Archive for category: Technology

Information and stories about technology news.

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How Technology can Alleviate Poverty

Technology can Alleviate Poverty
Politicians everywhere are starting to learn the relation between technology and poverty. They are starting to realize that in the growing demand for new innovations in technology plays a part in the solution to poverty. Technology makes not only global communication and information access easier, it also creates infrastructure and development in developing nations, helps discover and get access to alternative resources, and along with all this, helps create many jobs and stimulates the economy.

 

In Practice: Technology Eradicating Poverty

 

Chile’s president, Sebastian Pinera, sees the importance of technology and how it can alleviate poverty. The Chilean government has almost doubled their investment in technology. Pinera hopes this will help Chile rise out of poverty by the end of the decade. Various programs in Chile encourage innovation and development of technology. From organizations that give grants to entrepreneurs to organizations that support travel abroad (such as Silicon Valley in California) to see and learn how the hub of technology works, there is a lot of encouragement of creativity and innovation in Chile. Such dedication to eliminating poverty helps not just those living in poverty, but also the national economy, and the world with the possible technological innovations.

Organizations like Practical Action focus on helping those living in extreme poverty with the help of technology. Their concept of technology justice, that technology should be aimed at helping humanity rather than just focused on pleasing the consumers who can afford technology, is something that will greatly benefit those in need. By bringing those living in poverty access to technologies such as electricity, technology that ensures clean water, technology that improves agricultural yield, and preparation for natural disasters, Practical Action gives them opportunities that bring not only financial stability and good health, but also the opportunity to rise out of poverty.

– Aalekhya Malladi

Sources: Bloomberg, Practical Action
Photo: Twisted Sifter

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History of the Nobel Peace Prize

Nobel peace price borgen project
The Nobel Peace Prize is the most distinguished prize in the world. Every year, one individual “who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses” is awarded the prize. The prize is the stuff of myth in terms of both prestige and mystery: how and why was it ever conceived? Why is the Peace Prize so legendary and illustrious?

In 1895, Swedish industrial magnate Alfred Bernhard Nobel hand-drafted the first conceptions of the prestigious Nobel Prizes in his will. Nobel left his vast wealth for the awarding of five annual prizes to five individuals in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology/Medicine, Literature, and, most prestigious of all, Peace.

The man behind the prize is a character steeped in paradox and enigma. Son of salt-of-the-earth inventor and builder Immanuel Nobel, Alfred Nobel’s childhood was filled with frequent moving and change from Stockholm to St. Petersburg, and from modest means to bourgeois status. Growing up, Nobel was a quiet intellectual who preferred the solitude of philosophy books and writing; his weak health surely contributed to his broody temperaments.

Alfred Nobel, along with his brothers, was tutored to become fluent in five languages, and taught fundamental mathematics, physics, and chemistry while in St. Petersburg. He eventually received training to become a chemist and engineer, leading to his invention of dynamite as well as other explosives used in modern warfare. Ironic, for the man who would become posthumously famous for the most famous prize in world peace, explosives was Nobel’s industry and base for wealth.

It is suggested by historians that his belated adjustments to his will to include the Prizes were inspired by a poignant but nevertheless strange occurrence. When his brother died in Cannes, France in 1888, the French papers mistook his brother for the Alfred Nobel. The headlines read: “Le marchand de la mort est mort” (“The Merchant of Death is dead”). His brother’s obituary was eerily a dress rehearsal for his own—one that he did not want for himself for when his time finally came. Historians conclude that Nobel, who was also a philosopher and pacifist, belatedly added the prizes to his will to ameliorate his fears of posthumous disrepute.

The curious case of Alfred Nobel aside, the prestige of the Nobel Peace Prize is an undeniable medium of both change and historic record. Reading the accomplishments of the award through its 110 years is to turn through the pages of Modern history.

For example, there were no prizes for award peace during the tumultuous First World War that ended with no victors—only a whimper. The only prize awarded during the war years was to the Red Cross. The same occurred during WWII.

In the 1990s, “Pluralist Globalization” seemed to be the theme of the prizes. In 1990 for example, Mikhail Gorbachev was controversially awarded the Peace Prize because The Norwegian Nobel Committee had seen that he had done the most to end the Cold War. In 1993 Nelson Mandela and Frederick Willem de Klerk were award the Peace Prize for their work towards ending the violence and oppression of Apartied in South Africa.

But above all controversy and politics, the prize paints an enduring narrative of the human desire for salvation from suffering and war.

– Malika Gumpangkum

Sources: Britannica, Nobel Prize, Sweden
Photo: ABC

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What is Measure DHS?

Measure_DHS
How prevalent is anemia in children and women? Is there a good vaccine against malaria available where it’s needed the most? What are the consequences of domestic violence? And what are some complications resulting from second-hand smoke?

Seeking to provide accurate answers to these, and many other questions of similar nature, MEASURE DHS (Monitoring and Evaluation to Assess and Use Results of Demographic and Health Surveys) is a comprehensive database which employs a wide variety of household surveys and evaluation methods around the globe.

There are over 300 survey templates spread across more than 90 countries. Complementing the survey results, biological markers and GPS data are often collected together with the survey questions for maximum accuracy. Through an online platform called STATcompiler, DHS results are viewable in scatter plots, charts and maps – these are all sorted by indicator and year.

The purpose of DHS is not solely to collect and catalogue, though. Evaluating valuable statistics on disease, fertility and nutrition is crucial to solving global issues within those, and other categories.

Two kinds of surveys are utilized to ensure the most precise measuring data technique: standard and interim. The former is conducted at circa five-year intervals to allow for comparison over time, and the latter deals with key performance monitoring. Although both types are nationally representative, sample sizes for standard surveys tend to be much larger than interim.

Started in 1984 by ICF International and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), data collected by DHS is used for planning new programs in host countries and policy formation. Developing countries are specifically targeted in this long-running project, and many of the findings are published online.

For instance, an interesting trend has recently been discovered that seems to disprove the common misconception that HIV affects impoverished communities most: factually, HIV-afflicted citizens of many of the countries surveyed have a tendency to belong to the wealthiest families.

MEASURE DHS is open to communicating with the media for coverage of results and promotion of new survey distributions; this way, it becomes possible to reach as many people as possible and collect an accurately representative sample.

When new information comes to light and is indicative of a desired policy change, MEASURE DHS often forms partnerships with other organizations in order to help understand and get the most out of the results and develop new, effective programs as a response. For example, after the 2003-2004 Tanzania HIV Indicator Survey, MEASURE DHS developed a curriculum which aided hundreds of professionals in their work with AIDS/HIV, and worked together with Pathfinder, Pact Inc., and the Tanzania Commission on AIDS.

Together, they organized new training for staff working with HIV/AIDS, which lasted for three days and provided valuable insight for the future of AIDS studies, both on location and in the U.S.

Overall, MEASURE DHS provides essential data from the past few decades which supports and shapes the partner USAID’s (and others’) global work. First-hand quantitative and qualitative questions on the surveys allow for unique and accurate depiction of an entire country’s population. Although the project itself tends to be somewhat underappreciated in social media, it has since its start been the sturdy backbone of humanitarian workers across the nation.

– Natalia Isaeva

Sources: Measure DHS, ICFI

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Jamii Bora Bank and its Fight Against Poverty

jamii_bora_bank
What is the Jamii Bora Bank? Originally known as the Jamii Bora Trust, the Jamii Bora Bank (JBB) was founded in 1999 by a group of Kenyan families in order to serve the needs of citizens looking to escape poverty.

Beginning as a charitable trust, the organization currently specializes in micro finance services for an estimated 300,000 Kenyans with 150,000 new customers acquired in 2013 alone. JBB is not simply a bank; the institution has become an established resource in fighting Kenya’s poverty level over the last decade. The poverty gap around the world has grown dramatically worldwide and Kenya is no exception.

In the past 2 years, JBB has raised its capital by over 1 billion Kenyan shillings and shifted the focus on poverty aid. Initiatives include affordable housing, vast infrastructure improvement, and increased employment. Available banking methods have evolved to provide individuals with the financial tools necessary to gain middle income living through personal, mortgage, small and medium enterprise and agricultural banking.

Bank members are allowed to borrow over twice the amount of funds within their saving accounts which can then be applied to a variety of debts including school bills, healthcare costs, housing payments, and business startups.

Technology has played an important role in the bank’s growth within the last year. Newly implemented programs suggest that lack of access to technology directly correlates to poverty levels, as well. In response, the first ATM debit cards were released to customers by JBB earlier this year. Mobile banking has also become available within the last few months and the addition of Western Union services have enabled Kenyans to connect to the outside world with ease.

The institution has designed an innovative reward program for its citizens. Similar to referral programs favored by U.S. banks, employees, and customers are financially rewarded for successfully referring a friend to enroll in banking services. However, JBB offers rewards for the duration of the new account. In theory, if Customer A convinces Customer B to enroll in services, and Customer B maintains an account for 10 years, Customer A will receive monetary rewards for 10 years.

Jamii Bora also contains a component solely devoted to public health with special focus on issues such as HIV/AIDS, maternal health, child and newborn wellness, and primary/secondary care. Health insurance is available to members and includes maternal care, HIV/AIDS patient inclusion, and inpatient care without any form of co-payment.

The plan is needed in a country where nearly 34,000 children die from malaria annually and an estimated 360,000 are prescribed antiretroviral medications for HIV/AIDS treatment, according to USAID.

The bank continues to strive to reach its goal of 6 million members by 2018. It hopes to expand its current network across the continent, essentially allowing many developing African nations to gain a foothold in the current technology-centric world. Its innovative programs may one day allow millions of Kenyans and their neighbors to escape their current state of poverty.

– Jasmine D. Smith

Sources: Jamii Bora Bank, Health Market Innovations, USAID
Photo: West fm

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Villgro Addresses Rural Agricultural Needs

Many farmers in rural India are unaware of the newest innovations in agriculture. There are many possible causes for this, including lack of marketing, lack of access to information regarding advancements, and a farmer’s financial inability to buy new products. According to the National Council of Applied Economic Research, only 40-45 percent of farmers know about these new technologies, and fewer than that have the financial ability to access the new advancements.

Without the ability to access or buy these products, farmers continue to use obsolete technology, which is not only inefficient, but also more expensive, due to repairs and replacements. Over time, lack of access to the best technology will keep the rural farmers from improving their financial situation.

Villgro Innovation Marketing, recognizing that Indian rural farmers need information about, and access to, the most recent technology, has decided to address the situation.

It has developed a “low cost distribution method” that will send salespeople to rural locations to inform farmers of technologies that could significantly increase their crop yield and, in turn, their annual revenue. In the long term, this could help farmers rise out of relative poverty. Additionally, because Villgro hires salespeople to visit various villages and rural areas, it also offers employment opportunities to the surrounding area.

By addressing the needs of poor rural farmers, organizations such as Villgro give them the chance to overcome poverty. Moreover, the improved economic status of rural farmers would, in turn, advance the regional and national economy of India. Villgro, therefore, has the potential not only to change the lives of individual farmers, but to help a wider community as well.

– Aalekhya Malladi

Sources: Unitus Seed Fund, Villgro
Photo: Baltimore Sun

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Low Blood Oxygen? Phone Oximeter is the App

phone_oximeter
With over a million apps in the Google Play store and nearly that many in the App store, there’s an app for nearly everything–from locking your car doors, finding the perfect recipe for dinner, creating digital watercolor paintings, to monitoring your diet. Now there’s an app for measuring pulse oximetry, or the amount of oxygen in the blood. According to experts, over two-thirds of the six billion cell phone users in the world live in developing nations. The app, called Phone Oximeter, can aid health workers trying to diagnose pneumonia – particularly in children – and pre-eclampsia.

The Phone Oximeter was among ten innovations chosen by the UN and PATH to aid against deaths amongst women and children worldwide, especially deaths related to childbirth. Developed by Dr. Mark Ansermino and colleagues at the University of British Columbia, the device can be attached to a cellphone or tablet in order to measure pulse oximetry. The device can be attached either to the fingertip or earlobe. Reading the results of the Phone Oximeter is simple, according to Ansermino: “When you have got oxygen in your blood, it goes red and when you have not got oxygen in your blood, it goes blue. And that is why we get this tinge around our lips when it is cold because we do not have enough oxygen in the blood around your lips. But also when children get sick … we see the same blue color. So, what we do really is look at this light shining through the tissue and determine the bounds of this red to blue light, and from that we can tell how much of your blood has oxygen in it and how much does not.”

Other potential uses being explored for the Phone Oximeter include monitoring anesthesia in developing countries. Use of pulse oximetry in developed nations leads to significant decreases in the death rate. It detects low blood oxygen levels at the earliest symptoms and allows for a rapid response to the problems that arise thereafter. This can prevent brain damage and death. In the developing world, the death rate from anesthesia is still 100 to 1000 times higher than the rest of the world. As it continues to develop, the hope for the Phone Oximeter is that it would “demonstrate the potential for enhanced delivery of information from a pulse oximeter to enhance the safety of anesthesia care throughout the developing world.”

Designed to be easy to read and to aid healthcare workers at all levels, regardless of specialty, the Phone Oximeter is relatively inexpensive, expected to cost between $10 to $40.

– The Borgen Project

Sources: The Jewish Voice, Medical Daily
Photo: Engadget

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Mobile Devices in Africa Becoming a Basic Necessity

Africa Mobile Technology Essential Development
The number of wireless devices in the U.S. outnumbers the population. With a population of 315 million in 2011, there were approximately 328 million mobile devices in the U.S. Americans enjoy mobile devices, as do an increasing number of the African population. Paul Kagame, current president of Rwanda, captured the growth of mobile devices in Africa by stating, “In 10 short years, what was once an object of luxury and privilege, the mobile phone, has become a basic necessity in Africa.”

Let’s look at some examples:

  • Nigeria: A decade ago, landlines dominated in Nigeria, with about 100,000 phone lines. Today, Nigeria has close to 100 million mobile phone lines and the landline company is no longer in operation.
  • Kenya: In the last decade, mobile phone subscribers have increased 500-fold. Additionally, in 2009, mobile phone sales increased by more than 200 percent when the 16 percent general sales tax was removed. The sales continue to rise.
  • Rwanda: In 2010, mobile phone users grew by 50 percent. Doubled in one year!
  • South Africa: 72 percent of those between the ages of 15 and 24 have cell phones.
  • Africa as a whole: 650 million Africans, particularly the youth, use mobile phones for both social and functional purposes. This by far surpasses the number in the U.S. and Europe.

Although mobile phones across Africa generally consist of low-end Nokia phones used for the Short Messaging Service (SMS), smartphones with Internet capability are on the rise throughout the continent. In some African countries, mobile phones are more common than clean water, bank accounts and electricity, according to the World Bank and African Development Bank.

Why has there been an explosion in mobile phones? The main cause is the increasing reliance on mobile phones by youth. The youth, ages 15 to 24, depend on their mobile device not only for communication, but also for listening to the radio, transferring money, shopping, using social media and more. With some Africans only making $2 a day, many will occasionally skip their meals in order to pay the $5 and $8 monthly cell phone expenses.

Mobile devices are also used as a way of combating many social issues in Africa:

  • Activism: Mobile devices have offered communication, transparency, organization, openness, and empowerment to the electoral process.
  • Education: As mobile devices are more common and more affordable than PC’s, they are used as tools to deliver teaching content. As more than half of the parents in Africa are illiterate, there is hope that these teaching tools will have a positive impact on the education status of African children. In South Africa, MoMath, a mathematical teaching tool, has been launched.
  • Disaster management: With constant wars and genocide occurring throughout Africa, displaced persons are commonplace. Through mobile devices, displaced persons are able to reconnect with their families.
  • Agriculture: Agriculture is one of the largest employers throughout Africa. Through mobile phones, farmers are now able to make better decisions, resulting in more profit. Farmers use mobile phones to research weather information, market prices, and micro-insurance schemes.
  • Health: According to the World Health Organization, nearly 30 percent of drugs supplied in developing countries are fake. Through SMS, buyers can send the code found within a scratch card on the medicine packaging to find out if the drug is fake or not. This is a life saving resource, as in Nigeria, nearly 100 babies died due to ingesting a solvent usually found in antifreeze through their teething medication.

By 2016, there will be an estimated billion mobile phones on the continent of Africa. This has a huge impact for potential investors. In Kenya alone, the use of mobile devices has had a big economic impact. The mobile device industry contributed about $3.6 billion to the country’s GDP and has provided numerous employment opportunities.

– Caressa Kruth

Sources: CNN, The African Report, Washington Post
Photo: Evidence4Action

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Kenya’s Climate Innovation Center

kenya_climate_innovation_center
Climate change affects everyone, but remedies to its effects are best utilized when they are locally relevant, rather than one-size-fits-all.

Launched in September 2012, Kenya’s Climate Innovation Center (CIC) is working to provide entrepreneurs with a forum to design and develop locally minded climate and clean-energy technology. The Climate Innovation Center provides incubation services, financing, market research and capacity building services to local innovators, focusing on projects in the sectors of renewable energy, agri-business and water management.

The first of its kind in the world, the Climate Innovation Center is expected to support up to 70 ventures in the first five years. However, their good work does not come for free. The CIC is funded by the government of Denmark and UK Aid, and is hosted by the Strathmore Business School, in collaboration with the World Bank, Global Village Energy Partnership International, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute.

Some of the measurable outcomes of the CIC’s operations include the creation of jobs and companies, a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, greater climate resiliency, access to clean energy and water, better sanitation and strengthened innovative capacity.

One outstanding member of the CIC is working to increase access to energy sources for people in Kenya. PolyBiogas is an organization that creates digesters, which use a variety of biodegradable materials, such as food waste, livestock dung, waste from agricultural processing, crop materials to generate biogas. This biogas can then be used for cooking, heating, lighting and running engines. Using this alternative source of energy then helps reduce household waste, conserves trees that are being used for firewood and reduces costs to resource-limited people.

A revolutionary in its field, Kenya’s Climate Innovation Center is nurturing the creativity and ingenuity of its own people to solve the world’s challenging environmental problems. The freedom to innovate should not be reserved for the world’s elite, and the CIC is working to develop the vast potential within its own borders.

– Tara Young

Sources: Climate Innovation Center, Think Africa Press, InfoDev
Photo: Green Africa Directory

Crop Failure Predicted By New Computer Program

crops_south_africa
Drought and famine are serious problems that countries with an agricultural based economy face. One bad crop or no crop can bring down the economy and leave many people hungry. With global warming showing its unfortunate consequences of extreme weather patterns on agricultural yield, more people are left hungry. Moreover, extreme weather patterns are not expected to stop anytime soon. That is why Nature Climate Change’s recently published study based on international research about predicting crop yields will be very helpful, especially for those who depend on a fruitful yield and seek to avoid major crop failure.

The study focused on devising a computer program that would successfully predict the crop yield. The study did this by examining 23 years of weather patterns and crop yields. Researchers then tested their program on four different kinds of crops: rice, wheat, maize, and soybean. The program was successful in predicting whether certain crops would fail about 3 months ahead of time, wheat and rice more accurately than the others. This will be a great help to farmers all over the world, as they will be able to  prepare for a crop failure. Precious resources won’t be wasted, and food can be collected and stored to anticipate the months of famine, and alternate work can be sought in order to ensure an income.

Studies like these can help not only the individual farmers but also national and global economies. According to the article, this will help observe worldwide food production. It will also help citizens and professionals alike see what crops/geographical areas are being most devastated by extreme weather patterns. Finally, understanding crop failure and adjusting work at an individual and national level based off the potential crop yield will help the economy stay stable during a difficult period.

– Aalekhya Malladi

Sources: All Africa, Nature Climate Change
Photo: esri

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Why Technology Won’t Solve World Hunger

Technology Won't Solve World Hunger Kids Using Laptop
Ideas for ending world hunger are the subject of deep contention and intrigue. Conversations about how best to go about ending hunger are held among regular people far removed from the international, sociopolitical arena or non-profit sector, as well as among leaders in national governments and conferring minds within the United Nations.

Duncan Green in The Guardian recently reminded the world of the stark contrasts between those who can afford to eat and the nearly 900 million who sleep on empty stomachs. Progressive efforts underway in Ghana and Brazil have seen initiatives such as cash transfers to the impoverished and an increase in minimum wage. These programs have made strides, but in nations like India that are growing exponentially, the government must address the issue.

Of the myriad of ways to eradicate hunger, is technology perhaps a truly viable option at this point? If so, are the contributions made by technology being overlooked as a way to finally solve world hunger, or is technology simply a tool in this case?

Josette Sheeran, blogging for The Huffington Post, seems to think that technology is something of a cure-all for world hunger. She talks of the electronic vouchers used in Palestinian territories that give people greater access to food. The World Food Programme (WFP) is responsible for that, and other projects, such as the one in the Philippines that uses texting to feed workers. People participate in work projects and can collect their payment at participating food shops.

The WFP also uses social media with their WeFeedBack initiative that lets the user online select a favorite food and using a special calculator, can see based on its cost how many children would be fed with it. The calculated amount is what WFP encourages the user to donate.

Not long ago, a lab-grown burger patty was cooked and eaten in view of the public, touted as a way to help save both planet and people. A report from The Atlantic posits that the world already produces enough food to feed a growing global population and that new technology won’t necessarily solve the hunger crisis. Three-dimensional food printers are also a new tech tool being developed, but the report makes the case that in-house food printers won’t be an appliance in every kitchen because regular people cannot figure out the technology.

Why, then, would these technologies work in the emergent world? And, even if labs in emergent nations were capable of mass producing meat, consumption would be limited to the middle class and upper classes.

Sarah Sloat for Pacific Standard cites a 2012 paper by CUNY law student Rebecca Bratspies that says food production has grown inversely proportional to the hungry. Better food distribution will help solve hunger more than technological developments. The feeling, then, is that even with the massive amount of resources available to solve the world hunger crisis, the solutions are not dependent upon increased production.

Technology in food production has proven to increase production, but access is still contingent upon how food is distributed and how easily available it is to those who need it. Getting there may not be an issue of widespread production, but rather individual nations doing what they can to feed citizens.

– David Smith

Sources: The Guardian, The Atlantic
Photo: Huffington Post