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Digital Dividend Digest vol. 52
October 6, 2004
CONTENTS
1. Virtual
Conference Topics Announced
2. "Eradicating Poverty
Through Profit" Conference Reminder
3. New in the Digital Dividend
Clearinghouse: Cell-Life, LaCarretica.com, ICTs for Minority
Muslim Women
4. Special Opportunities:
2004 UK eWell-Being Awards, Call For Papers - The Radio Conference
2005, Call for Papers - International Conference on ICT in
Education and Development
1. Virtual Conference - Topics
Announced
There will be a virtual conference in association with
the "Eradicating
Poverty Through Profit" Conference in San Francisco.
The intent is to open the discussion to a wider community
than those who are able to come to San Francisco, and ensure
that many voices are heard. The discussion with extend over
four weeks, cover a number of topics, and will be hosted in
part by Global
Knowledge Development with DOT.org,
and in part by Social
Edge with the Skoll
Foundation, all in partnership with WRI's Digital Dividends.
The virtual conference will be highly moderated, and will
enable the participation of NGOs, community groups, entrepreneurs,
small- and medium-sized enterprises, and experts from developing
countries, as well as those from government and the private
sector. 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.
The virtual conference will start Monday, October
25 (watch this space for more information) and will
focus on two themes:
- Globalization and the Poor
"If we stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden
and starting recognizing them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs
and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity
will open up." - CK Prahalad
- Serving and Connecting the Poor, Profitably
"What is needed is a better approach…that involves
sustainable win-win scenarios where the poor are actively
engaged and, at the same time, the companies providing products
and services to them are profitable." - CK Prahalad
Find additional themes at
the Conference home page, and relevant resources in the
Resources section.
2. Conference Reminder: Early registration extended
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 achieve 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 policy makers, business leaders
from major corporations, and entrepreneurs and executives
from companies in emerging markets, to discuss the issues
involved and provide hands-on, solutions-oriented exchanges.
For more information on the Conference and to register, click
here
3 . New in the Digital
Dividend Clearinghouse: Cell-Life,
LaCarretica.com, ICTs for Minority Muslim Women
Eight new projects have been entered since the last
Digest. Among the highlights:
Cell-Life
The Cell-Life Project uses new software for mobile phone
menus to collect necessary data for ensuring effective adherence
to rigorous treatment regimes among South African HIV-AIDS
patients. The project addresses the lack of medical infrastructure
and support for South Africans who have access to antiretroviral
medications. With pilot sites in Cape Town and Durban, Cell-Life
is quickly amassing a large database of information about
its patients that can be used in future cancer research.
LaCarretica.com
LaCarretica.com is an e-commerce web site through which expatriate
Costa Ricans can purchase wares with a taste of home. Begun
by a group of young Costa Rican entrepreneurs, LaCarretica.com
has seen strong sales growth and its success has made it a
model for other, similar ventures. LaCarretica.com helps keep
Costa Ricans abroad connected to national traditions while
creating jobs for those still at home.
ICTs for Minority Muslim Women
Embroiderers and small business owners involved in the informal
economy of Uttar Pradesh now have access to technological
tools that can enhance their enterprises. Datamation Foundation
has created several ICT centers for use by minority Muslim
women in the region. Technology available to the women includes
hand-held computers, multi-media CDs, computer software for
the enhancement and development of embroidery patterns, and
narrow-cast transmission of content over a cable network.
4. Special
Opportunities: 2004 UK
eWell-Being Awards, Call For Papers - The Radio Conference
2005, Call for Papers - International Conference on ICT in
Education and Development
2004
UK eWell-Being Awards
The UK's most innovative local authorities, businesses,
and voluntary sector organizations are being invited to enter
the 2004 eWell-Being Awards. The Awards, developed by SustainIT
- an initiative of the UK Center for Economic and Environmental
Development (UK CEED) - and supported by British Telecom,
are the first in the UK to identify and promote the environmental,
economic, and social benefits of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT). Topic areas for awards include: Digital
Inclusion, eGovernment, Environmental Efficiency, Mobility,
and Wireless.
Projects must have been running for at least one year and
applicants may only enter one project per category. The closing
date for entries is November 30th, 2004. Winning projects
will be announced at an Awards ceremony at a prestigious London
venue in March 2005.
Call
for Papers - International Conference on ICT in Education
and Development
AISECT-2004 is the 20th conference of All India Society
for Electronics and Computer Technology (AISECT) and 2nd conference
of Dr. C.V. Raman University (CVRU), Raipur, which will take
place at Bhopal, the beautiful city of lakes, December 16-18,
2004. The Conference is likely to attract over 500 delegates
from commercial, government, and research organizations from
India and other developing countries.
The goal of AISECT-2004 is to stimulate rapid take-up of Research
and Technology Development results by industry, educational
institutes, research organizations, and SMEs.
Authors are invited to submit original and unpublished technical
papers, business case studies, or visionary papers within
the scope of the conference. Papers should be not longer than
8 pages, excluding the reference list and author's bio-data.
All submitted papers will be reviewed on the basis of technical
quality, relevance, originality, significance, and clarity.
Accepted papers will appear in the conference proceedings
provided that at least one author registers for and attends
the conference. Paper abstracts and tutorial proposals are
to be submitted by October 31, 2004.
Call
For Papers - The Radio Conference 2005
A Transnational Forum for radio scholars, teachers, and
broadcasters is to be held at Rmit University City Campus
in Melbourne, Australia from July 11-14, 2005. There is a
call for papers and presentations to be presented at the conference.
These include: proposals for 20-minute individual papers,
which will be organized into sessions of 3 papers with a chair,
proposals for round tables of several participants which would
occupy a whole 1.5 hour session, and proposals for other kinds
of presentations, performances, demonstrations, debates, etc.
Abstracts of 300 words must be submitted by November 26, 2004.
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