IDE is a unique international non-profit organization that has been helping poor farmers in developing countries escape poverty for more than 25 years.
I think working together, exchanging knowledge and experience is important to make a business successful. Collaboration between rich and poor, educated and experienced people is very tough but it’s worth it I guess.
If you want to invest money but you can’t decide where Kiva could be a good and social option. It enables poor people to set up their very own companies so that they can permanently escape poverty taking action themselves. Kiva believes in the poor but passionate entrepreneurs. Finally they have almost nothing to loose and a lot to gain.
A simple but great idea in poor areas of Africa where it’s still common to get the water from the nearest river. Fact is: Children like to play and adults (or children) don’t necessarily like to pump water. Combine these two facts and you’ll get the water pump “Play Pumps”. Another plus: the water you get is clean and healthy.
For those who dont know yet OLPC (one laptop per child) is a nonprofit project by Nicholas Negroponte. Basically, OLPC gives children aged 6 - 12 and not lucky to be born in the first-world computers so that they can get used to modern technology and connected to the world wide web. See the TED talk about this project and read the comments.
I feel it’s an innovation that might unlock a great potential slumbering within kids born into poor environments. It’s worth giving a try! The industrialized countries were/are exploiting their parent’s labour force and country’s resources. I think it’s payback time. People might say that (the parents of) the children have more basic problems to solve (how to get enough food) but that doesn’t mean people having these concerns shouldn’t be owning a computer! I know the theory of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and maybe people are referring to it when they say providing technology it’s the wrong way to help poor people. I am not sure about this and if this Maslow’s theory is true. Especially, I think it is not true for children who depend on adults who again should provide their kids the environment and means to grow.
What I know for sure is that children are curious and active. They learn - understand the world best by trial and error (experience through the self) better than by being taught (get information from a second person). They want to do things by themselves to become self-confident. The computer is just another new media (object) to learn things by themselves. Yes, also to entertain and distract themselves. They are kids! Of course they will play video games. It’s fun. So what? My brother was spending hours and hours shooting virtually against other people for fun. It was war in his room. He was good in “killing” others. But eventually he found out it was a waste of time because he hasn’t been productive. Now he studies game design and hopefully in future he can make a living out of it.
My conclusion is sooner or later the urge to DO (in terms of create) things is overcoming the urge to USE (in terms of getting used but not evolving) something. But it both requires the HAVE. (have->use->do) So maybe at first the laptop is only a gadget to the kids but eventually it turns into a tool.
