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Digital Dividend Digest vol. 51
September 23, 2004
CONTENTS
1. New "Quick
Look" Case Study Released: Smart Communications
2. "Eradicating Poverty
Through Profit" Conference Updates
3. New in the Digital Dividend
Clearinghouse: OOPS iSee, Mobile Phones for Beggars, Wireless
Roadshow
4 . Special Opportunities:
ELAC-W.K. Kellogg Foundation Contest on Experiences in Social
Innovation, Photoshare Photo Contest, Radio Netherlands Training
Centre Grant
1. New "Quick Look" Case
Study Released: Todito.com and ePAID
Mexico’s Todito.com seeks to engage the low-
and middle-income Mexican market through ePAID, an innovative
remittance and e-commerce tool developed by eCatalystOne.
ePAID facilitates low-cost money transfers between workers
in the United States and family in Mexico. By allowing people
to ship goods to friends and family in Mexico, ePAID eliminates
the need for hard cash transfers. For those who do wish to
transfer cash, there are small, affordable fees. In addition
to ePAID, Todito.com is one of Mexico’s leading providers
of pre-paid Internet cards, an innovative payment mechanism
that opens the telecommunications market to low- and middle-income
Mexicans. Although eCatalystOne originally intended ePAID
to be primarily an e-commerce tool, its cash-based functionality
facilitated its evolution into a remittance instrument.
To read the full text of the case study and to download it
in PDF format, click here
2. Conference Updates: Early registration extended; Virtual
Conference announced
The "Eradicating
Poverty Through Profit" conference, which will be held
December 12-14, 2004, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco,
has extended its early registration cut-off date until October
15, 2004. Individuals who register early can still take advantage
of the 20 percent discount from the regular registration rates.
The Conference will focus on a powerful yet controversial
idea: that we can reduce poverty by harnessing private sector
resources to development goals - as well as on new applications
of information and communications technologies (ICT) and innovative
business models that can accelerate private sector investment
in ways that serve low-income communities in developing countries.
The Conference will bring together some 600 people, primarily
policymakers, business leaders from major corporations, and
entrepreneurs and executives from companies in emerging markets,
to discuss the issues involved and provide hand-on, solutions-oriented
exchanges.
Virtual Conference Announced for the weeks
of October 25 and November 1, 8, and 15
There will be a virtual conference in association with the
Conference in San Francisco, conducted by dot-ORG
and hosted by Global
Knowledge Development.
In order for the Conference in San Francisco to identify approaches
that will be effective in the field, it is essential to involve
as many key stakeholders as possible. However, given financial
and travel constraints, many key stakeholders will be unable
to attend the face-to-face conference. The four-week virtual
conference will allow this important community to have its
voice heard. The virtual conference will be highly moderated,
and will enable the participation of NGOs, community groups,
entrepreneurs, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and university
experts from developing countries. By sharing conference materials
to ensure an informed discussion and by capturing the key
messages and concerns of the virtual dialogue as an input
to the conference, the virtual conference will enrich the
face-to-face conference and contribute to achieving its goals.
For more information on the Conference, including registration
information, click
here
3 . New in the Digital
Dividend Clearinghouse: OOPS iSee, Mobile Phones for Beggars,
Wireless Roadshow
Eight new projects have been entered since the last
Digest. Among the highlights:
OOPS iSee
OOPS Pvt. Ltd. recently debuted OOPS iSee, a software
program that allows low bandwidth users access to high quality
video conferencing technology. Normally, such conferencing
requires expensive equipment and high bandwidth. This low-cost
technology can be used to transfer the benefits of Internet
access even to illiterate users by facilitating communication
between friends and family members, enabling distance education,
and allowing for remote telemedicine diagnosis.
Mobile Phones for Beggars
Initiated by the Grameen Bank, this new project makes loans
of mobile phones and airtime to beggars as a means of generating
additional income. The program targets rural beggars rather
than urban ones, because rural beggars have lower average
incomes. Grameen Bank hopes that, armed with the tools to
make a living on their own, beggars will give up their old
occupation.
Wireless Roadshow
The Wireless Roadshow helps to develop wireless networks in
developing countries. They empower non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) in the developing world to own, operate, and grow their
own Internet infrastructure using wireless technology such
as mesh networking. The project activities range from awareness
building to hands-on technical training.
4. Special
Opportunities: ELAC-W.K. Kellogg Foundation Contest on
Experiences in Social Innovation, Photoshare Photo Contest,
Radio Netherlands Training Centre Grant
ELAC-W.K.
Kellogg Foundation Contest on Experiences in Social Innovation
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC), with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is
taking applications for their Experiences in Social Innovation
contest. Applications may be made for innovative projects
whose main purpose is the good of the community, which are
designed for disadvantaged communities or groups, and which
create conditions for the development and strengthening of
full participation by citizens. 20 Prize winners will be given
grants of varying amounts and the top five finalists will
receive extensive exposure in Latin America. The deadline
for the submission of application forms is November 12, 2004.
Photoshare
Photo Contest
The contest is sponsored by The INFO Project (Information
and Knowledge for Optimal Health Project) and Nikon. Amateurs
and professionals from anywhere in the world are invited to
submit photos of programs in action, pictures illustrating
the realities of urban and rural life in developing countries,
or snapshots from your personal travels, volunteer service,
or work experience. The application deadline is October 1,
2004.
Radio Netherlands Training Centre Grant
Coordinated by Radio Nederland Training Centre (RNTC), the
aim of this grant is to provide financial support to a limited
number of productions for television, radio and Internet in
developing countries. Proposals should be for a television,
radio program or website submission, focusing on issues to
do with development and/or education; they should also include
guarantees that the program will be broadcast or the website
submission is published. The awards will be for a maximum
of €6.000 for a television program, €3.000 for a
radio program and €4.500 for a website. Proposals must
reach RNTC on or before November 1, 2004.
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