September 2010 - change - Mailing Lists

CSE 590F: ICTD Seminar (Information and Communication Technology for Development)
by Gaetano Borriello 29 Mar '11

29 Mar '11

Yes, it is another research seminar announcement. TIME: Tuesday 1:30-2:30pm PLACE: CSE 203 WEB: http://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/cse590f/10au/ Please join us in CSE 590F (Readings in Information and Communication Technology for Development) next Tuesday, October 5 for our first meeting this quarter. Since we are starting late, this first meeting will not just be organizational but will already include a discussion of a paper, which I will likely lead unless I get an early volunteer. We'll then spend some time volunteering for leading the other discussions of papers this quarter. Our readings will be mostly from the upcoming ICTD conference (if the authors give us permission) and from CHI and AI-D as well. The last two weeks will be practice talks of UW presentations at the ICTD and DEV conferences in mid-December. As usual, all are most welcome to attend. Those new to the seminar who are just curious about ICTD are particularly encouraged. There is a tentative schedule for the quarter at http://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/cse590f/10au/. It will probably be modified after the first meeting and will soon include links to PDF files of each paper. Hope to see you there on Tuesday, Gaetano

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Fwd: Commercial Microcredit = Just Profit or Unjust Profiteering?
by Yaw Anokwa 01 Oct '10

01 Oct '10

yael's message didn't go through, so here it is... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Yael Schwartzman <yaelsf(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 09:41 Subject: Re: [change] Commercial Microcredit = Just Profit or Unjust Profiteering? To: Colin Dixon <ckd(a)cs.washington.edu> Cc: Yaw Anokwa <yanokwa(a)gmail.com>, Change Group < change(a)change.washington.edu> I've been talking to a few microfinance institutions here in Mexico, where this debate has been going on for a while<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/business/worldbusiness/05micro.html> . Here in Mexico we have talked to Compartamos, that had a very successful IPO<http://www.nextbillion.net/news/compartamos-ipo-sparks-ideological-debate-o…>and has around 1 million clients and no longer needs non-profit seeking funding. We have also talked to a few other MFIs who still need external funding. Their main problem is that they need proof of social impact to continue getting money from this non-profit seeking investors. However, how are they going to get that data if there's very little record-keeping going on in their client's businesses? Tools like ODK are a great way to help! We're also trying to help through our software <http://www.frogtek.org/>;) I can't decide which way is better.. there's certainly a lot of benefit of having money when you want it without having to collect data or proof anything beyond profitability. However, this always comes at the expense of higher interest rates for the MFI clients so... -Yael On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 11:16 AM, Colin Dixon <ckd(a)cs.washington.edu> wrote: > Having just listened to the podcast, it sounded like a big part of making > the bank model work was the cost of banking computers and software. > > Is this a big chance to do an OpenMRS/ODK-style thing for banking? > > --Colin > -- Sent from my Palm Pre > > ------------------------------ > On Sep 30, 2010 8:50 AM, Yaw Anokwa <yanokwa(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Say you want to make loans to millions of poor women in the developing > world, to help them climb out of poverty. Is it OK to raise money from > rich investors, who expect to make a profit? > > Muhammad Yunus, the father of microfinance, says no. If you have > investors who expect profits, you'll ultimately turn into something > more like a loan-shark than a do-gooder. > > Vikram Akula, founder of SKS Microfinance — a company that had an IPO > earlier this year — says raising money from profit-seeking investors > is the only way to spread microfinance quickly around the world. > > NPR's Planet Money did a great podcast on the different viewpoints at > http://is.gd/fCo5h. You can also watch the video of Clinton Global > Initiative debate at http://is.gd/fCnWl. > > _______________________________________________ > change mailing list > change(a)change.washington.edu > http://changemm.cs.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/change > > > _______________________________________________ > > change mailing list > change(a)change.washington.edu > http://changemm.cs.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/change > >

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South>North: A fishbowl on the transferability of ICTD innovations from income-poor to income-rich countries
by Yaw Anokwa 30 Sep '10

30 Sep '10

Chris Coward and Karen Fisher will be organizing a fishbowl session on the transferability of ICTD innovations from income-poor to income-rich countries at ICTD 2010 on December 16th, from 3:30 to 5:00PM at Royal Holloway College, University of London. Most low-cost, easily implementable ICTD innovations are designed for developing-country contexts. Examples include mobile money, SMS (e.g. Ushahidi, Frontline SMS), and e-skills training programs. This interactive session focuses on the factors that facilitate or mitigate the transfer of these innovations to communities facing economic and social challenges in richer countries. Participants will identify innovations, discuss what makes them portable (or not), and explore steps that might encourage replication or uptake outside the developing world. Questions include: To what extent is the proposition that most low-cost, easily implementable ICTD innovations are designed for developing-country contexts correct? What are examples and counter examples? Which ICTD innovations have already spread from the South? Which others could potentially transfer? Do ICTD innovations that have spread from South to North share any common characteristics? Do they only benefit the poor, or have they been more widely adopted by richer segments of society (e.g. mobile money)? Which contextual factors — ranging from determining needs, design/build, implementation, and adoption — influence transferability? How are the methodologies applied to developing ICTD innovations in the North similar to or different from those in the South? What would a more-focused effort to design and implement ICTD innovations in richer countries look like? How would such an effort appeal to or draw on the expertise of the ICTD community? Find out more at http://cis.washington.edu/2010/09/30/ictd2010-innovation-fishbowl/

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Commercial Microcredit = Just Profit or Unjust Profiteering?
by Yaw Anokwa 30 Sep '10

30 Sep '10

Say you want to make loans to millions of poor women in the developing world, to help them climb out of poverty. Is it OK to raise money from rich investors, who expect to make a profit? Muhammad Yunus, the father of microfinance, says no. If you have investors who expect profits, you'll ultimately turn into something more like a loan-shark than a do-gooder. Vikram Akula, founder of SKS Microfinance — a company that had an IPO earlier this year — says raising money from profit-seeking investors is the only way to spread microfinance quickly around the world. NPR's Planet Money did a great podcast on the different viewpoints at http://is.gd/fCo5h. You can also watch the video of Clinton Global Initiative debate at http://is.gd/fCnWl.

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Fwd: 10/7: invite-Social Return on Investment reception & session
by Gaetano Borriello 29 Sep '10

29 Sep '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Wren McNally <wrenmc(a)uw.edu> Date: Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 3:50 PM Subject: 10/7: invite-Social Return on Investment reception & session To: Gaetano Borriello <gaetano(a)cs.washington.edu> Dear Gaetano, As a GSEC supporter, I would like to offer you a special invitation to our reception and event on October 7: Social Return on Investment: A Global Perspective, from 6-9 pm at the UW Foster School. Details are below; Please register – space is limited. I would also like to share an exciting update from the 2010 Judges’ choice team, Malo Traders, below. Please mark your calendars for GSEC Week (Feb 15-18, 2011) and help spread the word – forward the GSEC announcement to your networks! Measuring Social Impact Join us on October 7, at UW for a special workshop on social ROI and social impact in developing economies, featuring Drew Tulchin, Managing Partner, Social Enterprise Associates. Social Return on Investment: A Global Perspective Register Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010 6:00 – 7:00 pm, Reception 7:00 - 9:00 pm Paccar Hall 392, UW Foster School of Business 7th annual Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition Updates & Open Application Since GSEC 2010, Malo Traders founders have continued on to other competitions, worked with PATH in Mali and Senegal, and incorporated their business. “If it was not for GSEC and the judges we met during the event we would miss out on a opportunity of collaborating with such an innovative NGO such as PATH. Malo Traders incorporated this week as an LLC. We spent the summer conducting a feasibility study for PATH on the introduction of fortified rice in Mali and Senegal.” Read more below... Save the Date for GSEC 2011 GSEC Week: February 15-18, 2011 GSEC Awards Banquet - Feb 17, 2011. Registration will open December 2010. Organized by the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, GSEC invites student teams to create innovative social businesses that seek to alleviate a problem(s) of poverty in developing economies. Application deadline: November 4, 2010 We will award at least $30,000 in prize money to 2011 GSEC teams that develop innovative business models with the best integration of financial and social returns on investment targeting poverty reduction in developing economies. GSEC is open to currently enrolled students at any academic institution of higher education worldwide. GSEC 2011 will build on the success of last year: 2010 GSEC teams participated in tailored company visits, pitched their business to over 600 professionals, and competed for $30,000 in prize money and in-kind awards. In addition to prize money, GSEC provides cross-cultural, transformational practical learning experiences for student participants to hone their business skills, expand their networks, and access new resources. 2010 GSEC Team Malo Traders Update, (cont): 2010 Judges’ Choice winning team, Malo Traders, embarked on a successful competition tour following GSEC 2010 and today is exchanging ideas with PATH on how to bring Ultra Rice, a strain enriched with iron, zinc and Vitamin A, to Africa to combat the anemia that afflicts over 60% of Mali’s people. Their business plan also includes building processing plants to clean, polish and package farmers’ rice before it rots in the fields or is sold at a loss to opportunistic middlemen. A 2010 Opportunity Collaboration delegate, Malo Traders CEO and GSEC team member Mohamed Ali Niang, noted “GSEC was a world class competition, [and] we were truly inspired by the knowledge and the generosity of each and every person we met. GSEC was the stepping stone that propelled Malo Traders to the next stage by establishing our credibility and sparking media attention.”

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Microfinance and Microbrews featuring Jolkona
by Yaw Anokwa 29 Sep '10

29 Sep '10

Jolkona (www.jolkona.org) is a start-up non-profit organization that lets people choose how to impact the world through small donations (starting at just $5!), and unlike other micro-giving websites, they provide tangible proofs of impact for every donation. For example, if you spend $40 to educate a girl in Afghanistan for 1 year, you will receive a photo of the girl being sponsored by your donation and at the end of the year receive a copy of her report card, all done over the web on their platform. Their mission is to connect people with global philanthropic opportunities and show the impact of one’s donations. They launched their website to the public in June 2009 with a goal of making giving more fun, transparent and engaging for all donors, regardless of age or income. Today they have over 75 projects in more than 35 countries around the world and leverage the support of over 20 skilled young professional volunteers who are passionate turning Jolkona's mission into reality. At today's MicroFinance and MicroBreweries, Adnan Mahmud - co-founder of Jolkona - will talk about how development work plays a role in poverty alleviation along side with microfinance by helping those that microfinance traditionally cannot reach. He will discuss how Jolkona takes a holistic approach to poverty alleviation by building the new generation of micro-philanthropists and highlighting some of the exciting opportunities that lay ahead for the organization. Come learn how micro-finance and micro-charity works together to help alleviate poverty! http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114006271988305 Wednesday, September 29 · 6:00pm - 11:30pm Spitfire at 2219 4th Ave

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Welcome Back!
by Eleanor O'Rourke 28 Sep '10

28 Sep '10

Welcome back everyone! I wanted to remind you all that we will be having our first Change Seminar meeting this week from 12pm to 1pm in room 203 of the Paul G. Allen Center. This quarter we will be alternating between talks by outside speakers and discussions led by Change members. See our calendar (http://is.gd/3PkTF) for currently scheduled talks. Please be thinking about possible discussion topics before our first meeting on Thursday. If there is a particular topic relating to Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) that you would like to explore, consider leading a discussion on that topic this quarter. Topics can include anything from Education, Agriculture, Public Health, and Microfinance, to General Communication and Information Sharing. If you are working on an ICTD project that would like to get feedback and advice from the Change community, you could present your current work as a discussion topic as well. Finally, if anyone is interested in giving a more formal talk on their research at Change this year, or if you know any students, faculty members, or staff who might be interested in speaking, please email me to schedule talks. There are plenty of spots available for next quarter! Looking forward to seeing you all Thursday!

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Change Seminar - Fall Quarter
by Eleanor O'Rourke 28 Sep '10

28 Sep '10

Hello Everyone, In preparation for the fall quarter, I wanted to invite you all to attend in the one credit Change Seminar on Thursdays at noon in the Paul Allen Center (Room 203). Change (http://change.washington.edu) is a group of faculty, students, and staff at the UW who are exploring the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in improving the lives of underserved populations, particularly in the developing world. We are cover topics such as global health, education, micro finance, agricultural development, and general communication, and look at how technology can be used to improve each of these areas. This fall we will be alternating between talks by invited speakers and group discussions. Those who sign up for credit will be asked to participate in leading one of the discussions (this requires very little work and can be done in groups). We are in the process of scheduling speakers, so stay tuned to our calendar (http://is.gd/3PkTF) Twitter (http://is.gd/3PkVk) or mailing list (http://is.gd/3PlkS) for more information. Please consider enrolling (CSE590C1, SLN: 19341). If you are unable to enroll, feel free to come to any of the meetings you are interested in attending! The seminar is available for all UW students and the content is designed to be widely accessible. We encourage students from all departments to enroll/attend if interested. Please forward this message to the relevant mailing lists, and we hope to see you on Thursday October 1 at noon in Room 203 of the Paul Allen Center. Thanks, Nell

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Fwd: Invitation for ICT Conference in New Delhi
by Sunil Garg 28 Sep '10

28 Sep '10

Begin forwarded message: > From: Sunil Garg <sunil(a)sunilgarg.com> > Date: September 28, 2010 3:22:38 PM EDT > To: sunilgarg(a)gatech.edu > Subject: Fwd: Invitation for ICT Conference in New Delhi > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Abul Hasim <abul(a)cis-india.org> > Date: Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 2:57 AM > Subject: Invitation for ICT Conference in New Delhi > To: Sunil Garg <sunil(a)sunilgarg.com> > > > . > Dear Sunil Garg, > > International Conference on Enabling Access to Education through ICT > > Background: > > Children with disabilities in India are often left out of mainstream schools due to a variety of reasons, primarily the lack of awareness amongst educational organizations and teachers, near absence of infrastructural resources and lack of training in this regard. It is believed that barely two per cent of the 70 million disabled persons have access to education in India. Unless we take special efforts to remedy this situation by equipping teachers, educational institutions and the entire social infrastructure to adopt innovative, cost effective and technology based resources such as assistive technologies, ubiquitous Web, multiple platforms, social networks, online libraries and digital resources, etc. to enable access to education for disabled children, they will continue to remain excluded from social participation. > > Join the Discussion! > > The conference will focus on highlighting existing policy and practical barriers for students and educational institutions in developing countries, showcase ICT based solutions which are presently being adopted in different countries, point to existing knowledge resources and emerging trends in education. The conference will look at the various technologies, tools and practices that are necessary to bring education within the reach of all persons with disabilities as a step towards achieving inclusive education in India. This includes education at all levels - primary, secondary and higher education as well as distance and online education. > > The format of the conference is highly engaging and is designed to enable the attendees to explore the challenges and opportunities while equipping them with the tools needed to implement ICT solutions within their organizations. > > The expected outcomes from this conference are: > > Create awareness amongst educators, policy makers and disability organizations > Understand challenges and explore solutions > Evolve a set of recommendations for educators on best practices > Publish a White Paper which will provide a set of recommendations for policy makers on inclusive education. > Create a case study database of best practices on the use of ICTs in education for persons with disabilities. > > Dates: 27 to 29 October 2010 > Venue: Magnolia Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi > > The Organisers: > > Centre for Internet and Society > > The Global Initiative for Inclusive ICT (G3Ict) > > UNESCO > > ITU > > WIPO > > Daisy Consortium > > Digital Empowerment Foundation > > Society for Promotion of Alternative Computing and Employment > > The Deaf Way Foundation > > Event sponsor: > > The Hans Foundation > > Target audience: > > Educators, mainstream and special schools, colleges, universities, disability organisations, policy makers, libraries, technology developers and other persons and organisations working in this area. > > For further details, visit www.edict2010.in > > Please register immediately on line athttp://edict2010.in/register-online/, or download and complete the registration form and mail it tonirmita(a)cis-india.org. > > > With best wishes > Prasad > Publications Manager > Centre for Internet and Society > Ph: 080-40926283 > > > Unsubscribe > >

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Oct 5th: "Where Do Electronics Go to Die?" Panel
by Chris Coward 28 Sep '10

28 Sep '10

Passing along this opportunity for those interested in e-waste On October 5, the World Affairs Council's Young Professionals International Network (YPIN) is hosting an event at the UW Foster School titled, "Where Do electronics Go to Die," focused on e-waste, processing of e-waste, and the global ramifications of electronics consumption. We thought this event may be of interest to you and your colleagues at UW. We plan a complimentary networking reception in advance of the panel as well. The event details can be found at: http://www.world-affairs.org/calendar.cfm?eventID=1330&action=eventDetails The event is also on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/autumn.lerner?ref=profile#!/event.php?eid=125711000… Please share this with your colleagues and spread the word to anyone else who may be interested. I have also attached a flyer. Feel free to let me know if you have questions. We hope you can join us on October 5! Regards, Philippe-Joseph Arida (for the YPIN board)

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