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Digital Dividend Digest vol. 56
January 12, 2005
CONTENTS
1. "Eradicating
Poverty through Profit" Brings New Energy
2. Virtual Conference
Summary Now Available
3. New in the Digital Dividend
Clearinghouse: BushNet, Sandalwood Forest Tracking, Dictionary
of Signs for the Deaf
4. Special Opportunities:
UNESCO Information for All Program, 2005 Community Learning
Awards
1. "Eradicating Poverty through Profit"
Conference Report and Thanks
From December 12 through 14, World Resources Institute
convened the "Eradicating Poverty through Profit"
conference in San Francisco, California. More than 1,100 attended
the 3-day event, representing more than 60 countries and over
500 unique organizations. Digital Dividends would like to
thank many of its close friends and collaborators for making
the trip to share their experiences implementing information
technology solutions as part of BOP business models. We would
also like to thank everyone who sent us feedback during the
run-up to the conference.
Conference proceedings are currently being prepared for public
release. Stay tuned to the Digest for more information regarding
the various written, audio, video, and photographic materials
that will be posted to the conference web
site in the coming weeks.
2. Technology, Globalization and the Poor: Summary
of the GKD-Digital Dividend Virtual Conference
Can Technology and a Business Approach Make Globalization
Work for the Poor?
Is Profitability Essential for Sustainability?
During four weeks in November and December 2004, the GKD-Digital
Dividend "Technology, Globalization and the Poor"
Virtual Conference attempted to explore these questions. Business
leaders, NGOs, researchers, and many other voices from the
field all weighed in with a variety of viewpoints. Digital
Dividends has just posted a searchable compilation of this
enlightening discussion.
To read the summary, click
here (Adobe
Acrobat PDF reader required)
3 . New in the Digital
Dividend Clearinghouse: BushNet, Sandalwood Forest Tracking,
Dictionary of Signs for the Deaf
Twelve new projects have been entered since the last
Digest. Among the highlights:
BushNet
BushNet is a Ugandan company that operates a profitable
and sustainable business providing valuable services to local
micro-finance institutions, banks, NGOs and multinational
corporations. With its profits, BushNet subsidizes Internet
service delivery to underserved populations. Bushnet's Wireless
Highspeed Data Network, dubbed Ten by Ten for its extensiveness,
services schools, health clinics, and poor communities throughout
Uganda.
Sandalwood Forest Tracking
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Centre for Development
of Advanced Computing are teaming up to prevent theft of sandalwood
trees from India's disappearing forests. In hopes of curbing
theft, the valuable trees will be implanted with a microchip
that transmits signals to a satellite. These signals will
be relayed to a nearby forest office, and any suspicious movement
of trees will be investigated by officials.
Dictionary of Signs for the Deaf
The Dictionary of Signs for the Deaf project, of the University
of Education of Ho Chi Minh City, will help to standardize
signing practices throughout Vietnam, thereby improving the
quality of education of the deaf and facilitating their integration
into society. Using digital cameras, the project captures
both national and regional signs and compiles them into a
web-accessible dictionary.
4. Special
Opportunities: UNESCO
Information for All Program, 2005 Community Learning Awards
UNESCO
Information for All Program
UNESCO calls for proposals for projects to be funded by its
Information for All Programme, an international information
society initiative launched in 2001. Proposals with budgets
ranging from approximately US$25,000 (national projects) to
US$45,000 (international projects) should cover one of three
areas: information literacy, preservation of information,
and ethical, legal and societal implications of the information
society. Projects shall have specific, measurable, achievable,
realistic and time bound objectives and be operationally,
technically and financially feasible. They must include an
evaluation component. Projects submitted should also contribute
to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and
correspond to the areas of the Action Plan adopted by the
World Summit on the Information Society. Applications must
be submitted no later than February 20, 2005.
2005
Community Learning Awards
The Community Learning Awards celebrate the impact
of learning initiatives that involve the whole community.
These Awards focus on programs that develop the skills people
need to enable them to contribute to improving our workplaces
and communities. These awards recognize initiatives that enhance
learning using technology. The focus is on community initiatives,
delivered through partnerships that help individuals develop
skills and competencies enabling them to participate more
fully in the community. Entries must be postmarked no later
than March 25, 2005.
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