nGOmobile initiative highlights the benefits of mobile technology in the
developing world.Mobile technology organisation kiwanja.net has launched its latest non-profit mobile initiative;nGOmobile, a competition to help grassroots NGOs take advantage of text messaging.
kiwanja.net sets up competition to offer prizes and SMS for NGOs worldwide.kiwanja.net believes that all non-profits, whatever their size and wherever they operate, should be given the opportunity to implement the latest mobile technologies in their work, and actively seeks to provide the tools to enable them to do so.
The explosive entry of mobile technology into the developing world has opened up a raft of opportunities for the non-profit sector.Text messaging has proved itself to be remarkably versatile, helping remind patients to take their medicine, providing market prices to farmers and fishermen, distributing health information, allowing the reporting of human rights abuses and promoting increased citizen participation in government.
While the list may be long, not everyone has been able to reap the benefits.
nGOmobile is a competition aimed exclusively at grassroots non-profit Non
Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working for positive social and
environmental change throughout the developing world. "Behind the scenes,the often unsung heroes of the NGO community battle against the daily realities of life in developing countries, where it can take all day to fulfil the simplest task"according to the founder,Mr Banks.
Grassroots NGOs around the world are invited to submit short project ideas explaining how greater access to mobile technology and SMS text
messaging in particular would benefit them and their work.
The competition is open and will run until 14th December 2007 with the winners
announced in January 2008.The top four entries, chosen by a distinguished panel of judges, will each win a brand new Hewlett Packard laptop computer, two Nokia mobile phones, a GSM modem, kiwanja.net's own entry-level text messaging platform FrontlineSMS and to top it all, a cash prize of US$1,000.
Sponsors of the competition include Hewlett Packard, Nokia, ActiveXperts,160 Characters, Wieden+Kennedy, mBlox and Perkins Coie. Panel of Judges are Ken Banks, Founder, kiwanja.net,Neerja Raman, From Good to Gold,Mike Grenville,Editor, 160 Characters Micheline Ntiru, Nokia's Head of Corporate Social Investment for the Middle East and Africa,Bill Thompson, Journalist/commentator
Renny Gleeson, Global Director of Digital Strategies at Wieden+Kennedy
The competition website can found at www.ngomobile.org"">[NORML]www.ngomobile.org[/NORML]"][NORML]www.ngomobile.org[/NORML][/URL]
Emmanuel Okoegwale
emmanuel@gomobileng.com