Main Regional Impact
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.
Mr. Mumtaz is a Pakistani entrepreneur promoting ICT technologies in the developing countries. Currently, he is one of the fellows at Reuters Digital Vision Program at Stanford University (http://reuters.stanford.edu). Mr. Mumtaz has previously worked with social development organizations, including COMSATS (www.comsats.org.pk) and United Nations (www.unido.org).
In 2002, Mr. Mumtaz successfully launched an Internet startup, Cogilent Solutions (www.cogilent.com) which currently manages and runs the largest job hunt portal in Pakistan called, BrightSpyre (www.BrightSpyre.com). In 2004, he received the "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" Award for his services through Shell Corporation.
Reading & Writing Poetry
Blogging, Cricket and anything related with healthcare for rural communities.
Nita is a corporate fellow at the Reuters DV Program at Stanford and a founder and VP at Tavant Technologies, a software and services company enabling collaborative commerce. Prior to that Nita was a researcher at Hewlett-Packard Labs. PhD CS from Stanford University, BS CS from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
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.
Under collaboration with fellow Shachi Shantinath, focusing on how technology can advance women's literacy in the developing world. We address how technology can: help to increase financial support for women's literacy programs; strengthen teacher skills; and support women students to enhance their learning. We do so from the perspective of how best to adapt technology to the context of women's lives.
An application of the free market mechanism that when applied to agriculture would increase the income of more than 700 Million farmer families in India by 50%. It will also create value for other participants by reducing the amount of wastages from the current 10-15% (food grains) and 45% (Fruits/Vegetables) to 5% & 10% each.
Under collaboration with fellow Uuve Sauga, focusing on how technology can advance women's literacy in the developing world. We address how technology can: help to increase financial support for women's literacy programs; strengthen teacher skills; and support women students to enhance their learning. We do so from the perspective of how best to adapt technology to the context of women's lives.
Avni Jamdar is a Reuters Digital Vision fellow.
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. CooperativeConnection 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.
Ramblings: www.dpsmiles.org/blog
I am a graduate student and 2005 Samsung Fellow at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, MA. My advisor is Prof Andy Lippman.
I was a Reuters Foundation Fellow with the Digital Vision Fellowship Program at Stanford University during 2004-2005. I looked at issues involved in providing education to the underprivileged in India. Previously, I was a Guest Scientist with Siemens Corporate Technology in Munich, Germany.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronic Engineering from the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad in June 2004. As an undergraduate, I worked on a cognition based congestion detection mechanism for Delay Tolerant Networks (with particular emphasis on the InterPlanetary Internet).
I value honesty and creativity. The beauty of life has always enchanted me, and most of my writings are an attempt to capture it. I am passionate about what I do, and I love to be around people with high energy levels.
Facilitating structures that support education for the underprivileged.
