March 2012 - change - Mailing Lists

[SPAM] $35 touchscreen tablet launched in India
by Rahul Banerjee 30 Apr '12

30 Apr '12

Sorry for the spam, but I couldn't resist sharing such wonderful news: http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/India-announces-35-tablet-compute… (Actually, the government is subsidising its price (which would be closer to $50), but it's still pretty amazing that something like this exists at all) -- Rahul

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Stanford ICTD course/collaborations
by Gaetano Borriello 06 Apr '12

06 Apr '12

What do you think about this approach to ICTD courses? Harnessing Mobile Tech and Students to Promote Development in Kenya Stanford University (03/19/12) Stanford University professors Joshua Cohen and Terry Winograd teach a course that brings interdisciplinary teams of Stanford students together with students from the University of Nairobi and local nongovernmental organizations to design new uses for mobile platforms that promote human development in Nairobi's informal settlements. Cohen says the course, called Designing Liberation Technologies, is premised on the idea that mobile tech is a promising means for providing jumpstarts in human welfare. He says the reason the class focuses on using mobile applications in areas of health, education, and economic development is because mobile is the most rapidly growing technology, especially in the developing world. The students use a problem-solving process that involves starting with the potential users themselves, and then developing insights about how their needs can be solved with mobile applications, Cohen notes. The projects have involved locating malaria drugs and checking them for counterfeiting, helping health workers collect patient information and control patient workflow, and helping pregnant women save money for prenatal care. The group is readying the launch of a six-month pilot for the M-Maji project in five villages in Kibera, which is designed to help people find clean water, especially during water shortages. http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/headlines/cohen-mobile-kenya.html

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Job: UI Designer for Partners in Health
by Yaw Anokwa 29 Mar '12

29 Mar '12

I did a six month stint with PIH in Rwanda, and it was a fantastic experience. This looks like it'd be a great gig! ---------------------------------------------------- UI Designer for Partners in Health Organizational Profile: Partners In Health ("PIH"), headquartered in Boston, MA, is an internationally recognized non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. Through its service delivery, training, advocacy and research, PIH works globally to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need and to serve as an antidote to despair. PIH has major programs in Haiti, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, Rwanda, Lesotho, Malawi, Burundi, Kazakhstan, the Dominican Republic, and Boston, working tirelessly to lessen the joint burden of disease and poverty. This is an exciting time for PIH. The organization is taking on immense challenges, while its new found visibility has brought the opportunity to influence even greater changes on the global stage. As the work continues to expand, PIH seeks individuals committed to the mission and values of the organization (see PIH values) to join the team. Overall Responsibilities: PIH's Medical Informatics team enables the use of high quality, reliable data at PIH to strengthen programs, support quality improvement and academic research, and improve the care we deliver to our patients. The Informatics team is a founder and key contributor to OpenMRS, an open source Electronic Medical Record (EMR). The User Experience Designer is a new position that is responsible for designing attractive, intuitive, extensible user interfaces that are adapted to the unique needs of the users of PIH's informatics systems. This person will work with PIH staff to collect and analyze functional requirements, create user stories, document workflows, and design mockups. The position may also take on aspects of business analysis and user interface software development. The position is based in Boston, with frequent travel to PIH sites. Specific Responsibilities: * Provide the creative leadership necessary to facilitate the design of cohesive, integrated implementations of OpenMRS and other informatics software that deliver the right functionality to the right user at the right time. * Work with site-based staff to analyze clinical and programmatic workflows, including formal qualitative and quantitative assessments. * Create user stories, workflow diagrams and functional requirements based on these assessments. * Create wireframes, storyboards and concept designs for variety of user interfaces that are tailored to users' computer abilities, ranging from novice to computer users to experts. * Write detailed functional specifications, and work with Informatics staff to turn these into actionable work plans. * Design detailed, attractive graphical mockups suitable for front-end developers. * Work with the software development team to move user interface designs from prototypes to finished products using HTML, css and other software tools. * Create user documentation and training materials to support the deployment of informatics systems. * Assist with additional aspects of business analysis including processes, data and program functions. * Take on additional work as directed by the Informatics team. http://tbe.taleo.net/NA1/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=PIH&cws=1&rid=185

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Job: IREX ICT Coordinator in Turkmenistan
by Yaw Anokwa 28 Mar '12

28 Mar '12

>From http://ict4djobs.com/2012/country-coordinator-ict-program-irex-turkmenistan/ IREX seeks a Country Coordinator for an ICT project, who has the skills and expertise necessary to establish close-working professional relationships with local institutions. Through these relationships the Coordinator will participate in planned reform of institutes’ practices primarily through the introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) into various teaching and learning processes. The Program Coordinator will cooperate with Administration of partner Institutes and build a relationship with other related Institutes and Universities. The Program Coordinator will manage local contracts with partners and seek to develop new partnerships that advance the program objectives. More at http://careers.irex.org/OpeningDetail.aspx?key=1abddf2d-ad77-4c85-91af-72b5…

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Job: Mobile software developer for RTI
by Yaw Anokwa 28 Mar '12

28 Mar '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Full description is here: https://erecruit.rti.org/PRODRECRUIT/,DanaInfo=.agfov6Ex0qIy2s,SSL,SSO=U+in… Job Title: International Information and Communication Technology Specialist Job Description The Research Computing Division’s program for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at RTI International has an opening for a Software Application Developer to support the development of mobile information and communication technology applications. The successful candidate will work as part of a technical team and will design, develop, test, and deploy moderate to complex solutions designed to improve education, health, and governance in developing countries. This development may involve the use of commercial software and RTI-developed software tools. Candidates with a broad skill set will need to adapt to the computing resource needs of a diverse project base. Candidate will work with country counterparts in developing innovative and sustained solutions to information system challenges. This position requires the ability to work well in a team environment and excellent writing and verbal communication skills. Responsibilities • Contribute to the design and development of web applications using popular, free and open source content management and web application systems • Contribute to the design and development of mobile applications for international development • Design and develop custom software applications and integrate third party applications from specifications • Work with colleagues to develop software architecture, coding, and testing standards • Create written documentation for the functionality of software components • Contribute to database design, including writing database queries and stored procedures • Travel to Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and/or Latin America up to 50% calendar time as needed for project assignments Qualifications Required: • B.S. or higher in Information Technology or other technical discipline and 1+ year working in an IT environment • Experience and/or interest in working internationally in a developing country environment • Knowledge and skills in software design and development, including testing, and test-driven development • Fluent in spoken and written English and at least one other language (French, Spanish, or Arabic preferred) • Experience in applying and developing Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) technologies • Knowledge and skills in Effective Experience framework, applied understanding of the object relational model, SQL, and database design • Experience with the following: * HTML5, CSS, XML, JSP, JavaScript * Developing websites using open source content management systems, including Drupal * Developing database applications using MySQL or PostgreSQL * PHP and PHP frameworks, such as CakePHP Preferred: • Strong sense of esthetics and good graphic design skills for software and web interfaces • Experience with any of the following: * JQuery, JQuery Mobile, CouchDB or other browser application development technologies * Native Android application development * Java development * MVC implementations such as Struts and Ruby on Rails * Linux server administration * Adobe Flash ActionScript applications About RTI RTI International is one of the world’s leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our staff of more than 2,800 provides research and technical expertise to governments and businesses in more than 40 countries in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy and the environment, and laboratory and chemistry services. Equal Employment Opportunity We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. Specific information regarding the laws that are designed to protect you against discrimination relating to your legal right to work in the US can be located at the employment portal www.rti.org/jobs

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unsubscribe
by Carina Water Well Projects Tanzania 27 Mar '12

27 Mar '12

Aloha, I'd like to unsubscribe to the postings. -- Kind regards, Ms. Jacqueline Simone Ambrose Director Carina Water Wells Project Tabora Tanzania P.O. Box 350 Haiku Maui HI 96708 Mobile: 808-214-7607 Skype: jacqueline.simone.ambrose1 Websites: http://www.carinawaterwells.org <http://carinawaterwells.org/>/ SUDESO:*http://www.sudeso.org/ * "*If real development is to take place, the people have to be involved.*" Julius Kambarage Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania from his book *Uhuru na Maendeleo (Freedom and Development)*, 1973. "*If real development is to take place, the people have to be involved.*" Julius Kambarage Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania from his book *Uhuru na Maendeleo (Freedom and Development)*, 1973.

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Nice video on the importance of communications & information
by Melody Clark 27 Mar '12

27 Mar '12

Information/Communication as aid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZDmKLcY7Nis#! -- Melody Clark Research Coordinator | Global Impact Study Technology & Social Change (TASCHA) http://about.me/melodyclark melclark(a)uw.edu<mailto:melclark@uw.edu> | 206.685.7819 Twitter: @ictimpact<http://twitter.com/#!/ICTimpact> | @melodyrclark<https://twitter.com/#!/melodyrclark> www.globalimpactstudy.org<http://www.globalimpactstudy.org/>

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Humanitarian Innovation Fund call for large grant proposals
by Yaw Anokwa 26 Mar '12

26 Mar '12

>From http://www.alnap.org/node/8347.aspx The Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF) has announced its third call for large grant proposals. The Fund’s large grant facility, which provides grants from £75,000 - £150,000 for the development, implementation and testing of an innovation, will be open until the 22nd April 2012. The Fund was established a year ago by ELRHA (Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance) and ALNAP (The Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action) to support organisations and individuals to identify, nurture and share innovative and scalable solutions to the challenges facing effective humanitarian assistance. The HIF intends to fund 4 - 5 large grant projects in this latest call. The Fund also hosts a small grant facility, which is permanently open for proposals of up to £20,000 for the recognition, invention and dissemination of an innovation. The launch of the third call comes the same week as the announcement by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) of their decision to provide the HIF with $700,000 (£445,000), in order to support more innovations with the potential to revolutionise humanitarian performance. Full details of the Humanitarian Innovation Fund can be found on our website: www.humanitarianinnovation.org. The HIF team will be holding a large grant facility webinar on the website at 14:00 on Wednesday 28th March 2012.

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CORRECTION: Waylon Brunette on portable antenatal ultrasound for village midwifes.
by Nicola Dell 26 Mar '12

26 Mar '12

Sorry, the Change seminar is in CSE 203 (not 205 as I said before). On Mon, Mar 26, 2012 at 9:38 AM, Nicola Dell <nixdell(a)cs.washington.edu>wrote: > This Thursday at Change Waylon Brunette will speak about his research on a > portable antenatal ultrasound platform for village midwifes. Please note > that the seminar will be in the Allen center, CSE 205. The room currently > listed on the MyUW website (MOR 225) is incorrect. > > While ultrasound imaging is an effective tool for identifying > maternal mortality risk factors, it is nearly absent in many rural > healthcare facilities in developing regions. The high costs of both > equipment and required training are major barriers to adopting ultrasound; > to address these barriers we designed an inexpensive ultrasound system > composed of off-the-shelf hardware and custom software. To leverage > existing healthcare systems commonly found in these contexts, we focused > our efforts on increasing the diagnostic capabilities of midwives - > often central medical figures in rural and low-income communities. To > enable local midwives to identify high-risk conditions for referral to > a better-equipped health care facility, we developed a low-cost, > portable, easy-to-use ultrasound system. Compared to currently available > ultrasound devices, we simplified the user workflow and interface while > maintaining adequate functionality to allow midwives to detect three > common obstetrical conditions: placenta previa, multiple gestations, and > breech presentation. Specifically, the midwife's ultrasound system is > designed to: support a solitary work environment, balance cost and > features, present a minimal interface, enable easy customization through a > modular design, provide appropriate scaffolding to assist the user, and > include an integrated teaching help system. Complicated and expensive > medical technologies are unlikely to meet the needs of users with > limited opportunities for formal training and continuing education, so we > created an appropriate integrated help system to supplement a midwife's > conceptual and operational knowledge of diagnostic ultrasound. Through our > fieldwork in Uganda and preliminary evaluations, we have found that in > addition to the contextual reference material accessible during an exam, > midwives need in-depth learning materials that can be accessed outside of a > medical exam scenario. To evaluate whether or system was appropriate for > identifying the three conditions, we tested the accuracy of ultrasound > measurements, image quality, and the usability of our system by Ugandan > midwives. The midwife's ultrasound system is designed to utilize existing > local healthcare resources in order to create a sustainable solution that > does not depend on telemedicine or other continuous foreign assistance. > > Waylon Brunette is a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science and > Engineering at the University of Washington advised by Professor Gaetano > Borriello. His research interests include mobile systems, leveraging > smartphones and sensors to solve problems in healthcare, and designing > systems that improve the lives of underserved populations in low-income > regions. > > What: Waylon Brunette on portable antenatal ultrasound for village > midwifes. > > Where: The Allen Center, CSE 203. > > When: Thursday, March 29th at 12 noon. >

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Job: Startup seeking developer in Nairobi
by Yaw Anokwa 26 Mar '12

26 Mar '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Project - mSwali.org | Python Web Application Developer mSwali provides an out-of-the-box, web-based mobile communications solution to organizations and enterprises. The platform enables users to reach out to their existing and potential beneficiaries and customers through SMS-based communications to better understand their needs and interests. Requirements Solid flexible developer with a strong work ethic and an ability to quickly learn and add value to the platform. Skills required: python, webapp development, basic architecture, front-end design a plus but not required. Experience working with Google AppEngine would be extremely useful, but not required. Role The developer will work closely with a small team. Work terms will be contract-based (3 months) with the possibility of extension or transition to full time employment. Expected work schedule is 40 hours/week with competitive pay. If interested, please contact jobs(a)mswali.org.

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