Vodacom is hosting three challenges to support people who are using mobile technology to solve problems dealing with education, health, or community information that are deployable in South Africa. Their hope is to find projects that can demonstrate value for users, ease of use and deployment, scalablability, sustainability, and innovation. The winning teams will receive R20,000 ($2,646) and the winner with the most promise will receive an additional R20,000.

Netsquared Jozi will be held once every two months in Johannesburg. These gatherings provide a networking and collaboration opportunity for all those interested in the intersection of social technologies and social change, whether you are part of a non-profit organisation or a for-profit organisation, a funder or a consultant, a developer or an entrepreneur.  The first Netsquared Jozi meetup will be held on 14 July 2009.

Here is a short video clip narrated by Pieter Henning, P Eng  on the SurePower  communication strategy to deal with the serious  power  blackouts

Given the huge strides in equality in South Africa. A ironic twist is that all walks of life are being impacted by the rotating  power disruptions, in contrast to the past which focused only on poor communities.  The video clip depicts the conesquentual losses that can be reduced if the power Utility work hand-in-hand with participating mobile users to apply the available electricity reserves effectively.

By WeBuyItGreen:  promoting green living and fair trade

The factual information below about Little Works was provided by the company itself, a member of Coop America that has been certified by the Fair Trade Federation.

Mark Surman, expert on collaboration, community building and social technology talks to us about how the Shuttleworth Foundation is kick starting South Africa's knowledge economy by using the principles that have made open source so successful.

Volunteer Abroad Programs - Volunteering Work Opportunities

Welcome to A Broader View Volunteers!  We offer international volunteer projects for the globally-minded individual searching for a unique travel experience. A Broader View is a 501 non-profit international volunteer organization offering short and long term volunteer programs in developing countries around the World.  Our volunteer abroad projects are available year round in Central America, South America, Asia and Africa in 19 countries, 45 locations and 160 programs.

The Freedom Toaster is a free vending machine/kiosk that dispenses open source software burned to CD or DVD in locations throughout South Africa. Hudson also evaluates funding proposals and runs technical projects for the Shuttleworth Foundation.