#technology for development

[peacecorps]

“My Spanish teacher from high school in Mill Creek, Washington, and I organized a Skype chat for her 9th graders to talk to some of the kids I work with in Tercero Básico, Guatemala. It was a beautiful opportunity to share across cultures. It is hard to see what is going on here, but it is a bunch of youth all crowded around my laptop. When you don't have a large screen or a projector, you have to make do!”

[peacecorps]

There is still so much to do but for something that started as a simple conversation over much-too-sugary coffee, it is now the primary method for emergency transport in my rural community.

Bronwen Raff, RPCV Dominican Republic, “Creating a community-led, sustainable emergency medical service”

[peacecorps]

Preserving ancient languages with new technology

“The Benin Language Acquisitor app for AndroidOS (or BLA! for short) is just one response to the call for new linguistic resource development, using technology as the means to do so. The application allows users to collect Peace Corps-related vocabulary in their community, offline, and then  upload that data to a cloud database when in range of either cellular data service or Wi-Fi later on. My team’s goal is to create a database of each unique local language, cross-referenced by Volunteers’ posts (so as to track dialectical differences, as well), all while working with the local language tutors and informants in the host community. From there, that database can be used to create dialect-specific language resources and even be used to develop new apps that Americans can use at home to learn some of the many beautiful languages spoken here in Benin.”

[mouseworldnow-blog]

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New Post has been published on http://www.mouseworldnow.com/it-aint-a-cat-n-mouse-game/smart-news/sankalp-forum-rolls-out-sankalp-awards-finalists-for-2014.html

Sankalp Forum rolls out Sankalp Awards Finalists for 2014

New Delhi, India, February 04, 2014: Sankalp Forum, an Intellecap initiative, has announced 24 high impact finalists of Sankalp Awards 2014 – India’s leading social enterprise recognition platform. The finalists have been shortlisted from across seven critical needs sectors including – Agriculture, Food and Livelihood; Clean Energy and Technology; Health, Water and Sanitation, Education and Vocational Training; Financial Inclusion; Technology for Development; and Women Empowerment.

The finalists include three enterprises that have been shortlisted for the Sankalp Alliance Award for Innovation in Clean Cooking solutions that address the problem of indoor air pollution that impacts nearly 3 billion people around the world.

Director-Sankalp Forum, Aparajita Agrawal said, “We are excited to see great innovations focused on tackling social challenges at the BoP. This year, over a third of our finalists cater to India’s low income states, and about 45% of them have a woman in their senior leadership teams.” She added, “The finalists are looking to raise nearly 200 Cr (USD 32 Mn) cumulatively, and this a great opportunity for impact and mainstream investors. Sankalp Forum will enable up to USD 70,000 in cash grants, and forge several investor and mentoring connects.”

The Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards are also designed create a holistic nurturing environment for early-stage businesses and address key issues faced by entrepreneurs. Furthermore, with its recent expansion into Africa, the Forum opens up knowledge corridors and business opportunities for Indian entrepreneurs there.

The Sankalp Awards Finalists will also have the opportunity to present to a global audience of donors, investors, foundations & enablers at the global annual conference in Mumbai in April, the Sankalp Unconvention Summit 2014.

  © Mouseworld Now News Service