So I'm into my final year of my Masters in Software Development and
one of the stages I need to complete is a thesis which will last about
1 year. I've been thinking quite a lot about developing software for
charities and NGOs as part of this module and I'd just like to get
some of your initial thoughts on possible projects you would like to
see undertaken.
After 6 years of University I have yet to see many projects developed
by students specifically aimed towards NGOs which is an incredible
shame. Much of the work completed by Undergraduates/Postgraduates
never seem to see the light of day.
Anyhow, I just want to get a feeling for what your thoughts are on
what I am undertaking. I'm more than happy to hear from any charity
or NGO about any project they have on their wish lists, the module
does not start until September however I want to have a clear idea of
the project before then.
The aim would be to find a common theme amongst them all and open
source the final solution at the end. This would of course only be
possible through working with potential stakeholders every step of the
way. Comments are very welcome
On 01/07/2009, at 12:12 PM, Jonathan Clarke wrote:
> Comments are very welcome...
Pat Allan [1] lurks on this list and from what I understand has a fair amount of experience doing software development for NGOs in Cambodia. You might also want to get in touch with Engineers Without Borders [2], who would probably be more than happy to steer you in the right direction.
I am not working for any charity and I don't know what kind of
problems do they have to deal with.
Here are couple of quick thoughts from an outside perspective.
Charities need better transparency.
How can I find out what do they spend donated money on? How effective
are they? What percentage of money goes to cover the management
overhead and what serves the proclaimed purpose? What do they actually
do to make their work more effective? There are so many types of
charities, some of them do their work fine, some not. How to figure
out who is who?
Collecting money from public could be improved. I do not think that
sending volunteers to streets is the most effective way.
Examples: http://www.freerice.com
Helping people by simply giving money away may not necessarily be a
good thing and may achieve completely the opposite result. What
charities do about that?
Examples: http://www.kiva.org/
Regards,
Dmitri.
On Jul 1, 12:12 pm, Jonathan Clarke <clarke.jonat...@gmail.com> wrote:
> So I'm into my final year of my Masters in Software Development and
> one of the stages I need to complete is a thesis which will last about
> 1 year. I've been thinking quite a lot about developing software for
> charities and NGOs as part of this module and I'd just like to get
> some of your initial thoughts on possible projects you would like to
> see undertaken.
> After 6 years of University I have yet to see many projects developed
> by students specifically aimed towards NGOs which is an incredible
> shame. Much of the work completed by Undergraduates/Postgraduates
> never seem to see the light of day.
> Anyhow, I just want to get a feeling for what your thoughts are on
> what I am undertaking. I'm more than happy to hear from any charity
> or NGO about any project they have on their wish lists, the module
> does not start until September however I want to have a clear idea of
> the project before then.
> The aim would be to find a common theme amongst them all and open
> source the final solution at the end. This would of course only be
> possible through working with potential stakeholders every step of the
> way. Comments are very welcome
> I am not working for any charity and I don't know what kind of
> problems do they have to deal with.
> Here are couple of quick thoughts from an outside perspective.
> Charities need better transparency.
> How can I find out what do they spend donated money on? How effective
> are they? What percentage of money goes to cover the management
> overhead and what serves the proclaimed purpose? What do they actually
> do to make their work more effective? There are so many types of
> charities, some of them do their work fine, some not. How to figure
> out who is who?
> Collecting money from public could be improved. I do not think that
> sending volunteers to streets is the most effective way.
> Examples: http://www.freerice.com
> Helping people by simply giving money away may not necessarily be a
> good thing and may achieve completely the opposite result. What
> charities do about that?
> Examples: http://www.kiva.org/
> Regards,
> Dmitri.
> On Jul 1, 12:12 pm, Jonathan Clarke <clarke.jonat...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> So I'm into my final year of my Masters in Software Development and
>> one of the stages I need to complete is a thesis which will last
>> about
>> 1 year. I've been thinking quite a lot about developing software for
>> charities and NGOs as part of this module and I'd just like to get
>> some of your initial thoughts on possible projects you would like to
>> see undertaken.
>> After 6 years of University I have yet to see many projects developed
>> by students specifically aimed towards NGOs which is an incredible
>> shame. Much of the work completed by Undergraduates/Postgraduates
>> never seem to see the light of day.
>> Anyhow, I just want to get a feeling for what your thoughts are on
>> what I am undertaking. I'm more than happy to hear from any charity
>> or NGO about any project they have on their wish lists, the module
>> does not start until September however I want to have a clear idea of
>> the project before then.
>> The aim would be to find a common theme amongst them all and open
>> source the final solution at the end. This would of course only be
>> possible through working with potential stakeholders every step of
>> the
>> way. Comments are very welcome
> So I'm into my final year of my Masters in Software Development and
> one of the stages I need to complete is a thesis which will last about
> 1 year. I've been thinking quite a lot about developing software for
> charities and NGOs as part of this module and I'd just like to get
> some of your initial thoughts on possible projects you would like to
> see undertaken.
> After 6 years of University I have yet to see many projects developed
> by students specifically aimed towards NGOs which is an incredible
> shame. Much of the work completed by Undergraduates/Postgraduates
> never seem to see the light of day.
> Anyhow, I just want to get a feeling for what your thoughts are on
> what I am undertaking. I'm more than happy to hear from any charity
> or NGO about any project they have on their wish lists, the module
> does not start until September however I want to have a clear idea of
> the project before then.
> The aim would be to find a common theme amongst them all and open
> source the final solution at the end. This would of course only be
> possible through working with potential stakeholders every step of the
> way. Comments are very welcome
*PS A belated introduction... I've been lurking via RSS for a while.
I'm involved with ICT Illawarra (ICTI), an ICT industry cluster for
the Illawarra region in NSW http://www.icti.org.au/ and this explains
my primary interst in Silicon Beach Australia. My day job is with
Headshift http://www.headshift.com/ who are a specialist social media
and social computing consultancy. We're sort of in start up mode in
Australia, but we're pretty well known in the UK. Based in Sydney, but
working virtually from Wollongong most of the time :-)
> So I'm into my final year of my Masters in Software Development and
> one of the stages I need to complete is a thesis which will last about
> 1 year. I've been thinking quite a lot about developing software for
> charities and NGOs as part of this module and I'd just like to get
> some of your initial thoughts on possible projects you would like to
> see undertaken.
> After 6 years of University I have yet to see many projects developed
> by students specifically aimed towards NGOs which is an incredible
> shame. Much of the work completed by Undergraduates/Postgraduates
> never seem to see the light of day.
> Anyhow, I just want to get a feeling for what your thoughts are on
> what I am undertaking. I'm more than happy to hear from any charity
> or NGO about any project they have on their wish lists, the module
> does not start until September however I want to have a clear idea of
> the project before then.
> The aim would be to find a common theme amongst them all and open
> source the final solution at the end. This would of course only be
> possible through working with potential stakeholders every step of the
> way. Comments are very welcome
Hi Jonathan,
You could also check out CES http://www.community-exchange.org/ as a
successful implementation of purpose built software.
CES was built to support LETS - Local Energy Trading Systems around
the world (they exchange goods and services using alternative
currencies).
Sydney LETS can be found here http://www.auslets.org/sydney/
Thanks for the mention Nathan, and doubly so for promoting Engineers
Without Borders - they run some fantastic projects.
Jonathan - sorry it's taken me a few days to respond. A few points
from my small experience in this space:
* Big NGOs (such as World Vision) as very much like large corporates:
there's plenty of bureaucracy bullshit to deal with, and they usually
have their own team of developers.
* Small NGOs in developing nations often have slow internet (if they
have internet at all), low technical skills, and low English skills.
In Cambodia, they struggle with software like Microsoft Word, because
they don't understand the alerts and icons.
* So much of their resources are focused on their projects, and the
rest on getting funding for said projects. Generally no budget exists
for looking at new software.
* That said, I realise you're suggesting university students do these
projects pro-bono - which is fantastic. Finding such projects requires
time and energy, though, and it seems the onus is on universities to
source them (that's the impression I got for my final year project).
* Ideally, you need someone who is already connecting with the NGOs,
and then push the idea of pro-bono projects at them. I wouldn't expect
open-sourcing such things to be a sticking point (although
universities might). I was able to do a handful of websites for NGOs
in Cambodia because one of my best friends was working with one, and
knew people at others.
With that said, I've not dealt with any NGOs in Australia - my
knowledge of World Vision is purely through friends who have worked
there. Pete Yandell and Mike Bailey might be better sources (both of
whom you may have met at Rails Camp?) - Pete does some great work for
the refugee support group in Melbourne, and Mike was a driver behind
setting up a website for dogs needing temporary homes after the
bushfires in February.
From a less tech perspective, both Ross Hill (Geelong) and Steve
Hopkins (Melbourne) are tech-savvy young entrepreneurs not too long
out of Uni, so may have some connections to make such projects happen.
Steve has also spent some time at World Vision.
On a more generic note, Kiva has recently opened up an API to their
micro-finance service, which would be something awesome to integrate
into a web application, should you find a viable connection. A local
alternative for e-commerce sites is the Footprints API, which you can
siphon off a small percentage off of transactions and direct them to
charities.
> On 01/07/2009, at 12:12 PM, Jonathan Clarke wrote:
>> Comments are very welcome...
> Pat Allan [1] lurks on this list and from what I understand has a fair
> amount of experience doing software development for NGOs in Cambodia.
> You might also want to get in touch with Engineers Without Borders
> [2], who would probably be more than happy to steer you in the right
> direction.
I work primarly in open source and also just finished a research
degree, so I will jet quickly point out civicrm (crm aimed at npo
specific needs) and sahara (open source disaster management platform)
also, I am always glad to see students wanting to make their time
useful but I would point out that there are actually lots of
academic/research code that ends up being open sourced. Happy to point
out more if you are keen
On Monday, July 6, 2009, Pat Allan <p...@freelancing-gods.com> wrote:
> Thanks for the mention Nathan, and doubly so for promoting Engineers
> Without Borders - they run some fantastic projects.
> Jonathan - sorry it's taken me a few days to respond. A few points
> from my small experience in this space:
> * Big NGOs (such as World Vision) as very much like large corporates:
> there's plenty of bureaucracy bullshit to deal with, and they usually
> have their own team of developers.
> * Small NGOs in developing nations often have slow internet (if they
> have internet at all), low technical skills, and low English skills.
> In Cambodia, they struggle with software like Microsoft Word, because
> they don't understand the alerts and icons.
> * So much of their resources are focused on their projects, and the
> rest on getting funding for said projects. Generally no budget exists
> for looking at new software.
> * That said, I realise you're suggesting university students do these
> projects pro-bono - which is fantastic. Finding such projects requires
> time and energy, though, and it seems the onus is on universities to
> source them (that's the impression I got for my final year project).
> * Ideally, you need someone who is already connecting with the NGOs,
> and then push the idea of pro-bono projects at them. I wouldn't expect
> open-sourcing such things to be a sticking point (although
> universities might). I was able to do a handful of websites for NGOs
> in Cambodia because one of my best friends was working with one, and
> knew people at others.
> With that said, I've not dealt with any NGOs in Australia - my
> knowledge of World Vision is purely through friends who have worked
> there. Pete Yandell and Mike Bailey might be better sources (both of
> whom you may have met at Rails Camp?) - Pete does some great work for
> the refugee support group in Melbourne, and Mike was a driver behind
> setting up a website for dogs needing temporary homes after the
> bushfires in February.
> From a less tech perspective, both Ross Hill (Geelong) and Steve
> Hopkins (Melbourne) are tech-savvy young entrepreneurs not too long
> out of Uni, so may have some connections to make such projects happen.
> Steve has also spent some time at World Vision.
> On a more generic note, Kiva has recently opened up an API to their
> micro-finance service, which would be something awesome to integrate
> into a web application, should you find a viable connection. A local
> alternative for e-commerce sites is the Footprints API, which you can
> siphon off a small percentage off of transactions and direct them to
> charities.
> On 30/06/2009, at 10:54 PM, Nathan de Vries wrote:
>> On 01/07/2009, at 12:12 PM, Jonathan Clarke wrote:
>>> Comments are very welcome...
>> Pat Allan [1] lurks on this list and from what I understand has a fair
>> amount of experience doing software development for NGOs in Cambodia.
>> You might also want to get in touch with Engineers Without Borders
>> [2], who would probably be more than happy to steer you in the right
>> direction.
> I work primarly in open source and also just finished a research
> degree, so I will jet quickly point out civicrm (crm aimed at npo
> specific needs) and sahara (open source disaster management platform)
> also, I am always glad to see students wanting to make their time
> useful but I would point out that there are actually lots of
> academic/research code that ends up being open sourced. Happy to point
> out more if you are keen
> -Ryan
> On Monday, July 6, 2009, Pat Allan <p...@freelancing-gods.com> wrote:
>> Thanks for the mention Nathan, and doubly so for promoting Engineers
>> Without Borders - they run some fantastic projects.
>> Jonathan - sorry it's taken me a few days to respond. A few points
>> from my small experience in this space:
>> * Big NGOs (such as World Vision) as very much like large corporates:
>> there's plenty of bureaucracy bullshit to deal with, and they usually
>> have their own team of developers.
>> * Small NGOs in developing nations often have slow internet (if they
>> have internet at all), low technical skills, and low English skills.
>> In Cambodia, they struggle with software like Microsoft Word, because
>> they don't understand the alerts and icons.
>> * So much of their resources are focused on their projects, and the
>> rest on getting funding for said projects. Generally no budget exists
>> for looking at new software.
>> * That said, I realise you're suggesting university students do these
>> projects pro-bono - which is fantastic. Finding such projects requires
>> time and energy, though, and it seems the onus is on universities to
>> source them (that's the impression I got for my final year project).
>> * Ideally, you need someone who is already connecting with the NGOs,
>> and then push the idea of pro-bono projects at them. I wouldn't expect
>> open-sourcing such things to be a sticking point (although
>> universities might). I was able to do a handful of websites for NGOs
>> in Cambodia because one of my best friends was working with one, and
>> knew people at others.
>> With that said, I've not dealt with any NGOs in Australia - my
>> knowledge of World Vision is purely through friends who have worked
>> there. Pete Yandell and Mike Bailey might be better sources (both of
>> whom you may have met at Rails Camp?) - Pete does some great work for
>> the refugee support group in Melbourne, and Mike was a driver behind
>> setting up a website for dogs needing temporary homes after the
>> bushfires in February.
>> From a less tech perspective, both Ross Hill (Geelong) and Steve
>> Hopkins (Melbourne) are tech-savvy young entrepreneurs not too long
>> out of Uni, so may have some connections to make such projects happen.
>> Steve has also spent some time at World Vision.
>> On a more generic note, Kiva has recently opened up an API to their
>> micro-finance service, which would be something awesome to integrate
>> into a web application, should you find a viable connection. A local
>> alternative for e-commerce sites is the Footprints API, which you can
>> siphon off a small percentage off of transactions and direct them to
>> charities.
>> On 30/06/2009, at 10:54 PM, Nathan de Vries wrote:
>>> On 01/07/2009, at 12:12 PM, Jonathan Clarke wrote:
>>>> Comments are very welcome...
>>> Pat Allan [1] lurks on this list and from what I understand has a fair
>>> amount of experience doing software development for NGOs in Cambodia.
>>> You might also want to get in touch with Engineers Without Borders
>>> [2], who would probably be more than happy to steer you in the right
>>> direction.
> > I work primarly in open source and also just finished a research
> > degree, so I will jet quickly point out civicrm (crm aimed at npo
> > specific needs) and sahara (open source disaster management platform)
> > also, I am always glad to see students wanting to make their time
> > useful but I would point out that there are actually lots of
> > academic/research code that ends up being open sourced. Happy to point
> > out more if you are keen
> > -Ryan
> > On Monday, July 6, 2009, Pat Allan <p...@freelancing-gods.com> wrote:
> >> Thanks for the mention Nathan, and doubly so for promoting Engineers
> >> Without Borders - they run some fantastic projects.
> >> Jonathan - sorry it's taken me a few days to respond. A few points
> >> from my small experience in this space:
> >> * Big NGOs (such as World Vision) as very much like large corporates:
> >> there's plenty of bureaucracy bullshit to deal with, and they usually
> >> have their own team of developers.
> >> * Small NGOs in developing nations often have slow internet (if they
> >> have internet at all), low technical skills, and low English skills.
> >> In Cambodia, they struggle with software like Microsoft Word, because
> >> they don't understand the alerts and icons.
> >> * So much of their resources are focused on their projects, and the
> >> rest on getting funding for said projects. Generally no budget exists
> >> for looking at new software.
> >> * That said, I realise you're suggesting university students do these
> >> projects pro-bono - which is fantastic. Finding such projects requires
> >> time and energy, though, and it seems the onus is on universities to
> >> source them (that's the impression I got for my final year project).
> >> * Ideally, you need someone who is already connecting with the NGOs,
> >> and then push the idea of pro-bono projects at them. I wouldn't expect
> >> open-sourcing such things to be a sticking point (although
> >> universities might). I was able to do a handful of websites for NGOs
> >> in Cambodia because one of my best friends was working with one, and
> >> knew people at others.
> >> With that said, I've not dealt with any NGOs in Australia - my
> >> knowledge of World Vision is purely through friends who have worked
> >> there. Pete Yandell and Mike Bailey might be better sources (both of
> >> whom you may have met at Rails Camp?) - Pete does some great work for
> >> the refugee support group in Melbourne, and Mike was a driver behind
> >> setting up a website for dogs needing temporary homes after the
> >> bushfires in February.
> >> From a less tech perspective, both Ross Hill (Geelong) and Steve
> >> Hopkins (Melbourne) are tech-savvy young entrepreneurs not too long
> >> out of Uni, so may have some connections to make such projects happen.
> >> Steve has also spent some time at World Vision.
> >> On a more generic note, Kiva has recently opened up an API to their
> >> micro-finance service, which would be something awesome to integrate
> >> into a web application, should you find a viable connection. A local
> >> alternative for e-commerce sites is the Footprints API, which you can
> >> siphon off a small percentage off of transactions and direct them to
> >> charities.
> >> On 30/06/2009, at 10:54 PM, Nathan de Vries wrote:
> >>> On 01/07/2009, at 12:12 PM, Jonathan Clarke wrote:
> >>>> Comments are very welcome...
> >>> Pat Allan [1] lurks on this list and from what I understand has a fair
> >>> amount of experience doing software development for NGOs in Cambodia.
> >>> You might also want to get in touch with Engineers Without Borders
> >>> [2], who would probably be more than happy to steer you in the right
> >>> direction.
Another take on this would be to work with companies that create
solutions for NGOs and work with them to get real requirements. These
companies don't do charity work but they do specialise in NGO's as
their cliental so would understand gaps where software could and
should be created.
An example of such a company that we have relations with is http://www.onenw.org/
> So I'm into my final year of my Masters in Software Development and
> one of the stages I need to complete is a thesis which will last about
> 1 year. I've been thinking quite a lot about developing software for
> charities and NGOs as part of this module and I'd just like to get
> some of your initial thoughts on possible projects you would like to
> see undertaken.
> After 6 years of University I have yet to see many projects developed
> by students specifically aimed towards NGOs which is an incredible
> shame. Much of the work completed by Undergraduates/Postgraduates
> never seem to see the light of day.
> Anyhow, I just want to get a feeling for what your thoughts are on
> what I am undertaking. I'm more than happy to hear from any charity
> or NGO about any project they have on their wish lists, the module
> does not start until September however I want to have a clear idea of
> the project before then.
> The aim would be to find a common theme amongst them all and open
> source the final solution at the end. This would of course only be
> possible through working with potential stakeholders every step of the
> way. Comments are very welcome
The Mars Society International, a non-profit science and outreach
organization, has an immediate need for anyone with Drupal experience.
They have a research base near the north pole which simulates living
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consisting of a mix of NASA JPL, industry, and academic leaders. The
team arrived a few days ago, and will be going into the full
simulation either today or tomorrow. There are two "Mission Support"
teams (similar to "mission control"). One is in Denver USA, the other
is here in Sydney to provide 24-hour operational coverage. Mission
Support has been tasked to take the myriad of reports and science data
and post it to the Drupal website (http://www.fmars2009.org/).
It's a volunteer organization ("All work, No pay, Eternal Glory"), and
is well known within the scientific and space engineering communites.
If you have Drupal skills it's a great opportunity to do some real
good work for good guys doing some very interesting things. And it's
available right away. If you are interested and have the skills
contact me asap.
> So I'm into my final year of my Masters in Software Development and
> one of the stages I need to complete is a thesis which will last about
> 1 year. I've been thinking quite a lot about developing software for
> charities and NGOs as part of this module and I'd just like to get
> some of your initial thoughts on possible projects you would like to
> see undertaken.
> After 6 years of University I have yet to see many projects developed
> by students specifically aimed towards NGOs which is an incredible
> shame. Much of the work completed by Undergraduates/Postgraduates
> never seem to see the light of day.
> Anyhow, I just want to get a feeling for what your thoughts are on
> what I am undertaking. I'm more than happy to hear from any charity
> or NGO about any project they have on their wish lists, the module
> does not start until September however I want to have a clear idea of
> the project before then.
> The aim would be to find a common theme amongst them all and open
> source the final solution at the end. This would of course only be
> possible through working with potential stakeholders every step of the
> way. Comments are very welcome
Thanks so much for such a great response. I've since been in touch with a Nepalese NGO to design a system which suits their unique situation. Currently the NGO is mentoring women and children from a very abusive backgrounds and has been teaching them new skills which they can use to provide for their families. Much of these skills seem to be developing various craft items which they then sell back to the charity who then sells them from various utlets throughout the country.
The lack of electricity and Internet access has created a unique situation within their organization and they are finding that it is often impractical to have an e-commerce solution hosting their wares as they are unable to access the system due to lack of Internet most days and a lack of electricity. It is a common situation that many organizations face in the developing world. Within Nepal, load shedding up to 20 hours was recently recorded and this can often make business impractical if not downright impossible.
My thesis is going to revolve around a simple yet expandable on-line marketplace which can be set up quite easily for the non-technical workers within these organizations. This is only part of the plan as having a hosted solution does not combat the issues they are experiencing.
Through downloading a seperate application, my end goal is to provide an exact replica system which can allow for these charities to work off-line without any Internet access; think Google Gears but for commerce. The application will synchronize updated orders, product inventories, etc, once a network connection is established. This way, work can continue both offline/online. The system will be free to use for any charitable institutions.
Now this is not an incredibly technically difficult application compared to some of the projects I have tackled in the past number of years (Location Applications GPS/ JXTA P2P (2005); Ericsson AXE interface (2003)), but this time around I prefer to build a system that will actually be used. It will require a lot of liaising with NGO stakeholders just to get their requirements right.
Unfortunately I am not allowed to collaborate with any other developers on this application as it must be 100% of my own work and research. The solution will not be unveiled until after my thesis has been submitted which is mid August 2010. The proposal is being submitted in September 2009 and has not yet been approved. I shall be aiming at expanding the number of charities for the initial beta so if you know of any who may be interested please don't hesitate to get in touch.
If you have any questions I'd be delighted to hear from you and thanks once again for your wonderful feedback above.
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