The 1%CLUB is the marketplace that connects smart development projects with people, money and knowledge around the world at onepercentclub.com.
Have a look and be part of it!
Thursday September 13th and Friday September 14th it is going to happen again…. the 1%EVENT! The 1%EVENT is the event that connects smart ideas with people, knowledge and network from around the world. It’s the event where our community meets, connects and shares. In 2009 we organized the 1%EVENT for the first time. In 2010, it was organized in both Amsterdam and Naroibi. In 2011, 1%EVENT took place in 7 cities around the world. In these years we achieved amazing, innovative and creative results, so we are excited to see what the teams come up with this year!
This year young professionals in 9 cities from around the world will work on challenges and questions from our project owners. In every foreign city we have a partner organisation who is helping to make it work! Last week Active Spaces from Cameroon, the Tunisian Center for Social Entrepreneurship (TCSE) from Tunesia, Let’s do it Palestine from Palestine and ExtendedBITS from Somaliland and introduced themselves as partners of our global co-creation.
Nailab (Nairobi, Kenya)
Greetings from Team Nailab…. I know some of you are wondering what the Nailab is, so here we go..
The Nailab is a business incubator based in Nairobi -Kenya that has a focus on providing the right ingredients to entrepreneurs to turn their business ideas into viable startups. We do this by providing office space, free internet access, coaching and mentorship opportunities and networking avenues, which provide access to potential clients and investors. We provide incubation for a period of 3 to 12 months, depending on the needs of the specific startups. Currently, we have a staff of 4 people including the director, and we’ll hopefully grow as time goes by and as we grow into a bigger entity.
The 1% EVENT gives us an opportunity to give something back to the 1% CLUB and to thank the 1% CLUB by facilitating something that is their core business. It also gives us an opportunity to network with project owners and helps all participants to familiarize themselves with 1%PROJECTS in Kenya and offer them opportunities to spend 1% of their time and expertise to those who need it. So, for us 1%EVENT means giving something back and we look forward to this event!
Sudanese Knowledge Society (Khartoum, Sudan)
A group of us from the Sudanese Knowledge Society, which is a cultural association that aims to spread the values of knowledge sharing, will be participating in the upcoming 1%Event and join the global community of the 1%CLUB.
We have a selection of cases that we hope to work on at the 1%EVENT and beyond. We are also very much looking forward to learn about and contribute to cases from participating groups from other countries.
Mastering the approach of the 1%CLUB of co-creation and spreading the word locally are at the top of our agenda. We hope to build the capabilities of our membership through organising training courses, liaising with relevant groups, and attracting members from different levels and domains of expertise.
How would we look in a year’s time? Maybe a network of 1%CLUBs in different universities and regions in Sudan, maybe a number of innovative solutions up our sleeve, but certainly we will look different as individuals – we might be more thinking out-of-the-box and sharing what-we-have.
We are very grateful to our sponsor Vision Valley for providing space and internet for our participation at the 1%Event.
Do you want to know more about the Sudanese Knowledge Society?
This is a guestblog by Josje Spierings. She is project assistant at Akvo.
It’s been almost two weeks since the Open Data for Development Camp (ODDC) 2012 took place in Nairobi and Amsterdam. With over 250 participants in Nairobi and 125 in Amsterdam, it exceeded our expectations.
The event kicked of on the 27th of June in Nairobi. The day started with keynote presentations about open data and open development. Bart Lacroix, founder of the 1%CLUB, made everybody shout out: “We want Open Data Now!” As a call to all organisations to open up their data and work on open development.
The first day ended with Ignite Talks. During this session seven Ignite Speakers provided five Ignite Talks. To clarify this, the speakers scattered around the room, and five minutes after they started their talk a buzzer went off, whereupon the audience continued to the next talk. The idea was for the speakers to keep their inspiring stories at a high energy level. In addition, it was a nice way to network and share experiences. If you want to view highlights of the ODDC 2012, watch the following video thich the 1%CLUB has made.
At the start of the two-day camp, we challenged the visitors to share their ideas on open data. Forms were handed out on which people could fill in their ideas. By the end of the first day, we had received over 60 forms, of which we selected nine ideas. Visitors were able to pitch their ideas at the end of the second day. Out of those pitches, one was selected as “the winner” and received a ticket to attend and speak at the Open Knowledge Festival in Helsinki. The winner of the ‘Pitch Your Idea’ was chosen by a jury consisting of: Pieter Dorst (Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Sam Gichuru (NaiLab), and Caroline Kitenge (Microsoft).
Dr. Edward Omete won this challenge. He pitched about eliminating wastage of public resources in hospitals and improving accuracy of medical data via smart phones, tablets and/or PCs, thereby reducing the work burden of health workers.
Another ticket was handed out to someone from a Co-Creation group. Co-Creation is an open innovation methodology that brings together professionals from different organisations/companies from various sectors in order to reach creative solutions that would never have been created without the Co-Creation. In a set time period they worked in multi-disciplinary groups to come up with a creative solution for a challenge. During this session there were four challenges, focussed on open data in different thematic areas: 1.Water 2.Health 3.Education 4.IFMIS (a county perspective).
After a difficult deliberation the jury decided that the Health Co-Creation group had the best idea and presentation. The group chose Janet Maranga to represent their group in Helsinki.
In addition to a ticket to Helsinki, the winners received a towel to attend the “Open Sauna” Session at OKFestival. After the award ceremony there were drinks and cake to celebrate the first year anniversary of the Kenya Open Data Initiative.
The event was a big success, with over 250 participants connecting and exchanging ideas and knowledge.
Last weekend was a grrrrreeeaaat one, we can now affirm. From getting a boost from Accenture to being hosted on both a Kenya’s preferred national television network KTN and the number one radio station for local and urban hits 1FM’s breakfast radio show. From an online fundraiser, to an entire day of brainstorming crowd-funding strategies. To top it all off it culminated in a rather interesting photo-shoot….and the best part is, YOU and I Made It Work!
KTN Interview
If you watched Friday’s edition Sunrise Entertainment on KTN, you may have noticed two people, a gentleman and a lady explaining how 1% of your time, skill or money can go a long way helping a project be realized. Wandia (the lady) is from Kwea Milele, a group of hikers that is fundraising funds to go plant trees at Mt. Kenya. They want to go green, and they know you can Make It Work! Their project has passed the half-way mark in terms of the funds needed and they believe if you and 99 other friends get 20 friends each to donate a minimum Ksh. 300 then the project will be realized!!!
The online fundraising went well, with Kwea Milele team closing on the gap to cross over the middle point. Ksh 17,700 was raised, thanks to you and many others. Kenyan celebrities took some time off to chip in 1% of their time and appreciated project supporters by hosting lunch at the 4-Star Sarova Panafric. They also donated status updates for these noble initiatives. That was the second fundraising Friday. The next one is scheduled for 6th July 2012… round up your friends, we making it BIG this time round. We are MAKING IT WORK!!!!
My1pc Workshop
Saturday and all the project owners converged at Nailab, where there was a review of the fundraising and strategizing on ways to raise more funds. Kwea Milele will be having an excursion and Maisha Mapya and Fanya Mambo plan to hold concerts to raise funds. Interested in knowing more? Email us for the details.
So interesting was the social media workshop that Joe Mucheru, Country Manager Kenya for Google Inc. dropped by and got to learn about the initiatives with a promise of joining the Kwea Milele team on their next hike to Mount Kenya as they go green.
A photo-shoot with one Kenya’s creative photographers wrapped up the weekend. Ever figured out you can use photos to sell a story, an idea? Check out how we use them on our 1%CLUB website…and a photo booth as well. The more people see the 1%CLUB “You Made It Work”, the more the story gets shared. Go ahead; it’s free, fun and interactive.
A massive thank you the Accenture team for their donation towards the three projects, a donation that placed the projects on a wonderful phase. To Kwea Milele, Fanya Mambo and Maisha Mapya initiatives…kazi kwenu! Our donation channels are open, feel free to donate via MPesa anytime.
Let’s do this!
Remember to join Florence Kamaitha from the Maisha Mapya initiative this coming Sunday on ntv’s crossover101 show as she gets hosted by Nancy Kihenia. Get to know why she would like to make sure girls never miss a class.
In a few weeks the Open Data for Development Camp (ODDC) 2012 events will take place in Nairobi and Amsterdam. They are bound to be great events, which will take the usage of Open Data to the next level.
In 2011 we organised the first Open Data for Development Camp in Amsterdam, bringing together a diverse crowd of policy-makers, development aid workers, researchers, journalists, ICT-staff and software developers in order to learn about the possibilities of Open Data for Development, share experiences and networks. Here you can read more about the 2011 event.
Following that event, the NaiLab ICT Incubation Centre in Nairobi called out to the organisations present in Amsterdam: You have the data, we need that data. Give us the data!
They suggested having the next event in Nairobi and offered to help with the organization. So this year we will take them up on that offer, in addition to holding a 2012 event in Amsterdam.
On Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th June, we’ll be at the iLab at Strathmore University in Nairobi, to connect on-the-ground initiatives on open data and citizen engagement in development initiatives.
On Friday the 29th June, we’ll come together in Amsterdam with lots of Dutch organisations, to take stock of what is happening, and to engage in making the data available that African organisations and companies are asking for in Nairobi.
OpenData for Development Camp in Nairobi
The ODDC in Nairobi is part of The Kenya Open Data Pre-Incubator Program, a six-month experiment to help accelerate the availability for the public to make sense of data and to galvanize engagement around critical public issues.
The event in Nairobi will be a 2-day conference about open data and open international development. These terms might sound vague, so here’s a brief explanation:
Open data is a term that is used to describe data that is freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control. Open international development takes into account open data, but also open cooperation. It’s the idea that organisations that work in the field of international development should work together to make tools and create efficiency.
In March 2011 the Obama Administration launched the Open Government Data initiative, which fits into our Open Data Development philosophy. One of the countries acting upon it was Kenya and in July 2011, with a lot of support from the World Bank, it launched The Kenya Open Data Portal. There was a clear message: for the people to hold us accountable.
Nearly a year after its launch, it seems like a good time to look at next steps. How does it influence people? So with this event we’ll take it a step further and explore how indeed the Open Government Data of Kenya, the Open Data of the World Bank and the IATI (International Aid Transparency Initiative) files impact the tech community in Kenya and, behind them, the active citizens.
The ODDC in Nairobi is organised by ICT Board Kenya, Kenya Open Data Initiative, Open for Change, World Bank, NaiLab, iLAB, Akvo, 1%CLUB, Hivos, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and Development Gateway.
The event will offer a combination of keynote speakers, workshops, best practices, speed geeking, hack space, networking, exchange of knowledge and needs, sharing data sets, co-creation, open data visualisations, and inspiration.
Open Data for Development Camp in Amsterdam
The ODDC in Amsterdam will focus on explaining open data and open development to interested organisations and NGOs. It will elaborate on what IATI is, what is happening all over the world in the field of open data and ways in which opening up data can impact an organisation. There will be a connection to the Nairobi event via Skype interviews and presentations.
The ODDC in Amsterdam is organised by Open for Change, Partos, Akvo, 1%CLUB, IICD, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
It will take place in the AmLab in Amsterdam and will be a combination of keynote speakers, workshops, best practices, networking, exchange of knowledge and needs, open data visualisations, and inspiration.
It’s always a wonderful thing to see the online community come together and help bring some positive changes to the society, be it through fundraising or even advocating for something good. That is what took place on Friday, 11th May 2012 which was our first Fundraising Friday. The Fundraising Friday was set aside to help realize three community projects currently running on the One Percent Club platform. A complete list of well-wishers that came out to be counted is available via this link
Girls at the Maisha Mapya Programme sewing re-usable sanitary towels.
On twitter, we had the hash tag #FundraisingFriday and #my1pc trending in support of the ‘No Missing Periods coz of Periods’ initiative by the Maisha Mapya Foundation which aims at making sure no girl misses class during her menses. Their cause is raise funds to set up a factory to reproduce re-usable sanitary towels. Trust the interactive and active twitter community from Kenya to trend anything, be it funny or serious. You ask me and I will affirm to you that such a ‘gift’ is what most fundraisers would want on their team. A trend will get the world asking, “what are they talking about”….they click and see the conversation their next question is “how do I donate/become part of it”. A retweet can work wonders.
We say a massive THANK YOU to the Kenyan twitter community, and you too can help keep a girl in school by clicking on this link.
Let's go GREEN!
On Facebook, we had the Kwea Milele harnessing their energies and network to help meet their target. The Kwea Milele group plans to raise funds to buy tree seedlings for the Mt. Kenya forest, whose cover was destroyed by fire early this year. They have a great network of hikers and people that love the outdoors and their slogan is Going Green!
Fanya Mambo Foundation: Fanya Mambo means ‘Do Something’ in Swahili language is a group that educates school children on the importance of recycling plastics by having them collect them and take them to school for recycling. To date, Fanya Mambo works closely with over 300 school children to Make It Work! They plan to raise funds to use for the training of the school children.
Click on this link to see how you can support them.
Our next Fundraising Friday will take place on 8th June 2012 , and this time we shall make it BIGGER and BETTER… thanks to giveaways from well-wishers that have given their 1%,,,watch this space…
Ps: do you know, just by sharing this blog you have started giving your 1%? Hit the SHARE button, sharing is caring!
