Archive for category: Technology

Information and stories about technology news.

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How Social Entrepreneurship Can Benefit the Developing World

Social EntrepreneurshipAcross the developing world, a great number of social challenges are evident. Poverty, economic inequality and underdeveloped health services present a real threat to those who call these nations home. Previously, much of the relief provided to alleviate these issues has come through aid from more prosperous countries, however growing levels of alternatives, such as social entrepreneurship, are now being actively pursued.

Social entrepreneurs are those whose goal is the achievement of systemic and sustainable social change. Often this is through innovation, perhaps through the invention of a new product or technology, or through adaptation of existing methods, such as making aspects of healthcare more affordable to those who require it.

For social entrepreneurs, the end goal is poverty alleviation or societal development, whether in a non-profit or business setting.

The notion that social entrepreneurship could provide aspects of aid not covered through traditional means has become more popular in recent years. In 2011, the Global Entrepreneurs Council, a U.N initiative focused on the promotion of entrepreneurship around the world, was formed.

In 2013, USAID and DfID created the Global Development Innovation Ventures fund, targeting the alleviation of poverty by means of innovation. Resources such as these have enabled entrepreneurial minds across the developing world to begin affecting change in their towns and cities. Not only this, but it appears to endorse the belief that social entrepreneurship can benefit the developing world.

Geographical challenges to people in Southern Africa is a cause targeted by the Buffalo Bicycle Company, who build their bicycles specifically for the terrain and its difficulties. In Myanmar, the work of the Phandeeyar tech hub civil society groups connects those seeking to develop products in line with the country’s economic growth with technology professionals.

Education, not just in the traditional sense, but also in terms of leadership, social abilities and entrepreneurship, is the focus of Afroes, who provide their services to young people in South Africa through games and tools. The list of social enterprises successfully overcoming social issues in the developing world grows by the day.

The progress made by these types of enterprises has increased acceptance that social entrepreneurship can benefit the developing world. As social enterprises continue to multiply throughout developing nations, it has become increasingly apparent that, in order to create systemic change, focus should be placed on public services being used in tandem with social entrepreneurs.

As such, acknowledgment and understanding of the benefits provided through such partnerships should be prioritized by public leaders across the developing world so as to continue affecting the change that is so often drastically required.

– Gavin Callander

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Smart Cities in Nigeria to Help the Country Stay Connected

Smart Cities in NigeriaThe presence of cell phones with “smart” technology is something citizens of the United States and other developed countries often take for granted. This is easy to do in some places because it has become so incorporated into the economy. A new push for smart cities in Nigeria aims to do the same for the developing world.

Recently, the Federal Government of Nigeria decided to embrace the idea of smart technology and incorporate it into Nigeria’s cities, hence the smart cities initiative. This initiative aims to implement technology with internet capability throughout as much of Nigerian city life as possible, in order to connect everyone’s devices to the extent similar to a country like the United States.

This will be accomplished through a partnership with Huawei, a global technology company with over 180,000 employees.  The company’s goal is stated to be to build a “better-connected world.”

In 2016, there were 75 million smart phone users in Africa, but this number is expected to reach 512 million by 2018.  Therefore, the Ministry of Communications in Nigeria has decided to launch the Smart City initiative in order to involve state and local governments in the push for smart cities.

Mr. Tank Li, the managing director of Huawei Technologies Nigeria Limited, states that the “Nigerian government has realized the potential of its digital economy.  Unlocking the dividends of digital economy becomes imperative in the face of dwindling oil revenue…infrastructural deficit, high unemployment rate, harsh business environment and corruption amongst others.”

The idea of a digital economy is growing in importance in today’s world, and it is something Nigeria seeks to embrace with its smart cities initiative. Smart cities in Nigeria will hopefully turn Nigeria’s economy in a sustainable positive direction, creating opportunity and efficiency in the next ten years, potentially adding up to $88 billion to the GDP in Nigeria and more than three million jobs.

Germany has stated a willingness to assist and partner with Nigeria as the smart cities initiative develops.  The German ambassador to Nigeria stated that Germany is ready to partner with Nigeria from the debate stage to the implementation level.

“We project in the near future a digital economy that will bring about enormous changes in society,” said Li.  “This fourth industrial revolution is going to impact people’s lives in unimaginable ways and this will happen through the convergence of the cyber and physical worlds.  The implementation of smart cities in Nigeria is a way for Nigeria to keep up with the ever-changing digital world.”

– Ellen Ray

Photo: Google

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The Use of Technology in Africa

Use of Technology in AfricaTechnology is developed to make life easier and more efficient. The use of technology in Africa has proliferated inside the classroom and throughout rural villages for developmental purposes. However, large corporations have started to view Africa as an open market, and now new technological devices are being used throughout the continent to solve some of the world’s greatest obstacles, such as world hunger.

Previously, the majority of African farmers used traditional farming styles to produce crops each season. Each farmer’s products were traded between local tribes or at regional markets, so expensive tools or a large farm was unnecessary. As a small percentage of farms grew, some took advantage of the technology available. African entrepreneurs are now interested in how farmers work and how they can help improve yields.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world’s population will grow to 9.1 billion by 2050. In order to feed that amount of people, global food production must increase by 70 percent.

Africa is projected to house approximately two billion people by 2050, so farm productivity must accelerate at an even faster rate than the global average to avoid continued mass hunger. Africa has suffered from continued famine and drought for decades at current population rates. With more mouths to feed, the consequences will be dire.

Farming technology will become increasingly important not only to Africa, but to the world and humanity itself.

Aerial images from satellites or drones, soil sensors, weather forecasts and cameras make it possible to manage and monitor crop growth. Automated systems provide early warnings if there are deviations from normal growth or other factors, giving the farmer time to plan and adjust.

Zenvus, a Nigerian precision farming startup, measures and analyzes soil data. Soil data includes temperature, nutrients and vegetative health. These aspects help farmers apply the right fertilizer and the perfect amount of irrigation to their farms.

The three largest tech companies on the ground that are increasing the use of technology in Africa are IBM, Microsoft and SalesForce. IBM realizes financial inclusion is the largest challenge within Africa, since approximately 80 percent of the population has no access to financial services. Microsoft developed 4Afrika, which focuses on instilling the knowledge of technology into the people, increasing access, building skills and creating the ability to eventually develop technology within Africa. SalesForce focuses on micro-financing for social enterprises and small rural farmers, among other projects.

Whether used as a tool for learning, a window to knowledge or a portal to share thoughts, the use of technology in Africa has drastically risen in the last decade. Precision farming methods have improved farm productivity and reduced input waste by using analytics to facilitate data-driven farming practices for small-scale farmers. However, much technology, investment, creative thinking and science is needed to feed the population of 2050. Technology, knowledge and innovation should be praised and rewarded in any country.

– Danielle Preskitt

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Solar-Powered Lanterns Boost Grades for Kenyan Students

Solar Powered LanternsMore than one billion people around the world do not have access to electricity, as is the case in northern Kenya. When the sun sets, many families and health facilities rely on kerosene lamps as a source of light. These, however, are a major hazard, especially for young students who need to be able to study late into the night. Not only do they cause a fire hazard but they can also cause a strain on vision and respiratory problems.

The Panasonic Corporation began The Solar Lantern Project to provide a safer alternative for light in northern Kenya. The company donated more than 2,000 solar-powered lanterns to schools and clinics in the counties of Samburu and Isiolo.

The solar-powered lanterns have become a huge success in the schools of northern Kenya. They are recharged there during the day and are taken home by students at night to allow them to study and complete their homework. Students are not risking their health when they use the lamps.

Parents of students in northern Kenya can save almost two percent of their monthly expenses when their child brings home the solar-powered lanterns. In an interview conducted by Medium, a Kenyan mother stated that she “had to spend 20 shillings on kerosene every day.” Thanks to the solar-powered lanterns, she saves “around 1,000 shillings a month.”

Solar energy has become a popular alternative to electricity in many poor countries. It is accessible anywhere and an alternative source that is sustainable. According to research conducted by the International Energy Agency, “enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 90 minutes to meet the entire planet’s energy needs for a year.”

The environment also benefits from using the Panasonic solar-powered lanterns instead of kerosene lamps. The fumes that come from burning kerosene contaminate the air and only further global warming. If one million lamps are in use by the end of 2018, they are “expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 30,000 tonnes between 2014 and 2018.”

Panasonic’s solar-powered lanterns may seem like a small solution, but they are allowing students to learn better and more safely outside of the classroom. The benefits of these lamps will continue to improve poverty in Kenya, slowly, but at least in the right direction.

– Mackenzie Fielder

Photo: Flickr

New Smoke Detector Bolsters Fire Safety in Kenya

Fire Safety in Kenya
In the slum communities of Nairobi, Kenya, residents often lack basic protections from the risk of fire. Poor electrical wiring, risky cooking practices and poorly constructed housing create a deadly environment for the city’s poorest residents.

One technology company, Halo Smart Labs, has developed a smoke detector that can dramatically increase fire safety in Kenya, especially in the country’s urban fringe.

The poor neighborhoods that ring Kenya’s capital city are largely “informal” communities, built spontaneously and out of urgent necessity, with little to no concern given to potential hazards such as floods or fire. Electrical grids exist but are often temperamental and dangerous, with wires hanging loosely from casings; death by electrocution is not uncommon. Homes are constructed using cheap materials and cooking is often carried out using paraffin stoves with adulterated fuel.

2011 was a particularly devastating year, when an estimated 25,000 Kenyans were left homeless from blazes. All of 2014 and June of 2017 also saw major fires rip through communities.

A smoke detector system is desperately needed for Kenya’s urban slum dwellers – which led to the development of a device able to be installed in ill-equipped communities. Halo‘s technology allows an alarm to be placed in a home for minimal cost and without the need for a reliable electrical connection. An SMS feature also allows nearby residents and fire fighters themselves to receive instant updates on a developing situation.

The organization has partnered with the Kenyan Red Cross for the venture, which has already carried out a successful trial run. Company executives conducted site surveys, trained local administrators and oversaw initial testing. Combined with the Red Cross’s community connections and local expertise, the device has the capability to drastically improve fire safety in Kenya and its vulnerable urban centers.

Plans are currently underway to expand the rollout of the device. In terms of how many users the smoke detector could acquire, Halo has set an ambitious goal of one billion by 2025.

Even without reaching this lofty goal, Halo’s technological innovation can dramatically reduce the fire risks that too frequently come part-and-parcel of living in slum communities around the globe.

– Jonathan Riddick

Photo: Flickr

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Using Technology to Collect Poverty Data

Collect Poverty DataIn order to provide an impoverished area with the necessary aid, extensive and detailed data needs to be collected. Data can identify specific regions in poverty along with the types and causes of poverty in those vicinities. Yet, traditional pen and paper data collection is time consuming and error prone. Using technologies such as mobile phones and tablets as well as developing new information-collecting technology is a way to collect poverty data that can solve the glitches data collection has suffered in the past.

In the past, enumerators, or data collectors, would travel house to house and conduct paper surveys in order to acquire information on those living in poverty. These answers would then be manually transferred onto a computer.

Now, enumerators are using tablets that send survey answers to a centralized system. The tablets also have a GPS system that tracks the enumerators’ processes and makes sure they are in the right area. The tablets also allows for enumerators to record video interviews. This provides a visual context for the living conditions in certain impoverished areas.

Mobile phones are another great resource for data collecting. The World Bank’s Listening to Africa initiative uses cellphones to send out surveys as well as to monitor crises. The initiative plans to pass out phones and solar chargers to all respondents who don’t already own them. Mobile surveys provide a cheap way to gather frequent data from a large amount of people. Crises such as famines and natural disasters can be reported and monitored in real time as well by calling those in affected areas.

New information gathering technology is also being developed to make data collecting easier. Satellite imagery is being used to measure how many people live in poverty in certain areas and assess living conditions of these populations. Likewise, Smart Survey Boxes are being installed in households to automatically monitor power outages and energy quality in areas like Tajikistan.

With extensive data that’s up to date, the causes of and solutions to poverty can be better understood. Using technology to collect poverty data may be the solution to providing better aid to the world’s poor.

– Hannah Kaiser

Photo: Flickr

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3-D-Printed Prosthetic Limbs

3-D-Printed Prosthetic LimbsCompanies have started using 3-D printing technologies to create prosthetic limbs for amputees in developing and war-torn countries. The loss or congenital absence of limbs is prevalent in many third-world nations. Reasons for this, according to The Guardian, include war, disease and random accidents.

Amputations are an especially heavy burden in cultures based around agriculture. An inability to farm leads to causes families to provide support for amputees, a heavy burden for those already poverty-stricken.

Typical prosthetics are incredibly expensive for citizens. Many of them can run up to thousands of pounds, according to The Guardian. 3-D-printed prosthetic limbs, however, are much cheaper. In fact, the cost of acquiring one is sometimes as little as 40 pounds.

Regular prosthetics also take a significant amount of time to make. The Guardian estimates that the process of measuring a prosthetic for the right fit, building a mold and getting amputees used to prosthetic can take up to a week.

However, turnaround times for the 3-D-printed prosthetic limbs streamlines this process. TRT World explains how scanners can take an amputee’s measurements in minutes, reducing the construction of 3-D limbs to several hours.

3-D-printed prosthetic limbs are also convenient for child amputees because they are still growing. According to TRT World, prosthetic limbs have to accommodate for children getting taller and gaining and losing weight. 3-D models can be sized and adjusted for the patients’ particular necessities.

Another appeal specifically towards children is the variety of appearances that 3-D-printed limbs can take. The limbs often come in many different colors and designs. For example, the Cyborg Beast prosthetic hand designed by Jorge Zuniga is created specifically to look like a robot for the enjoyment of children.

However, 3-D-printed prosthetic limbs are not without their faults. According to The Guardian, the prosthetics are often too heavy to maneuver, and they can melt in high temperatures.

Regardless, 3-D printing technology is improving. Companies Po and Thalmic Labs, for example, have created the MyPo, which uses 3-D-printed prosthetic limbs and muscle and nerve-reading technology to simulate the movement of natural limbs.

In spite of their shortcomings, the technological advances show that 3-D-printed prosthetic limbs are worth the investment of time and resources.

– Cortney Rowe

Photo: Pixabay

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Kenyan Teenagers Develop an App Fighting FGM

App Fighting FGMFive Kenyan teenage girls have been invited to participate in the finale of the international Technovation Challenge in Silicon Valley in August. They have developed I-Cut, an app fighting FGM, or female genital mutilation.

I-Cut offers help to girls that are in danger of FGM or have already experienced it: it connects them to rescue centers and gives them information about where to get legal or medical help. In situations of immediate risk, girls can also use the app’s panic button to alert local authorities.

FGM was outlawed in Kenya in 2001 already. Its prevalence has since declined: from 37 percent in the late ’90s to 21 percent in 2014. Young women today are less likely to get cut than their mothers.

A 2014 study found that the prevalence of FGM in Kenya gets linked to the levels of education, socioeconomic status and media exposure. Additionally, girls are at a higher risk of being cut in rural areas. The highest prevalence got found in the North Eastern province, where 97 percent of women had undergone the procedure.

FGM does not entail any health benefits, but the risk of numerous immediate and long-term risks to the victims’ physical and mental health. Possible effects include infections, death, urinary and sexual problems, death, childbirth complications, PTSD, depression and anxiety.

I-cut was developed by Ivy and Macrine Akinyi, Cynthia Awuor, Stacy Adhiambo and Purity Christine, aged 15 to 17, who call themselves the “Restorers.” In an interview with Reuters, the girls said they had friends who became victims of FGM, and that they wanted to “restore hope to hopeless girls.”

The team beat nine other Kenyan semi-finalists and qualified for the finale of the Technovation Challenge, an annual event sponsored by Google, Verizon and the United Nations. Technovation challenges girls to create apps that address problems in their communities and translate them into a business. It aims at teaching girls entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

The girls will compete against five other teams of girls from all over the world in the competition’s senior division and hope to win $15,000 with their app fighting FGM.

However, it is not merely about winning. As Owino states, “Whether we win or not, our perspective of the world and the possibilities it has will change for the better.”

– Lena Riebl
Photo: Flickr

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New Apps That Are Helping Refugees

Helping RefugeesToday, web and cellphone apps are being used by billions of people around the world. With so many applications being free there is an increased number of people who can access them. Today new apps are being created in order to help those who are in distress, such as refugees. Here is a list of just three new apps of this year that are helping refugees translate, gain access to information and connect with their families.

Tarjimly is a new translator app that connects volunteer translators to people, such as refugees or immigrants, who need translations in real-time for medical or legal purposes. Tarjimly acts as a Facebook messenger bot connecting an immigrant or refugee to a translator in an anonymous conversation. This app just recently launched in February of this year and already has more than 2,000 translators signed up.

Arrived is another app that is helping refugees gain quick access to information. Called “the hub of immigrant information,” this app is free and is available on Apple and Android phones. One of the things the app provides is the latest news about immigration. This news section also provides analysis of legislative proposals and actions in Washington. Arrived also provides information about deportation processes, English lessons and a study guide for citizenship tests. There is a section of answered questions that are most common that have been researched and a map to show law clinics and sanctuary cities in the U.S.

RedadAlertas is a web app that has not been released yet but will be arriving soon. Created by Celso Mireles who was previously an undocumented immigrant, this app delivers alerts about what is happening in different areas. Notifications about areas that have ICE raids, checkpoints or any type of confrontation will be sent out to its users. The app will work through crowdsourcing, which relies on people at scenes of an area to verify and provide details about what is happening. RedadAlertas hopes to help vulnerable immigrants in risk areas while also allowing legal aid groups, community organizations or activists to help immigrants.

These apps are helping refugees and immigrants around the world. These apps are versatile and all free so that they can be accessible to all users. By providing access to information, translators and up to date notifications these apps are allowing refugees and immigrants to get the help they may need.

– Deanna Wetmore
Photo: Flickr

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STEM Programs in Kazakhstan Invest in Young Engineers

STEM Programs in Kazakhstan
Robot battles, solar trackers and a laser that shoots for the moon — these are the inventions of western Kazakhstan’s youngest engineers. As part of their experience with the Zangar Initiative, which runs several STEM programs in Kazakhstan, these students combined the math and science they learn in school with the technological skills and hands-on experience that the initiative provides. The results seem almost like science fiction.

The results seem almost like science fiction. Although supported by Chevron and the International Youth Foundation, the community propels the initiative. The young people and their families chose the name “Zanger,” which is Kazakh for “mighty.”
The participating students are taught to use the engineering design process, a step-by-step guide for how to turn a brilliant idea into a concrete model. The process gives students a straightforward way to address a problem. They also learn skills like C programming and 3D design, which are not in the school curriculum, and have access to high-tech equipment.

The teens who participate in the STEM Capstone after-school clubs learn more than just technical skills. They often work in groups and learn both teamwork and stress management. One of the key tasks of a teammate, besides helping with design, is to steer his or her fellow engineers away from the temptation to give up should the early prototypes fail.

Perseverance is always rewarded. Many of these students go on to win regional and even national competitions. One student who created a laser designed to beam Helium-3, a potential clean energy source, from the moon to the earth, received a scholarship to the university of her choice in Kazakhstan.

The students of these STEM programs in Kazakhstan gain confidence in themselves and have high motivation to continue learning. Many of them gain the courage to become entrepreneurs. The program also opens their eyes to the needs of the community, inspiring service work and volunteering.

In December 2016, the city of Atyrau hosted its first STEM and English fair, featuring games and activities provided by the Zangar Initiative. Government officials hope that STEM programs in Kazakhstan will inspire a new generation of scientists and entrepreneurs, promoting economic and technological development within the country.

– Emilia Otte