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!...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Aug 7, 2014 | Social Enterprise, Technology
When I discuss my career goals with people and talk about the things I’m interested in – namely, technology and social justice – the typical response I get is: “So you want to work for an NGO/Non-Profit?” I am a huge fan of numerous non-profits (in fact, engageSPARK...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | May 15, 2014 | Uncategorized
The Philippines needs more jobs, and some people are hoping that tech can play a part in the solution. I was packing relief goods in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) when I first began to realize the extent of the problem. My fellow packers were...
by Jenny Adlem | Apr 23, 2014 | Mobile phones, Technology
Nigeria has overtaken South Africa to become Africa’s biggest economy. This has the potential to dramatically shift perceptions of the continent. The last time Nigeria calculated its GDP was in 1990 and the new report highlights the importance of new industries such...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Apr 3, 2014 | Mobile phones
Stories about using social media, mobile, and big data to fight crime abound these days. I started to type that “this might seem a little sci-fi to the average 70 year old grandma,” but the truth is: my septuagenarian grandma owns an iPhone, an iPad, a laptop, and...
by Lisa Kalenkiewicz | Mar 13, 2014 | Mobile phones, Technology
We at engageSPARK are passionate about mobile (“m”), big data, and the opportunities that technology brings to community programs and the developing world. But there are possibilities for unintended – sometimes grave – consequences of this integration. Jenny Adlem...
by Avner Mizrahi | Mar 6, 2014 | ICT
Did you know that there is a 23% gap in literacy between adult men and women in South Asia – the highest gap in the world? That 21% of the labor force in Sub-Saharan Africa is unemployed? What about that only 39% of people in developing countries have a mobile phone?...
