Aug 7, 2014 | engageSPARK Platform, Humanitarian Agencies, Social Impact, 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...
May 15, 2014 | Businesses, engageSPARK Platform, Social Impact, 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...
Apr 23, 2014 | Businesses, Market Research, 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...
Apr 3, 2014 | Social Impact
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...
Mar 13, 2014 | Humanitarian Agencies, Social Impact, 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...
Mar 6, 2014 | Market Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Social Impact
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?...
Feb 27, 2014 | Businesses, Market Research, Social Impact
This week we highlight an interesting report and presentation from the GSMA about digital entrepreneurship in Kenya. This report provides a great overview of the state of the startup community and digital services industry in Kenya in 2014 with a special focus on...
Feb 20, 2014 | Humanitarian Agencies, Market Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Social Impact
Toward the end of last year, Grameen Foundation shared its key lessons and resources for the fight against poverty. Provided below is a summary of those lessons – learnt and affirmed by the organisation and some additional details into the foundation’s work and...
Feb 13, 2014 | Social Impact, Technology, Uncategorized
The GSMA has just published a report titled, “Unlocking the Potential: Women and Mobile Financial Services in Emerging Markets,” which provides a very detailed look into how women are using Mobile Financial Services (MFS) and the challenges and learnings...
Feb 5, 2014 | SMS, Technology
Every six months the global technology consultancy ThoughtWorks publishes a Technology Radar report. The Radar “provides insight and advice into cutting-edge techniques, tools, languages and platforms that are driving next-generation software development.”...
