As part of its 'low cost, high impact' ethic, kiwanja.net is developing a range of off-the-shelf solutions and services for the NGO sector. These solutions aim to provide access to leading edge, emerging technologies

Examples of kiwanja projects include:
 

nGOmobile

nGOmobile is a competition aimed at grassroots, non-profit organisations in the developing world and is designed to encourage them to think about how text messaging could benefit them and their work. Launched in the autumn of 2007, nGOmobile will award prizes of laptop computers, mobile phones, GSM modems, software and cash to four NGOs who come up with the most innovative application ideas

Further details on the competition, its partners, the prizes, the expert judging panel and the rationale behind it are available on the nGOmobile website

FrontlineSMS

www.frontlinesms.com

Over the past few years, SMS has emerged as a leading tool for communicating a wide range of messages to communities and individuals in developing countries. Most of these text-based services have been developed independently, and at varying cost. Many organisations which could benefit immensely from SMS usage are unable to use the technology due to issues of cost, access and knowledge, and the lack of a suitable product. Since 2005 FrontlineSMS has successfully bridged
this gap, and is today being used in over 40 countries around the world in a wide range of non-profit activities

FrontlineSMS has been nominated for a mobile industry award, featured as WSIS "ICT Success Story of the Month" for its use in the Nigerian Presidential elections, selected as a Finalist in the Stockholm Challenge, been nominated for a Tech Award and attracted funding from the MacArthur Foundation and the Open Society Institute

Further details on the software are available on the FrontlineSMS website

Silverback

www.silverbackers.org

Today's feature-rich mobile phones open up whole new opportunities for the conservation and development communities. While text messaging is leading the way in the developing world, in mature markets (which generally contain the majority of new technology early adopters) there are increasing opportunities to exploit the growing features of higher-end devices

Silverback is a mobile phone game which takes advantage of the game-playing features of today's mobile phones, and over eight levels teaches people about gorilla conservation. Taking the player from a juvenile gorilla to a fully-mature silverback, the game highlights threats to gorillas in the wild, and contains numerous help screens and gorilla facts. Silverback was launched in the Spring of 2008 in response to the escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the last remaining mountain gorilla populations

Details of the game, and instructions on how you can download it to your phone, are available on the Silverback website