World Challenge 09 - Global Competition showcasing Enterprise and Innovation at Grassroots Level

Now in its fifth year, World Challenge 09 is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. World Challenge 09 is brought to you by BBC World News and Newsweek, in association with Shell, and is about championing and rewarding projects and business which really make a difference.

Plan Bee won the World Challenge 08. The Pakistani project helps female beekeepers boost their income by selling high quality honey. The northern areas of Pakistan are among the poorest and most isolated regions in the country. Effective development assistance has yet to reach these hilly, remote areas and it is the women and children who are most affected. The only workable and sustainable solution is to capitalize on local resources, building on what is achievable as well as culturally acceptable.

Your chance to nominate a project
We are looking for your nominations for innovative projects or ideas that demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit working for the benefit of the community whilst adopting a responsible approach.

Nominations close at midnight (GMT) on the 22nd May 2009.

Nominate a project or small business for World Challenge 09

The Tech Awards Nominations are Open - Technology Benefiting Humanity

The Tech Award Laureates use technology to make the world safer and healthier, more prosperous and just.

Some of the earlier laureates include DESI Power from India and Digital StudyHall from Bangladesh and India. Read more about them.

Applications are open throughout the year.

SEE THE APPLICATION PROCESS HERE

India Social Enterprise Fellowship Challenge

Justmeans is recruiting a Social Enterprise Fellow to work out of our Pune, India office. The fellow will, among other things:

•Develop and scale our research team
•Develop a business strategy for Justmeans expansion into Asia in the first two quarters of 2010
•Work with one of our partners to launch an annual conference on sustainable development in India
•Work with our CEO, Martin Smith, to identify and secure founding academic and corporate partners for the launch of Justmeans Asia
•Work with Ashoka Fellow and COO Kevin Long to develop an appropriate mobile technology strategy for India and beyond

Read more about the India Social Enterprise Fellowship. To get the fellowship, you need to win a challenge -

Applicants must answer one of the questions below reflecting their philosophy related to the Justmeans strategy. Then, applicants will invite their friends and network to vote and comment on their idea. Once an idea is submitted, further application instructions will be provided.

Questions:
1. How should Justmeans bring its platform to Asia?
2. Why should Justmeans be in Asia?
3. How should Justmeans use mobile technology in Asia?

SEE ALL DETAILS ON THE FELLOWSHIP HERE

Tech-related Education Scholarships for students from Developing Countries

The Youth Education Scheme (YES) is one of the cornerstones of the ITU-D “Children and Youth” Special Initiative, in support of needy and deserving young people, from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), developing countries and countries in transition who wish to complete their tertiary education in the information and communication technologies (ICTs) and related fields. The objective is to enable motivated young people to contribute to the development of their communities, country and region using their achieved ICT knowledge and skills.

The goal of the selection procedure is to identify talented young people who are unable to complete their studies in ICTs and related fields without financial support.

Following applications are encouraged:
1. Studies related to information and communication technology (ICT)
2. Students who wish to continue their studies in their own country or in a neighboring country
3. Applications from women
4. Applications from indigenous people
5. Applications from persons with disabilities


More Details and Application Details are here

Talks by TED Fellows Go Online

Two of the 40 amazing TED Fellows' talks have gone online. Check out more about them:

Erik Hersman: How texting and GoogleMaps helped Kenyans survive crisis
At TEDU 2009, Erik Hersman presents the remarkable story of Ushahidi, a GoogleMap mashup that allowed Kenyans to report and track violence via cell phone texts following the 2008 elections, and has evolved to continue saving lives in other countries.



Sean Gourley: The mathematics of war

By pulling raw data from the news and plotting it onto a graph, Sean Gourley and his team have come up with a stunning conclusion about the nature of modern war -- and perhaps a model for resolving conflicts.




Wanna be on the TED Stage ???
TED is looking out for 100 amazing fellows from all over the globe to be a part of its next conference in India. Apply for being a TED India Fellow here or email to fellows@ted.com.

US Presidential Service Awards 2009

America has a long and proud tradition of volunteer service. Now more than ever, volunteers are renewing their commitment to helping others and making new connections that bring us closer together as families, as neighbors, as communities, and as a Nation.

The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation (the Council) was established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and encourage more people to serve. Recognizing and honoring volunteers sets a standard for service, encourages a sustained commitment to civic participation, and inspires others to make service a central part of their lives. The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals, families, and groups that have achieved a certain standard – measured by the number of hours of service over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime.

To date, the President’s Council has partnered with more than 80 Leadership Organizations and more than 28,000 Certifying Organizations to bestow more than 1.5 million awards to the Nation's deserving volunteers.

Awards are available at bronze, silver, and gold levels for kids who have volunteered over 50 hours in a year, and adults who have volunteered over 100 hours. If you are a US organization and are interested in getting these awards for volunteers, get more information here.


I feel this is an amazing way to celebrate volunteering and social service. I wonder if we have something similar in India too?

The Girl Effect

Just saw an interesting video presented by the Nike Foundation and NoVo Foundation about the cycle of poverty in small villages and the impact one person can have in breaking that cycle. The concept is called the Girl Effect, and the idea behind it is that the life of one girl effects the lives of many others (her children, husband, brother, sister, mother, etc..). As an educated mother, citizen, entrepreneur and employee, she can make a difference.

Learn more about the Girl Effect.