Volunteers for SMS Aid Project in Cambodia

In "Mobile phones and agricultural development in Cambodia", Dr Robert Fitzgerald reports from Cambodia that ICT volunteers are needed to help with a project to provide SMS to provide information for farmers in Cambodia. Initially the Electronic Marketing Communication System (EMCS) used propriety software, but now uses the open source FrontlineSMS. Servers provide market price information to small scale farmers so they can can decide when to send their crops to which market. Of villages surveyed 40% had a mobile phone. But most do not use SMS. The issue then is one of training, rather than providing more technology.

One suggestion I made to Dr Fitzgerald was to use smart phones, so that more sophisticated applications can be used. These would be much easier to use that SMS, thus reducing the need for training. It may seem bizarre to suggest that farmers in developing countries would be using the same Blackberry type devices beloved of the US President and corporate executives, but the price of such units is dropping rapidly. The easiest way to use these devices is with a web interface, to a web based application. However, even if SMS is still used as the communications medium, a web based interface can be added to make it easier to use.

Technology aid volunteers for Cambodia

Last night I attended the Canberra meeting of Engineers Without Boarders who do engineering projects to help disadvantaged communities, in Australia and elsewhere. Currently they are looking for a volunteer to work in Cambodia on ceramic water filter technology. The filters just look like terracotta flower pots, but are carefully engineered with specifically sized holes to filter drinking water. Several universities have incorporated the EWB Challenge into their engineering courses, including the ANU.

Helping people with ICT

Occasionally I get asked about the computer equivalent of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders): that is an organisation of ICT professional volinteers helping with disasters and in developing nations. Such organisation do exist, but it is not a matter of putting on a fancy uniform and handing out laptops to greatfull survivors with the news cameras looking on.

A few months ago I joined Engineers Without Borders Australia . They do small solar powered wireless Internet projects for villages and the like. EWB encourage engineering and ICT students to participate in challenge projects.

Computing Assistance Support & Education (CASE) provides ICT support for Australian non-profit organisations. It is run by Darrell Burkey at the ANU.

Ken Taylor from CSIRO helps students from Udayana University, in Indonesia with ICT projects . I arranged for ACS to fund them to adapt Sahana for Indonesia . Ken is keen for people in Australia to work with Indonesia.

Sahana is a Free and Open Source Disaster Management system run by a non-profit group based in Sri Lanka . I am on their project management committee, along with a few other Australians . I provided advice on how to get Sahana to work on low bandwidth hand held devices. Sahana provides a good model for how ICT people can help. Rather than rush off to a disaster zone, what is needed is for people to carefully engineer systems of long term value and which are ready to use in an emergency. Sahana participates in Google "Summer of Code" with volunteers doing projects .

Providing advice to others doing emergency and humanitiran systems can also be of assistance. Previously one of my ANU students, did a project on "Evaluating Emergency Management Websites".

More on disaster management specifically in my blog.

Engineers Without Borders Conference 27 November - 29th November 2008 Melbourne, Australia

Engineers Without Borders will hold their 3rd Annual National Conference, 27 to 29 November 2008 in Melbourne. EWB send volunteers to disadvantaged communities in Australia and overseas to help with access to sustainable technologies, such as solar powered wireless Internet.

Program

Thursday, November 27^th

Water and Sanitation
	Registrations & breakfast
9:30 AM > 10:15 AM	Conference Opening: Daniel Almagor , CEO, Engineers Without Borders
10:15 AM > 10:45 AM	Opening Keynote: Become CONSCIOUS, in new ways, of the relationship water and sanitation have to community development.
10:45 AM > 11:15 AM	Morning Tea
11:15 AM > 12:15 PM	Parallel sessions: Grow CONCERNED by hearing stories of how this sector impacts on communities around the world (select from the following)
	1. Interactive Session With Keynote Presenter
	2. Clare Idriss, Centre for Appropriate Technology, Water and Health in Indigenous Communities
	3.Sue Lennox, Oz green
	4. EWB Challenge Presentations EWB Challenge Finalist Teams showcase their designs before a distinguished panel of judges. Outstanding teams will be recognised at the EWB Challenge Awards ceremony on Thursday evening.
12:15 PM > 1:15 PM	Lunch
1:00 PM > 2:00 PM	Parallel sessions: COMPREHEND the complexities of the situation by listening to national and international experts explore issues in detail (select from the following)
	1. Juliet Willetts , Institute for a Sustainable Future
	2. EWB Research Students, Fourth Year Research Students from around Australia share the outcomes of research programs based on EWB’s International Programs.
	3. EWB Challenge Presentations EWB Challenge Finalist Teams showcase their designs before a distinguished panel of judges. Outstanding teams will be recognised at the EWB Challenge Awards ceremony on Thursday evening.
In Depth Workshop, 1:00 PM > 3:00 PM	4. PHAST Workshop, Gabrielle Harclow, International Women’s Development Agency Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) Workshop: Learn how community water management can improve hygiene and sanitation practices
2:00 PM > 3:00 PM	Parallel sessions (select from the following)
	1. Jerome Bowen and Katie Third , Engineers Without Borders, The Tenganan Water Supply Project
	2. Alison Baker, GHD
	3. EWB Challenge Presentations EWB Challenge Finalist Teams showcase their designs before a distinguished panel of judges. Outstanding teams will be recognised at the EWB Challenge Awards ceremony on Thursday evening.
In Depth Workshop, 1:00 PM > 3:00 PM	4. PHAST Workshop, Gabrielle Harlcrow , International Women’s Development Agency Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) Workshop: Learn how community water management can improve hygiene and sanitation practices
3:00 PM > 3:30 PM	Break
3:30 PM > 4:30 PM	Keynote
4:30 PM > 5:30 PM	CHALLENGE yourself by exploring the issues that matter to you in themed discussion groups Focus Groups Development Practice | Community Engagement | Aboriginal Partnerships | Appropriate Technology and Design | Public Education | Engineering Education | Social Change | General
	Finish
6:00 PM > 7:00 PM	EWB Challenge Award: Delegates are invited to drinks with the EWB Challenge finalists and industry sponsors. Share the excitement as the 2008 EWB Challenge Champion team is announced.
7:00 PM > Onwards	Social event: BBQ & Music

Friday, November 28^th

Accessibility
	Registrations & breakfast
9:00 AM > 9:15 AM	Plenary session
	Review of Day 1 and Introduction to Day 2
9:15 AM > 10:15 AM	Become CONSCIOUS, in new ways, of the relationship technologies can have to community development.Keynote: Technology as Enabler - Disability, Development and Technology Panelists: Priscilla Brice-Weller, Online Campaign Coordinator, ANTaR
10:30 AM > 11:15 AM	Parallel sessions: Grow CONCERNED by hearing stories of how this sector impacts on communities around the world (select from the following)
	1. Interactive Session With Keynote Presenter
	2.
	3.Tam Nguyen, Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics
In Depth Workshop, 10:15 AM > 12:45 PM	4. Participatory Development Workshop: Pip Chandler, Adaptive Thinking, Strengths Based Approaches to Development: Putting Theories into Action
11:15 AM > 11:45 AM	Break
11:45 AM > 12:45 PM	Parallel sessions: COMPREHEND the complexities of the situation by listening to national and international experts explore issues in detail (select from the following)
	1.
	2.
	3. Nathan Rabe , International Development Support Services (IDSS)
In Depth Workshop, 10:15 AM > 12:45 PM	4. Participatory Development Workshop: Pip Chandler, Consultant, Adaptive Thinking, Strengths Based Approaches to Development: Putting Theories into Action
12:45 PM > 1:45 PM	Lunch
1:45 PM > 4:00 PM	Appropriate Technology Expo : Meet the Makers: Delegates informally chat with and meet the designers of innovative technologies
4:00 PM > 5:00 PM	Keynote: Mick Dodson , Co Chair, Reconciliation Australia, Access in Remote Indigenous Communities
5:00 PM > 5:30 PM	Challenge yourself by exploring the issues that matter to you in themed discussion groupsFocus Groups Development Practice | Community Engagement | Aboriginal Partnerships | Appropriate Technology and Design | Public Education | Engineering Education | Social Change | General
	Finish
	Social event: Critical Mass Birthday Ride

Saturday, November 29^th

The Built Environment
	Registrations & breakfast
9:00 AM > 9:15 AM	Review of Day 2 and Introduction to Day 3
9:15 AM > 10:15 AM	Opening Keynote: Become CONSCIOUS, in new ways, of the relationship water and sanitation have to community development.Alex Zahnd , Rural International Development Services Nepal
10:15 AM > 11:15 PM	Parallel sessions: Grow CONCERNED by hearing stories of how this sector impacts on communities around the world (select from the following)
	1. Interactive Session With Keynote Presenter, Alex Zahnd
	2. Paul Pholeros , Healthabitat
	3.
In Depth Workshop, 10:15 AM > 3:00 PM	4. Development Simulation Activity - Monsoon Become an Indian farming family and explore issues of poverty and justice under the fickle Indian monsoon. Monsoon is a realistic and highly interactive simulation game that focuses on some of the dynamics of poverty in an imaginary village near Mysore in India. Players take the roles of farmers and experience some of the forces that shape people’s lives in a village.
11:15 AM > 11:45 AM	Break
11:45 AM > 12:45 PM	Parallel sessions: COMPREHEND the complexities of the situation by listening to national and international experts explore issues in detail (select from the following)
	1.
	2.Judy Hagan, EWB Volunteer, Sanitation in Cambodia
	3.Donna Green , Climate Change and Indigenous knowledge
In Depth Workshop, 10:15 AM > 3:00 PM	4. Development Simulation Activity - Monsoon Become an Indian farming family and explore issues of poverty and justice under the fickle Indian monsoon. Monsoon is a realistic and highly interactive simulation game that focuses on some of the dynamics of poverty in an imaginary village near Mysore in India. Players take the roles of farmers and experience some of the forces that shape people’s lives in a village.
12.45 PM > 1.45 PM	Lunch
2:00 PM > 2:45 PM	Parallel sessions: (select from the following)
	1.
	2.
In Depth Workshop, 2:00 PM> 3:45 PM	3. Gender Analysis Workshop, Cara Ellickson and Anuradha Mundkur, Gender Consortium Delegates will learn about the importance of considering gender in development programs and the appropriate skills, frameworks and approaches to assess and analyse situations from a gendered perspective.
	4. Development Simulation Activity - Monsoon
3:00 PM > 3:45 PM	Challenge yourself by exploring the issues that matter to you in themed discussion groupsFocus Groups Development Practice | Community Engagement | Aboriginal Partnerships | Appropriate Technology and Design | Public Education | Engineering Education | Social Change | General
3:45 PM > 4:00 PM	Break
	Keynote session
4:00 PM > 4:45 PM	Bob McMullan Federal Minister for Fraser and Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance
4.45 PM > 5:30 PM	Finale: EWB in 2009
	Social event: Conference Party