by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Feb 5, 2015 | ICT, Mobile phones, Uncategorized, Voice
For an updated discussion, read this recent comparison between SMS and Voice for data gathering in Indonesia. We live and work in the Philippines, which has been dubbed the “Text messaging capital of the world.” So we are very familiar with the power of 160...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Jan 29, 2015 | Uncategorized
If you’re reading this, you’re one of the 40% of people in the world with access to the Internet. Humanitarian groups, online businesses, and tech loving individuals are all vying to bring the Internet to the 60% currently offline. But meanwhile, a conversation about...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Dec 17, 2014 | Announcements, Disaster Relief
Barely one year after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) devastated the Philippines, another Super Typhoon – named Hagupit but known in the Philippines as Ruby – was headed down the same path. The storm did slow down and was categorized as a category 3 typhoon, but it retained...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Dec 3, 2014 | ICT, Technology
If you’re reading this, you’re part of the 40% of the world’s online population. While it may be hard for you to remember a time before you answered all unknown questions with, “Just google it,” 4.4 billion people have never used a search engine. In depth studies on...
by Christine Hortinela | Nov 12, 2014 | Disaster Relief
Last November (2013), Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) ravaged the province of Leyte and other nearby parts of the Philippines, killing thousands. Many more were displaced, lost all of their possessions, and were stricken even further into poverty. As part of the recovery...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Nov 6, 2014 | ICT, Technology
In 2014, when mobile phones globally outnumber toilets, it seems pretty obvious that technology will have a major impact on an international public health crisis like Ebola. But obviously, not all approaches are equal. A recent amusing example was when a United...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Oct 23, 2014 | Mobile phones
According to UNESCO, “Literacy is universally linked with poverty reduction, economic growth and wealth creation.” If you’re interested in development, poverty reduction, healthcare, and essentially any global social justice issue, you’re sure to agree that improving...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Sep 10, 2014 | Social Enterprise, Technology
In late August, brilliant minds and passionate hearts from around the globe gathered in Cebu, Philippines for the second annual “Geeks on a Beach” conference. engageSPARK founder and CEO, Ravi Agarwal, hosted a panel on social enterprises. Instead of the standard...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Aug 21, 2014 | Uncategorized
A couple of years ago, I was chatting with a college friend who, like me, is passionate about entrepreneurship, tech, and combating social injustice. “Microfinance is the key,” he said. “You help women, you end poverty.” I think most of us have moved past that...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Aug 14, 2014 | Uncategorized
When I tell people about engageSPARK’s cool ability to “personalize” SMS messages – for example, automatically inserting each recipient’s first name at the beginning of each message when sending out 1,000 text messages – they generally respond with, “That’s awesome!...
