Practical Insights on Technology for ICT4D Projects

Please RSVP: Are Mesh Networks in Development Practical or Preposterous?

Please RSVP: Are Mesh Networks in Development Practical or Preposterous?

Published on: Sep 19 2014 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Please RSVP: Are Mesh Networks in Development Practical or Preposterous?
We all love the Internet, but we often think of it as a virtual cloud, untouchable by the common person. However, with new advances in computer networking any one...
Respect Myanmar’s Ethnic Diversity: Use Unicode Fonts Online

Respect Myanmar’s Ethnic Diversity: Use Unicode Fonts Online

Published on: Sep 15 2014 by Wayan Vota - 1 Comment
Burmese is the dominant language of Myanmar, but its had a long and winding journey in the digital realm, and now there is a tension between two competing systems...
Wow! Viber Beats Facebook in Myanmar

Wow! Viber Beats Facebook in Myanmar

Published on: Sep 12 2014 by Wayan Vota - 1 Comment
Often, we have the perception that a developing country’s use of technology is limited to voice and SMS text messages on basic or feature phones. When you...
Do Development Constituents Have a Right to Be Forgotten Too?

Do Development Constituents Have a Right to Be Forgotten Too?

Published on: Sep 11 2014 by Wayan Vota - 1 Comment
Since Google started to comply with a European Union court ruling on individuals’ “right to be forgotten” by the search giant, its received 70,000...
A GIS First Step Towards Open Data in USAID Grant Requirements

A GIS First Step Towards Open Data in USAID Grant Requirements

Published on: Sep 08 2014 by Wayan Vota - 1 Comment
Have you read the recent USAID/Malawi RFA for The Girls’ Empowerment through Education and Health Activity (ASPIRE)? There on page 13, wedged between the...
4 Ways to Properly Include Women in Your mHealth Initiative

4 Ways to Properly Include Women in Your mHealth Initiative

Published on: Sep 01 2014 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on 4 Ways to Properly Include Women in Your mHealth Initiative
Social norms and stigmas often lead to men owning mobile phones more often than women in many parts of the developing world. Sometimes when a woman does happen to...
Is Facebook Zero the Future of Public Internet Access?

Is Facebook Zero the Future of Public Internet Access?

Published on: Aug 29 2014 by Maria Andersen - Comments Off on Is Facebook Zero the Future of Public Internet Access?
Access to information is both empowerment and development. When two thirds of the world’s poor still lack access to the Internet, but three fourths have a mobile...
Accept the Smartphone Reality in Development. Everyone Else Has

Accept the Smartphone Reality in Development. Everyone Else Has

Published on: Aug 25 2014 by Wayan Vota - 15 Comments
Recently, Elvis Mushi of Twaweza, shared with me interesting mobile phone survey results from his Sauti za Wananchi program. I find them remarkable in two ways....
Myanmar Will Be the First Smartphone Only Country

Myanmar Will Be the First Smartphone Only Country

Published on: Aug 20 2014 by Wayan Vota - 15 Comments
Today, Myanmar has the same mobile phone usage as North Korea, Eritrea, and Cuba – less than 10% – with only the urban elite owning smartphones, and mobile...
New USAID Handbook: How to Integrate Mobile Solutions into Development Projects

New USAID Handbook: How to Integrate Mobile Solutions into Development Projects

Published on: Aug 18 2014 by Josh Woodard - Comments Off on New USAID Handbook: How to Integrate Mobile Solutions into Development Projects
The rapid explosion of mobile phone access globally, which has extended to even some of the most remote communities, has set off a rush of interest in trying to...