Latin America

TAVOS Media Network is a trail-blazing venture based in Palo Alto, California, that empowers people in underserved communities around the world through local media services. Our vision is to build a global network of local media microfranchises to give voice and promote the life and prosperity of every community.

There is much to be learned about creating interfaces for non-literate populations. Since this is not a group that most companies target, very little hands-on research has been done with non-literate user groups. Most of what I have learned is theoretical, based on user research on sight-impaired users, or is from very limited case studies. Some of the best information has come from other the projects of RDVP fellows and the work they have done. (Thanks, Aman.)

Electronic Governance, in simplest terms, it refers to those governance processes in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are playing an active role in delivering governance related products and services.

Digital Governance Initiative is a virtual network of over 2800 E-governance policymakers and practitioners from developing countries. The Initiative identifies and propagates innovative e-governance models which are suited for developing countries. The models are based on strategic application of knowledge and information technologies to create an e-governance system which is citizen specific and addressess a particular development concern, viz: lack of information, corruption, bureaucracy etc.

I need a couple of days at the school to show the teachers the blog we have up and teach them how they can start blogging themselves. I will make sure they have a plan and a commitment to add a couple of entries in the coming months. When I get back to Stanford, I will continue working on a audience for these posts, which I have already started this year.

You can find a link to the first encarnation of our Vamos Blogar blog at http://projetouere.blogspot.com. We have a couple of digital portfolios up, but there are many more to come.

It's all in Portuguese, but feel free to add translations in English in the comments if you feel like. Please preface it with [en] in the title if you remember it.

This is just a proof of concept with much more data to be added, of course. This blog is just the beginning of the digital portfolios for the children of Projeto Uerê. As discussed on the project b

My mentor for RDVP, Allen Long, has suggested I make a list of the things I can be doing at Stanford and those I could be doing in Rio for assessing where I should be for the remainder of the program. This is mostly brainstorming, but any opinions/suggestions are welcome.

After reassessing the project with insight from my trip to Brazil, I have had to change the deliverables and their dates.  Here they are:

Having spent Thanksgiving break in Rio working at Projeto Uerê, I am reporting back on some minor changes to the project.  Overall it was a great success and despite the dire situation of many of the children, I was inspired and deeply moved by the work Yvonne and everyone at the school are doing to give the children a chance in life.