NetSquared is honored to include the world renowned Reuters Digital Visions Program Fellows – Technology for Social Enterprise.

The Digital Vision Program supports individuals who seek to develop technology-based solutions in the interest of humanitarian, educational, and sustainable development goals. The Program fosters social entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary projects that address real needs in underserved communities.

DV projects focus on the rapidly evolving mix of software applications that leverage advanced wireless and land-based data networks. These networks – paired to a new generation of mobile phones and low cost computer-based devices - have connected more than one billion people who previously lacked access to the innovations and cost-saving solutions made possible by digital communications, information services, and e-commerce.

Tools for RDVP Fellows to engage in NetSquared:

• Connect to NetSquared: http://www.netsquared.org/participate/register
• Host your Own Net Tuesday: http://www.netsquared.org/participate/net-tuesday/host-your-own-net-squared-event
• Build NetSquared: http://www.netsquared.org/participate/netsquared-toolkit

Meet the Fellows

[2005-2006 | 2004-2005 | 2003-2004 | 2002-2003 | 2001-2002 ]

Click on a fellow's name for more information.

Vipul Arora

AMD

NSEAP: e-Mandi - an agricultural exchange

e-Mandi, an agricultural exchange, that was being designed since last 2 years is currently being built as a corporate entity in India under the registered name of NSEAP (National Spot Exchange for Agricultural Produce). Promoted by Financial Technologies (a listed company in India) & NAFED (National Cooperative Marketing Federation of India - a government institution), NSEAP would increase the income of more than 700 Million farmer families in India by a minimum of 50%. It will also create value for other participants by reducing wastages (10-15% in food grains and 45% in Fruits & Vegetables) and creating an efficient, transparent market.

Send an email to Vipul Arora
URL: http://www.e-mandi.net

Jason Banico

Open Technologies Business Incubator for Developing Countries

Open Technologies Business Incubator is a prototype for a university-based technology business incubator for developing countries. It aims to build a pipeline from open source software conceptualization by students within the university's IT and entrepreneurship programs, to commercialization by entrepreneurs within the incubator. The objective is to reduce brain drain of IT skilled workers through growing local ICT capacity.

Send an email to Jason Banico
URL: http://www.silicongulf.net

Michael Chertok

Independent

RETOOL: Re-engineering Employment Training through Outsourcing Opportunities in LDCs

Developing countries face massive youth unemployment. In order to grow and participate in the global economy, they require a workforce with applied technology skills. RETOOL encompasses three strategic initiatives to develop scalable and replicable employment and skill building opportunities for youth in less developed countries.

Send an email to Michael Chertok

Saori Fotenos

Reuters, Ltd

Vamos Blogar (Let's Blog) Computing and Communication Skills for Street Children in Rio de Janeiro

Vamos Blogar is a literacy curriculum based on multimedia weblogs for street children in Rio de Janeiro. In partnership with local NGO Projeto Uerê, we target lack of self-esteem and employability skills amongst this at-risk population which totals millions in Brazil. Building competencies around self-generated content motivates children and gives them jobs off the streets and out of illicit trades.

Send an email to Saori Fotenos

Amandeep Singh Grewal

Independent

RIVERS

RIVERS aims to create a platform to deliver government to citizen services, also allowing citizens to customize. Unique is its approach of creating a framework of voice-based applications to be delivered by handheld devices like Simputer over wireless networks. The pilot project partnering with government is to create a rural stock exchange for tribal groups collecting minor forest produce.

Send an email to Amandeep Singh Grewal

Avni Jamdar

Google

Cooperative Connection

Cooperative Connection provides an alternative to sweatshop labor: this venture links cooperatives, collectives, and other grassroots producer groups based in India to distributors and retailers in the U.S. market. Cooperative Connection expands market opportunities for cooperatives and collectives by assisting in product design so that clothing and accessories match current design trends in the global market.

Send an email to Avni Jamdar

David Lehr

Independent

Project Market Light

Many farmers in the developing world, often small and in rural areas, lack relevant market information, limiting their access to better markets and better prices for their produce. Project Market Light will change this by delivering information on-demand, directly to cell phones on a fee-for-service basis. By partnering with major content providers and cell phone operators to deliver content, turning this need into a commercially viable operation.

Send an email to David Lehr
URL: http://www.marketlight.org

Robert Maranga

Grameen

Microfinance Services for the Developing World

MIFOS's goal is to automate transaction processing for microfinance institutions in the developing world. MIFOS will increase access to financial and banking services by enhancing the infrastructure of local microfinance institutions. MIFOS, based on an open source model, will offer a flexible and reliable management information system. My contribution to the current project (MIFOS) is to increase synergies by working with various stakeholders in completing the remaining system development phase; develop a comprehensive implementation user guide based on industry best practices; document and put in place structures related to system implementation with a view to achieve its objectives and to make it a microfinance systems benchmarking product.

Send an email to Robert Maranga

Ahmad Atif Mumtaz

Independent

Tele-Health-Care

We propose to develop and implement an Internet technology-based infrastructure for Tele-health in rural areas assisting doctor diagnosis and patient treatment. We will launch a web portal for communication between hospitals and patients and will support a biometric-ready Patient Medical Record Management System. This system would enable any number of hospitals to provide tele-health services to patients worldwide.

Send an email to Ahmad Atif Mumtaz

Sam Perry

Independent

Humanitariancentral

At least two billion people - nearly one third of humanity - will be subjected to disasters in our lifetime. These threats range from natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, drought and famine to industrial catastrophes, disease pandemics and the ravages of war and terrorism on civilian populations. BeingPrepared is at the core of our prototype offerings to help local populations prepare for the most likely catastrophes in their area. Recent history has shown that an ounce of preparedness is worth a pound of cure, and that local preparedness is of paramount importance. Our solutions recognize individuals and families must take care of their own needs for a week or more in most major catastrophes.

URLs: www.BeingPrepared.org, www.Reliefopedia.org

Send an email to Sam Perry

Deepti Rohatgi

Independent

Amplified Voices

Amplified Voices will train high school students in the West Bank to film, edit and produce short digital documentaries that share their perspectives on local issues impacting their community. The documentaries will be placed on an online portal that can engage the students and the larger development community in an ongoing discussion of the issues addressed by the documentaries.

Send an email to Deepti Rohatgi

Rita Sandhu

Independent

Rita collaborates with DV fellows to promote the integration of technology, humanity, and business. She has worked in Silicon Valley for over fifteen years in various capacities. At Hewlett Packard, she helped develop the first program in the industry where a high-tech company partnered with the United Nations to provide technology to developing countries. She has an MBA and B.S. in Computer Engineering.

Send an email to Rita Sandhu

Uuve Sauga

Google/Joint project with Shachi Shantinath

X-Border Mentor

X Border Mentor connects budding entrepreneurs in emerging markets, beginning in Estonia, with experienced volunteer business advisers in the US and EU. We create and facilitate international mentoring relationships using Internet-based technologies. Our program seeks to close the critical information and know-how gaps that prevent micro-entrepreneurs from successfully participating in new markets.
Uuve is also collaborating on the Action for Womens Literacy International project with Shachi Shantinath.

Send an email to Uuve Sauga

Shachi Shantinath

Independent/Joint project with Uuve Sauga

Action for Women's Literacy

Our goal is to eradicate women’s illiteracy within the next twenty years. Our approach combines the power of women’s networks with the power of technology to mobilize large numbers of women as donors and advocates. At RDVP we are creating a first version of an Internet based forum intended to link donors with beneficiaries and serve as an anchor for an expanded international community of literacy supporters.

Send an email to Shachi Shantinath

Erik Sundelöf

Reuters Foundation

inthefieldONLINE.net: a cellphone platform for in-the-field reporting solutions for especially emerging democracies/markets, but in principle the whole world:

Information is power. One way to support the pursuit of truth in media is the creation of a cellphone platform which will allow and encourage locals around the world to “report�? their stories. By giving these voices a vehicle by which they can tell their stories from their native point of view, citizens from all countries can be better informed.

Send an email to Erik Sundelöf
URL: http://www.campware.org

Corporate Fellows

Laura Cuozzo

Forrester Research

User-centered design for appropriate technologies

Laura’s focus is on user-centered design for technologies in the developing world. As a collaborative fellow, she is assisting other fellows in bringing user needs into all phases of design. For the last five years she has been at Forrester Research where she has developed and institutionalized their in-house usability program. While at Stanford, she is exploring usability issues in mobile applications and for non-literate populations.

Send an email to Laura Cuozzo

Paras Dagli

Send an email to Paras Dagli

Mitra Fathollahpour

Teachers Without Borders

FarsiTeachNet

FarsiTeachNet is an online community of practice for Farsi speaking teachers around the world. We see teachers earning their rightful place in society, as the educators of the next generations. They have the respect of their students, the parents, and members of the community who appreciate their contributions. They are able to focus exclusively on teaching, earning a living and spending their time with students and improving their professional skills. They have a network of colleagues that provide advice and support and they interact with peers on an international basis. FTN mobilizes Farsi Speaking teachers’ energy, experience and knowledge to make a sustained change in their educational community. As a result, the citizens of these countries participate more fully in goal setting for the social agenda as better problem solvers and decision makers.

Send an email to Mitra Fathollahpour
URL: http://www.farsiteach.net

Nita Goyal

Project Open Books: Multiplying Resources through Online Communities

Most communities in developing countries, even middle class communities do not have access to good libraries. The public libraries are usually in a sorry state and the school libraries are non-existent, defunct or small. The biggest cost component of setting up and running a library is the infrastructure, maintenance and operations, not the cost of books. For example, the California public library system spends only 1/8th of its annual library budget on library materials.
Project Open Books aims to leverage the books that already exist in a community by enabling the formation of online communities to allow sharing as a web-based service. Users list the books that they want to share and in return can borrow books listed by others. Schools and local libraries will be used as a focal point for the community to perform the exchange. The majority expenditure of the community will thus be on reading materials rather than on overhead expenses. The project will initially target the solution to the 200 million strong middle class in India that has books to exchange, access to the internet and familiarity with English. The goal is to create a financially sustainable non-profit venture through revenue obtained from ads, subscription fees and value-added services.

Send an email to Nita Goyal

Tracy Prentiss

SAPHI (South Africa Patient Health Improvement

Chronic non-communicable diseases prevalent in the developed world are poorly managed largely due to failures in the provider/patient interface, especially in patient tracking and supply chain management. By slightly modifying existing software, a user-friendly, sustainable, cost-effective solution can be created to address the patient tracking and availability issues.

Send an email to Tracy Prentiss

Gerard Rego

eNalanda

eNalanda is a www based ICT B2B/B2C exchange with an integrated on-demand browser based collaborative-programming technology that fundamentally disrupts the economics of deploying an infrastructure across Human Capital Cycle of elearning, Testing, Certification, and Jobs. The focus geographies are developing economies, such as India, with the opportunity to catalyze hundreds of thousands of students per region per year, with sustainable economics.

Send an email to Gerard Rego

Estee Solomon Gray

Joint project with Teddy Zmrhal

NextGen Leadership Landscapes

This project will seek to catalyze innovation in practice and technology to support and nurture next generation leadership networks in the non-profit and international development communities. We will do so by prototyping solutions for members and sponsors of fellow networks using social software, social network analysis, and communities of practice. We will also determine the technical and support requirements needed to sustain such networks as a service for sponsoring organizations.

Send an email to Estee Solomon Gray

Teddy Zmrhal
Joint Project with Estee Solomon Gray

NextGen Leadership Landscapes

This project will seek to catalyze innovation in practice and technology to support and nurture next generation leadership networks in the non-profit and international development communities. We will do so by prototyping solutions for members and sponsors of fellow networks using social software, social network analysis, and communities of practice. We will also determine the technical and support requirements needed to sustain such networks as a service for sponsoring organizations.

Send an email to Teddy Zmrhal