NetSquared enables social benefit organizations to leverage the tools of the social web.

Education

FamConex: Connecting Families Across Borders

Project URL: 
http://famconex.org
Short Project Overview: 

FamConex will use mobile phones to preserve cultural/family ties and support cultural identity among children whose families live on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Those on the US side are US citizens & came to the US long ago; yet communication across the border has become difficult at best.

Detailed Project Overview: 

Our project is about family connections – thus the name, FamConex.

We plan to test mobile phone technology to preserve cultural and family ties, support adolescent identity formation, and document changes in culture among children whose families live on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Among the families we are working with, one branch of the family came to the US long ago, invited as part of a program to hire agricultural workers. Members of these branches are legally in this country; many are US citizens.

Still the families have close ties in both countries. Regardless of how established they may be in a US metropolitan area, the soul of family life may be rooted in a small village in Mexico. Families are likely to return to Mexico for significant life events - to be married, to celebrate a daughter’s 15th birthday, to be buried.

Our hope is to provide families with a network of mobile phones capable of running social media applications such as Twitter. Ideally we would then be able to test the efficacy of various social media applications, gathering quantitative data on the ways in which family and cultural ties, along with identity markers, are supported by the media. We would gather qualitative data as well.

As a pilot, we would begin with five sets of iPhones, with five phones on each side of the border. We would then place all users into a Twitter group and ask them to provide us with information on group use. Over the course of the year we would test at least one other social media technology with the iPhone. This pilot project would help us identify any issues that the project might run into, and would tell us whether our idea is feasible.

We are looking for free, off the shelf applications where possible, and find that these are available among the third party applications developed for the iPhone. Twitter is a good example of what we are looking for: members of our participating families can “follow” one another, and can allow us to follow them during the data collection period. Mobile Facebook is another answer.

There may be other applications down the line that may not even have been developed yet. We think that by collecting data on which aspects of mobile communication might support our goals, we and others will be in better shape to identify the most useful technologies for our purposes in the future.

What else have you done in this area?: 

Dale, who heads up this project, uses social media including Second Life to communicate across borders. He has two degrees in Spanish education. He was Deputy Associate Superintendent of School Improvement at the Arizona Department of Education, where his responsibilities included oversight of Educational Technology, implementation of the online Arizona School Improvement Plan, Solutions Teams, and other support for schools struggling with low student performance.  During his career as an educator in Illinois, Indiana, and Arizona he has worked as a Spanish teacher, professional development trainer, teacher mentor, and director of student services.  Dale is certified by AdvancED as a Quality Assurance Reviewer for school accreditation.  In 2003 he was awarded the Arizona Circle of Honor for contributions to K-12 education by the Arizona School Administrators’ Association and the North Central Association. Dale is currently employed by Arizona State University’s Applied Learning Technologies Institute, where he facilitates partnerships among K-12 educators, higher education, and a diverse mix of national and international enterprises.

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Organization supporting your Project, if any: 
Floaters Organization and Transitions: A Place for Dreams
Supporting Organization URL: 
http://aplacefordreams.org
City: 
Phoenix
State/Region: 
Arizona
Country: 
United States
Does your Project have financial support?: 
No
Is the impact area of your Project global?: 
No
If no, what country(s) does it impact?: 
Mexico
United States
Type of expertise needed: 
Technical Expertise
Description: 

The initial project described here will use free, off-the-shelf social media. We will conduct a pilot and will use the same software,to conduct research the results of which will show the efficacy of elements of the software solutions towards the program goals. We would like to have assistance in planning opensource software solutions based on the identified and tested elements.

Type of expertise needed: 
Marketing/Media Expertise
Description: 

Widespread positive attention to the issue facing these families might go a long way in changing attitudes. Families came to the US as part of an invited contingent,  became citizens, then were separated from other parts of their extended families.

Type of expertise needed: 
Policy/Program Expertise
Description: 

We will need ideas for financial sustainability/scalability and for extension to other geographical areas for which there are similar issues.

Sustainability (financial) Model: 

Other than prospective funding, our sustainability model is volunteer based, with a variety of volunteers for technology, translation, delivery of humanitarian goods, etc. Should we obtain funding for this grant, we will see donations via our volunteers in order to continue the mobile project past the funded period of time.

Identified Obstacles: 

While there is iPhone access in Mexico, we do not have data on well this works. We believe that we will be able to overcome technological problems, however.

Project Milestones: 

As with our sustainability model, our financial model is volunteer- and donation-based. For example, a recent contribution to the project is earmarked for the development of  a .mobi website; this weekend, volunteers are making the trek to deliver medical supplies to Mexico as part of a related initiative. We have the FamConex teams in place on either side of the border, but in order to employ the mobile technology, we need funding for the initial 10 iPhones.

Additional Project Idea Representative: 
Sandra Sutton Andrews
Additional Project Idea Representative NetSquared User Name: 
ozma

Building a Sustainable Supply Chain for Portable Appropriate Technology

Project URL: 
http://www.PowerMundo.com
Short Project Overview: 

PowerMundo strives to improve people's lives and conserve nature by connecting millions of people in developing countries to market driven, affordable, appropriate technology.

Detailed Project Overview: 

Business Overview

Imagine paying $10 per month to light your home with a single kerosene lantern or cooking dinner on a campfire in your kitchen. Amazingly, over half the people in the world do not have access to safe and affordable products to meet their basic needs for these simple tasks like cooking meals, lighting homes, or purifying water. As a result, billions of people suffer from preventable illnesses, deplorable living conditions, and energy poverty. Surprisingly there are hundreds of affordable products that can safely meet people's daily needs, save people money, and conserve the environment. If these appropriate technologies exist then why are billons of people who live at the base of the economic pyramid not using these products? To address this problem, we have established PowerMundo, an innovative marketing, wholesale distribution, and micro-franchise company that connects people living in poverty to a network of sustainable resources. We manage a worldwide distribution network for clean technology products and support local economic development in emerging markets. As a result, we improve people’s lives, create employment opportunities, and conserve natural resources.

Initial Target Market

After reviewing eight Latin American markets (excluding Brazil), PowerMundo identified Peru as one of the largest underserved markets for appropriate technology. In Peru, 9.2 million people use traditional biomass cook stoves and 7.5 million Peruvian’s live without electricity. Worse yet, 20,000 Peruvians die each year due to respiratory infections. Similarly, the two leading causes of death for Peruvian children under the age of 5 (excluding newborns) are from pneumonia and diarrheal diseases. Many of these health problems are directly related to indoor air pollution and poor sanitation. To reverse these startling statistics, PowerMundo is targeting the most economically disadvantaged areas of Peru where millions of people lack access to affordable appropriate technology solutions. Following our success in Peru, we will scale up our operations to reach other Latin American markets and other underserved areas of the globe.

 

 

 

What else have you done in this area?: 

Products and Services

PowerMundo coordinates a global network of suppliers, retailers, sales people, and microfinance institutions, to design, brand, and distribute appropriate technology. Our business funnels market information to product suppliers, which helps them develop products that satisfy base of the pyramid customer preferences. Suppliers and manufactures greatly value our services since they receive market research and increased sales with no increase in their marketing budget. PowerMundo supports local economic development by training salespeople to become product distributors. Our microfranchise model creates new jobs and disseminates our products in traditionally hard to reach areas. All products distributed by PowerMundo pay for themselves in less than one year and are healthy for people and the planet. For example, a $25 solar lantern eliminates a $10/month kerosene lamp expense, minimizes indoor air pollution, and reduces CO2 emissions. Our initial product line includes multiple models of: efficient biomass cook stoves, wind-up radios, solar cell phone chargers, and renewable energy lanterns.

Management Team

Our management team has lived and traveled extensively in Latin America and Africa. The team has high level management and entrepreneurial experience in the oil and gas, construction management, and economic development fields. All members of the management team are fluent in English and Spanish.

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Organization supporting your Project, if any: 
Colorado State University Clean Energy Supercluster
Supporting Organization URL: 
http://energy.colostate.edu/
City: 
Fort Collins
State/Region: 
Colorado
Country: 
United States
Does your Project have financial support?: 
Yes
Is the impact area of your Project global?: 
Yes
Type of expertise needed: 
Marketing/Media Expertise
Sustainability (financial) Model: 

Our social venture earns a small margin on each product sold to sustain our operations. Additionally, since many of the products that PowerMundo sells reduce carbon emissions, the enterprise will reduce product prices by selling carbon credits on a voluntary market. Moreover, our independent sales representatives earn a margin on each product they sell. Our financial projections estimate that we will reach profitability within three years. However, we need additional initial financial support from social minded institutions and investors to get started.

Identified Obstacles: 

Undercapitalization is the primary obstacle we face. However, we are actively raising funds to overcome this challenge. Fluctuations in commodity markets also pose a risk for PowerMundo, but we are working with our suppliers to maintain a stable cost structure. Finally, since PowerMundo is operating in multiple countries currency exchange fluctuation is also a risk. Fortunately, PowerMundo can execute currency futures contracts to minimize this risk.

Project Milestones: 

PowerMundo's Goals for 2009 are:

Build and manage sustainable appropriate technology supply chain in Peru.

Distribute over 10,000 appropriate technology products to customers.

Provide base of the pyramid market data to our suppliers, product designers and other inventors and innovators.

Reach over 500,000 Peruvians through print and radio to raise awareness on the benefits of using healthy affordable appropriate technology.

Additional Project Idea Representative: 
Michael Callahan, P.E.
Additional Project Idea Representative: 
Jacob Castillo

AfriAfya Smartphones for eastern Africa

Project URL: 
http://afriafrya.org
Short Project Overview: 

AfriAfya, North America,a 501 (c) 3 was established to leverage an innovative approach for knowledge management of community driven health and development through Information Communication Technologies (ICT’s). We wish to raise funds to explore the impact and logistics of a community Smartphone library to benefit marginalized post conflict countries in eastern Africa. Helping communities gain access to needed Health and Development information.

Detailed Project Overview: 

 AfriAfya, North America,a 501 (c) 3 was established to leverage an innovative approach for knowledge management of community driven health and development through Information Communication Technologies (ICT’s). We wish to raise funds to explore the impact and logistics of a community Smartphone library to benefit marginalized post conflict countries in eastern Africa. Helping communities gain access to needed Health and Development information.

Most North Americans don’t realize that more lives will be saved in eastern Africa in the next ten years by effective use of Information Communication Technology (ICTs) disseminating health and development knowledge we already have than by laboratory or medical research. This may not be true in the rest of the world, but it is in rural post conflict eastern Africa.

In the most marginalized and conflict ridden places in the world, the biggest barriers to Community Health and Development are lack of knowledge and a shared community distrust of outside knowledge. We know how to reduce the risk of infectious disease but in many cases Health Knowledge disseminated by Health Workers from outside the community is misinterpreted or rejected.  And so, outside Health Workers distribute treated mosquito netting which is then used for fishing or wedding veils.

We believe social change will come as a result of communities using knowledge because they have been part of the generation process and will feel ownership of the content and the technology by which it is delivered. It is the our responsibility to raise the funds necessary to bring this basic health and development information to those how need it most in post conflict eastern Africa.

By partnering with global consumer electronics companies we can more effectively create a self-sustaining lending program for mobile technology and health and development content. We have already been working closely with the largest global consumer and media research companies in order to develop effective program evaluation studies. Such research will be critical to demonstrate the value of large scale deployment to our consumer electronics partners. 

We are applying for this grant in order to create the structure necessary to 1) raise funds to implement this program and 2) to establish additional corporate partnerships in the consumer electronics field in order to assist in the technology needs of the program.

In the first phase, we wish to raise funds to conduct a pilot which explores the impact and logistics of a community Smartphone library for easier access to needed Health and Development information. Information dissemination and improved health and literacy through the successful lending and return of mobile technology are our measure of success in the first year. 

In the second year, we want to focus on building self sustainability in the program. If community members begin to improve health and create businesses based on mobile technology – such as market price or availability services, our ability to scale this program to national or even global is greatly facilitated. Sustainability, improved health statistics and micro business development are the measures of success in the second year.

Year three, having demonstrated the value of the program to community health, literacy, and micro business development, we will seek to raise investments from social investors and companies to develop a global mobile library system for the worlds marginalized population.

 

What else have you done in this area?: 

In the most marginalized and conflict ridden places in the world, the biggest barrier to preventing infectious diseases, malaria and HIV are not medical. The biggest barriers to Community Health are Community Knowledge and Shared Community Beliefs. We know how to reduce the risk of Malaria, HIV and many infectious diseases but in many cases Health Knowledge disseminated by Health Workers from outside the community is misinterpreted or rejected. And so, outside Health Workers distribute treated mosquito netting which is then used for fishing. In the marginalized rural communities of eastern Africa, the lack of knowledge that currently exists, or the sociological inability to use that knowledge because of community custom is the greatest threat to health and development.

Since 2001, our organization has operated 34 Health and Development Information Resource Centers (ICTs) throughout rural marginalized eastern Africa. Most of these centers are solar powered. Reflecting the unique and unconventional philosophy of our approach, all of these centers are Community Empowering because the Health and Development content is a blend of Community based and shared knowledge, and, scientific medical and knowledge.

Madison Avenue calls it “viral marketing”, “word of mouth”, “listening”, … . Since 2001, we have encouraged influential community members to create health and development content. We edit it and integrate it with scientific content and then distribute it through our Resource Centers. In this way, community members take ownership of the process and the scientific health and development content assumes a much greater credibility because of this ownership.

We have reviewed the growth rates of mobile in sub-Saharan Africa and contrasted their costs to that of maintaining solar powered ICT Resource Centers. We are currently asking for funds to help us move from stationary solar powered Resources Centers to a pilot test of 3 stationary Resources Centers with mobile technology satellite centers and a widely distributed audience accessing information on mobile devices. The pilot is to be conducted in post conflict South Sudan. The purpose is to study the increase in usage and impact of these satellite centers and mobile devices in these seven villages and compare this impact to the standalone stationary ICT Resource Centers.

We will demonstrate how many local minds (a health Wiki), influential leaders, current medical knowledge and communication technologies can save people from preventable death from infectious disease and malaria

Is there a video that helps describe your Project? If so, enter the embed code here: 
Supporting Organization URL: 
http://afriafrya.org
Does your Project have financial support?: 
No
Is the impact area of your Project global?: 
Yes
Type of expertise needed: 
Other
Additional Project Idea Representative: 
Dr Patricia Tod patriciatod@aol.com
Additional Project Idea Representative: 
Paul Donato pjdonato@afriafya.com

Sponsors

  • Microsoft
  • Yahoo
  • Business Objects
  • Raincity Studios
  • Mozilla Foundation
  • Ready Talk
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  • Adobe
  • Linden Lab
  • Network For Good
  • Wild Apricot
  • Stanford Social Innovation Review
  • L'Atelier North America
  • The Panelist
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