drought_africa

        Wednesday, July 20, 2011

        Amartya Sen: Freedom is a multi-pronged idea

        Amartya Sen, a Nobel Prize winner for his work in welfare economics, is probably one of the most well-respected voices on international development.

        In a video for PBS's POV series, Sen talks about possible solutions to crises around the world and spotlights the work of FXB International.

        "We need to recognize that freedom is a multi-pronged idea. And all the prongs matter," says Sen.

        Watch the full episode. See more POV.

        Monday, July 11, 2011

        FYI: MDGs Progress

        The deadline set for the Millennium Development Goals is just four years away. Are we anywhere near success?

        According to the UN report released a few days ago, progress of MDGs is a mixed bag. Find out where we are succeeding and where countries need to beef up their commitments.

        The good:
        • The global poverty rate is set to drop to below 15%, a better percentage than the 23% goal set out by the UN. 
        • Child mortality rates have improved. In 1990, the number of children under the age of 5 who died was 12.4 million. In 2009, this number dropped to 8.1 million.
        • Deaths from malaria have decreased 20% since 2000.
        • HIV infection rates have dropped 21% since 1997.
        • Approximately 1.8 billion people now have access to clean and safe drinking water.
        The not so great:
        • Development has been uneven and large gaps of peoples within countries are not reaping any benefits from progress in the MDGs. 
        • The poorest children are still behind in progress with regards to nutrition. In 2009, a quarter of children in the developing world were underweight. 
        • Areas of conflict damper any development progress. For example, 28 million or 42% of primary school age children who are not enrolled in school live in conflict affected areas.
        • Employment opportunities for women are still slim and with the recent global economic downturn, growth in employment for women was lower than for men. 
        • More than 2.6 billion people still lack access to toilets.

        Thursday, June 30, 2011

        FYI: The causes of the food crisis

        Rushing to buy bread as wheat runs short and food prices rise in Mozambique.  Source: ILRI


        A few weeks ago, I went to my favorite neighborhood Malaysian restaurant for some spicy cuisine. Much to my surprise, I had to pay extra for the rice to complement my main dish. Pay for rice? At an Asian restaurant??? Unheard of!!

        The reality is that crop prices have been rising over the past few years, affecting restaurants and grocers. But it also means that many in the developing world are losing access to crops and food.  

        According to Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN, in 2010, there were 925 million people in the world who did not eat enough to be healthy. That translates to one in every seven people that goes to bed hungry each night worldwide. Between June 2010 and February 2011, rising food prices caused an additional 44 million people to go into hunger, making it the highest level ever.

        So why are prices of food rising? Here is a roundup of some of the causes:
          
        • Increased food consumption: As large countries like India and China develop and their middle classes grow, their food consumption also increases. This has caused a greater demand for food globally.
        •  Weather conditions: Droughts, floods, and other natural disasters have plagued crop-producing regions more-so since 2008 than in previous years. Droughts, in particular, have occurred in Australia, the Balkans, Russia, and most recently, in the Horn of Africa.
        •   Federal reserves are low: Global grain reserves – wheat, corn, barley, millet, rice, and oats - are at their lowest level since 1960.
        •  Increased fuel prices: With oil prices rising, farmers can’t afford the higher transportation costs as well as the costs to commercially produce food.
        •  Lack of agricultural investment: In many developing countries, the investment in agriculture has dropped, with governments focusing their attention on urbanization.
        •  Use of crops for biofuels: Grains, such as corn and palm oil, have increasingly been used for biofuel production, raising the prices of other grains.
        •  Devaluation of the US dollar: Many crops are based on the US currency for pricing.

        Thursday, June 23, 2011

        Does the developing world use technology differently?

        Whether through social media, the Internet, or new innovations, technology is increasingly becoming a major factor in solutions for international development challenges. And certainly, the Internet has helped play a huge role in creating awareness for poverty reduction and human rights campaigns.
        But what about those in the developing world? Do they use technology any differently?
        Ory Kolloh, Google's policy manager for Africa and a Kenyan lawyer and activist, wants you to know that Africans use technology no differently than you.
        "We love to connect, to communicate, watch YouTube videos, look for porn, and do all that crazy kind of stuff that everyone else does," she said, speaking at yesterday's Activate summit in London. "The mobile device is not successful in Africa as a development device. It is as a communication device," she added.

        "If you start from this principle, everything else will become much easier."
        Activate is the Guardian's platform for leaders working across all sectors who have proven that, through the use of technology and the internet, we can make the world a better place.
        View Kolloh's full speech below.



        For more discussions from the conference, visit http://www.guardian.co.uk/activate/london

        Monday, June 20, 2011

        Visualize: 5 Most Dangerous Countries for Women

        TrustLaw Women asked 213 gender experts from five continents to rank countries by overall perceptions as well as by six key risks: sexual violence; non-sexual violence; cultural or religious factors; discrimination and lack of access to resources; and trafficking. 

        For more details about each country, visit: http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/womens-rights/dangerpoll/

        Tuesday, June 14, 2011

        ImpArt: I heart Salgado

        One day, I am going to meet Sebastião Salgado.

        I want a glimpse into his brain. Or more specifically, I want to understand how his eyes see what they see and how he has the innate ability to capture what he sees so beautifully in a photograph.

        I am in total awe of his work, even jealous I admit. And there is no surprise why. The black and white photographer has produced some of the most striking social documentary photographs ever. 

        In the past, Salgado’s collections have focused on human-related social issues such as migration and urbanization. His current project, Genesis, documents the world's many eco-regions and serves as his homage to the planet. Recently, The New York Times sent the photographer to Alaska to add to his current collection.








        Salgado’s photographs are never just art pieces, gracing the walls of a gallery. They are catalysts for change and move their viewers in disparate ways. Shocking, beautiful, serene, and haunting all in one glance.

        Devoted to social impact through photography, Salgado also serves as one of UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassadors.

        As an ambassador, photographer, and activist, his message is simple:

        What I want is the world to remember the problems and the people I photograph. What I want is to create a discussion about what is happening around the world and to provoke some debate with these pictures. Nothing more than this. I don't want people to look at them and appreciate the light and the palate of tones. I want them to look inside and see what the pictures represent, and the kind of people I photograph.  -Sebastião Salgado

        Sunday, June 5, 2011

        ImpArt: A Glimpse of Energy Poverty


        Imagine no light to study and no electricity for refrigerating food or to heat your home. A few days ago, I caught a glimpse of this life of darkness in photojournalist Peter DiCampo’s exhibition, Life Without Light, held in Brooklyn.

        Peter, a fellow at VII Photo Agency, is on a mission to detail the global 1.4 billion population who live without access to electricity as well as some of the potential solutions to this problem. The exhibition showcases energy poverty in Ghana, where an estimated 73 percent of villages in the north of the country remain without electricity.


        Life Without Lights from Peter DiCampo on Vimeo.

        Shot at night, Peter’s photos illustrate how difficult living without lights could be. Many of the photos portray villagers’ faces hidden in the night’s darkness, depicting a commonality found in poverty: these are the invisible, the unknown, and the forgotten.

        Last year, a number of UN agencies released a report declaring that solving energy poverty doesn’t have to be expensive or worsen climate change. Estimates are that an annual investment of $41 billion a year – or .06 percent of the global GDP – would be sufficient to provide electricity for 395 million people by 2015.

        Life Without Light is running until July 12 at 28 Jay Street in Dumbo, Brooklyn. You can also view the photographs at http://www.lifewithoutlights.com/.

        Tuesday, May 31, 2011

        Trashy truths from the world's waste pickers

        Photo credit: mackenzienicole
        One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. And no one knows this more literally than the world’s estimated 15 million waste picker population.  Living off of the discarded, waste pickers — also known as rag pickers, informal recyclers and scavengers — rummage through landfills, garbage cans and street corners picking up trash that can be recycled. These trashed goodies are then sold to middle men and recycling plants and have, in some cases, helped waste pickers escape poverty.

        Take for example Delhi's estimated 150,000 waste picker population. Invisible to the rest of society and struggling to make ends meet, these impoverished individuals take to the streets to earn a living. Informal recycling becomes a family affair as many street children join in the trash digging and skip out on their education. Selling scraps to middle men and recycling plants, Delhi's waste picker community actually makes a difference! Approximately 20% of the Indian capital's trash is recycled by waste pickers, saving the city around 12 lakh rupees (USD $2500) each day. And if you think that number is low, take into consideration India's concept of efficiency — a good chunk of government-paid trash collectors don't even show up for work.

        But to no surprise, rummaging through trash is not all that rosy. Aside from India's own rubbish, Delhi's waste pickers are sorting through trash from you. Yes, you! Tons and tons of e-waste are dumped by the United States in many developing countries around the world with India being a major destination. And the aftermath of trashing technology is being felt by the waste picker community in the worst way. Marinating in dangerous chemicals all day, waste pickers, many who are children, face respiratory, urinary, digestive and immunity problems. By the time they are in their thirties, many can no longer work, if they survive the toxic exposure at all. And the statistics for this community are grim. Unprotected by the government, waste pickers in India will have to deal with 500 percent more e-waste from computers by 2020, according to UNEP.

        But what the waste picker communities signify is more than just another underprivileged group that is ostracized and suffering. Believe it or not, the poor have say in the greening of the world and should be recognized as valid players in the green movement. Urban poverty reduction and environmentalism are more intertwined than you might think.

        A case in point — scavengers across Latin America have been able to organize themselves in order to work their way out of poverty. Forming cooperative organizations and negotiating with middlemen, recycling plants and city governments, these scavengers have made informal recycling a major tool for sustainable development. Not only do they improve their own working conditions but they green the environment in the most efficient and cleanest way.

        Learn more about the lives of these informal recyclers through the following films:

        Wasteland: This Oscar-nominated documentary follows a group of Brazilian waste pickers in the world’s largest landfill.

        Garbage Dreams: The documentary films three teenagers on the streets of Cairo who are suddenly faced with the globalization of the waste picking trade.

        Counterbalance: Produced by the non-profit WITNESS, Counterbalance follows the work of Chintan, a non-profit devoted to helping waste pickers in Delhi, India.


        Wednesday, May 18, 2011

        Are slum tours effective?

         Dharavi by owenstache via Flickr
        There's eco-tourism, medical tourism, even sex tourism. But slum tourism?

        As this article from CNNgo.com suggests, slum tourism is becoming more popular in developing countries around the world. You could blame it on those seeking a spiritual awakening, or maybe those looking for some great photo opportunities, or even on the Oscar-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire. But, perhaps, the reality is that many from industrialized nations travel to the developing world to understand something they are not so familiar with - poverty.

        Here's the problem: are tour agencies really reducing poverty by parading foreigners through street slums or is the bottom line another way to exploit the underprivileged for profit?

        Based on the article, it seems like the Dharavi-based tour group in Mumbai is trying to do something to give back, though there is certainly criticism from NGOs in the area. And in the end, tour-goers may walk away from this experience with some level of understanding about poverty and give back themselves.

        Personally, I've never been to a slum in India. When you travel to the sub-continent, you don't need to walk the streets of a quartered slum to see poverty first-hand. Street dwellers exist everywhere. I do want to see life in a slum, though, but on my own. I want to talk to the people living there,  hear their stories, and see the impact that the NGOs are making. A tour group's timetables and rules would  likely restrict such interaction.

        Would you do a slum tour?