Re: [GKD] RFI: How Can A "Grassroots" Project Obtain Financing From Private Donors In Rich Countries?

[Darrell Owen]

Dear GKD Members:

Responding to Sam Lanfranco's recent posting it's important to add some
clarity to this discussion; perhaps even some sanity. I suspect some of
these comments may not be politically correct to some, but if we are in
fact going to solve serious problems, we have to have a clear view of
the reality.

1. I too have serious reservations about the Live Aid and Live-8 and
this approach. But let's keep in mind that this recent effort was mostly
about raising awareness of the issues and applying pressure on the G-8
for action. Let's not read more into it than what it is. It was not
about specifics as to solving all the problems of Africa nor was it
about entertaining those living in, nor from, Africa. It was to draw
attention. And it is not unreasonable that the selection of music and
musicians was aimed at those targeted for gaining their attention.

2. If we're going to address debt forgiveness and move forward in a
positive manner, ending corruption and accountability have to be
addressed front and center. And focusing on those that are deserving as
opposed to those who are not, is also mandatory. We've already wasted
literally billions of dollars from the north, and without these
components being addressed, we will simply ensure we waste billions
more, and accomplish less than we all desire. First rule of holes, if
you are in one, stop digging. If all we do is forgive debt on some
unconditional basis, we should not be surprised that nothing changes.
And we need change!

3. All humans have a tendency for survival, and the extension of humans
in the forms of businesses and NGOs is no different. If that is viewed
as self-serving, so be it. But it misses the point. We all are; and so
what? The issue is abuses, be it from the north or the south. It's about
contributions to the solution, be it from those living in the north or
the south. Personally I'm a bit tired of this north is bad; south is
good orientation that seems to permeate some of these recent
discussions.

4. And the points made with regards to giving those in Africa a voice is
right on point. But here too it's not a solution in itself. And in truth
the biggest obstacle to this voice is not just an issue caused by the
north, but also must include the rather long string of corrupt and
unaccountable leaders of the south. Yes, the colonists left a nasty
legacy. But more recently so have many of the so-called leaders of these
countries that have acted irresponsibly and gave their people no voice
at all for decades running.

5. I suspect slogans and branding have value, but let's not fool
ourselves into thinking that even the best most accurate slogan will
solve much of anything. This is a very complex set of interrelated
issues, and the truth is, collectively we simply to date do not have all
the right answers to yield a broad-based, long-term, sustainable
difference in many of these situations.  We can admit that. And we
should do this long before we blame other.

While this may sound a bit harsh and critical, the facts are we have had
this discussion for decades with only modest real movement.  We need to
move forward with more fresh thinking.  And hopefully we can
collectively be working on this.


Darrell Owen




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Re: [GKD] RFI: How Can A "Grassroots" Project Obtain Financing From Private Donors In Rich Countries?

[Lee Thorn]

Dear Colleagues:

I have followed this string with much interest and have learned some
things. I must admit that the only economists I really understood were
Smith, Marx and Jane Jacobs. But that is for another day.

In regard to local community efforts and fundraising, I would suggest
that we from richer countries try things like these I describe. I know
this is not easy. We have worked on this seven years, now, and we still
don't have it 'right'. But this kind of sharing and transfer of
information, techniques, code, and plans tends to even the playing
field. Once end-users start sharing best practices, they may really have
something. We are working on a platform just for that is designed to
include translation services. I hope this helps the GKD discussion and
the work:

1. Jhai PC hardware give away

Our purpose is to make a contribution in the development of low-power
computing. We will be happy when better computers are developed. We will
serve our clients by recommending the best computers that we can use and
will help others prove their systems, given the end-users expressed
needs and purposes.

Our specialization is not hardware and software - it is financially
sustainable development using new, what we call 'reconciliation',
techniques. I have described these techniques on this list. We will
share some of those tools after further testing. Suffice it to say, now,
that the Navajo implementation of the Jhai PC and communication system
is being installed, maintained, and reported on by Navajo people and all
training is by Navajo people. This is the effect of our method in a way
and the proof of our method. Some of these folks will be involved in
training trainers in other places.

The documents you will see are works-in-progress, but they are
sufficient for most purposes. If you see problems or holes in the
documents, please let me know. We are developing new ways to work with
you and we are sharing the first new way, now. We have posted our Jhai
PC user documentation, Jhai PC assembly documentation, Bugzilla tracker,
Executive Summary, and the Jhai PC BOM on the web at:

techlab.jhai.org

login: eduardo

password: jhai31.eduardo

If you want more information on the Jhai PC and communication system,
including an Economist article see:

http://www.jhai.org/jhai_remoteIT.htm

If you improve the design, please let me know. We hope you do.

We are first of all indebted to the people of Phon Kham village who
believed in themselves and asked us to help them in very specific ways
using ICT. We are also indebted to chief engineer, Lee Felsenstein, for
his outstanding work on the original design. His first drawings were
done on a napkin as we two Lee's discussed the needs of Phon Kham
village in 2002 with Janine Firpo and Vorasone Dengkayaphichith. This
design was modified slightly to meet the specific needs of the Navajo
implementation. The original Open Design has spawned two evolutions: 
one by us and one by our former volunteers, now with Inveneo.

We suggest several areas of research: low power displays, efficient,
green battery, alternative power of all sorts, lower-power demanding
chips and cards, Jhai PC or Jhai PC-like stacks on one card or chip, and
efficient power regulation.

We believe that in production a computer like ours using Jhai PC-like
computing power on one card in quantity would reduce our prototype cost
by a factor of eight (8), or reduce the cost to about the $100-200+/-
range

2. Jhai system up on Navajo reservation

Our work with Navajo implementers of Jhai PC and communication system is
moving along rapidly. Tests are complete onsite and implementation is
moving forward. I will get back to you in a few days with more details.
Thanks to Window Rock School District computer experts, Chris Larsen and
his great crew, and Jhai board member and programmer, Stan Osborne and a
host of others, the network is up, it is working in Ft. Defiance today,
June 30, 2005 and all functions work - email, browser, wordprocessing,
spreadsheet, monitoring software, and communication (including VoIP)
software. I have received phone calls from the machine today and they
are communicating with one another.

We have also signed memorandi of understanding with Datamation
Foundation Trust (India)  and Gems of
the Earth (Brazil)  for cooperation on
rural financially sustainable ICT projects.

3. Jhai Farmers Co-op Coffee recommended for Fair Trade certification

The Fair Trade certifier just left the Jhai Coffee Co-op's members'
fields. He is recommending certification! He also tells us we are ready
for Organic certification and should get that, too. Thanksgiving Coffee
is our roaster and I invite you to buy at:


4. Jhai Source Code soon freely available

I'll be in touch very soon.  We will put our Open Source code on the web
for further development and use.

5. The Navajo Implementation - next

I'

[GKD] POWERING ICT: An Energy Solutions Toolkit for ICT Projects

[Barbara Fillip]

Dear GKD Members,

I am pleased to announce that the Energy Solutions Toolkit for ICT
Projects is now accessible through the DOT-COM Alliance web site. This
toolkit has been developed in collaboration with Winrock by the dot-ORG
program, implemented by the Academy for Educational Development (AED),
under funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID).

The toolkit is designed to help ICT program managers, decision-makers
and entrepreneurs select the most cost-effective mix of ICT and energy
systems for projects in off-grid and poorly electrified areas.

The toolkit is still a prototype and we are looking forward to receiving
your feedback will help ensure that the toolkit is able to effectively
provide clear, accessible tools and information. If you would like to
help us improve the toolkit, we kindly request that you review the
prototype and fill out the online feedback survey by July 30, 2005.

You can access the toolkit at:
. On this page, you will
find 1) a short presentation about the toolkit; 2) a link to the toolkit
itself; 3) a link to the survey form to send us your feedback.

Feel free to forward this information to colleagues who might have an
interest in the toolkit. I look forward to the feedback and will be
working on revisions in August.


Best regards,

Barbara Fillip, Ph.D.
Communication Specialist
DOT-COM Alliance
http://www.dot-com-alliance.org
(202) 884-8003




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Re: [GKD] RFI: How Can A "Grassroots" Project Obtain Financing From Private Donors In Rich Countries?

[Zoya Naskova]

Dear Colleagues,

The issue with access to international donors for indigenous NGOs is not
really related to their having information about the existence of such
donors, but with their ability to deal with the donors in a manner that
is acceptable to the donor. Basically, they need to speak the language
of the donor, and often local NGOs are not sophisticated in that aspect;
there are cultural obstacles to begin with. Many donors, as some have
discussed here, required a great deal of work for a small amount of
funding, many would not ever deal with indigenous NGOs, often a great
deal of cost sharing is required which is prohibitively high for local
NGOs... It is no wonder many large NGOs hire professional proposal
writers - donors require that level of detail and this requirement can
rarely be met by small indigenous NGOs.

A database sounds like a great idea, and some similar attempts of such
networks have been made before. I just wonder, however, what would be
the use of such site. Donors do not usually go out looking for
clients...


Regards,
Zoya


Zoya Naskova
[EMAIL PROTECTED]





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