Helping solve few problems in Nepal with Technology

I have been working on a research titled "Innovation Ecosystem for Development of Nepal" for past few months. Since, I started working on this research and after having gone through several literature, I have realized there is much more youths and individuals can do for Nepal than I earlier assumed.

I have been musing a lot over the ideas where technology, particularly ICT, could be used in improving the economic status of the country or living standard of marginalized group. There exists immense possibilities even the ones with great economic returns. However, here I am sharing two ideas from more of social entrepreneur perspective rather than business entrepreneur perspective. The ideas still need refinement where your inputs might help.

Build a portal with reasons and information to help people invest in Nepal. Something like http://www.investmentcommission.in/

• The portal can be used to highlight quality work being done and potential growth sectors
• Since the govt. support is unlikely to come (at least at the earlier stage), getting an endorsement by successful Nepalese with International branding like Prabal Gurung, Kiran Joshi and the Nepali diaspora will help
• It would be great if the site could be community owned and developed collaboratively on github or similar platform
• If ever, government agencies come forward, the ownership should be transferred to them
• I know many of us who are familiar with Nepal's present situation would be laughing at this idea and find it ludicrous. but believe me if we start to explore positive sides, we will definitely find some. We already have low wages, huge concentration of population in youth age-growth (see I found a few!). We don't necessarily have to eye for an investment from Google here today or a supply-chain business from Wal-mart. Nepal would begin growing even if we, say for example, manage to get car-seat cover factories (that is so trivial, isn't it but Nepal doesn't make them yet), electrical switch making companies, some hydro-power solutions.

Helping pregnant women get customized advice through mobile phone

• The idea is inspired (or you can say copied) from the following news story: http://www.iadb.org/news-releases/2010-08/english/pregnant-women-in-peru-will-improve-their-health-via-cell-phones--7708.html
• It can easily be implemented by a startup IT company in Kathmandu
• Would be a great service to do in a country where maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rates are very high
• The idea need to have major focus for rural areas
• Since reducing maternal and infant mortality rates are critical MDGs (Millenium Development Goal) for Nepal, getting some INGO to fund the cost shouldn't be difficult
• Can be easily done in partnership with a hospital
• This will be very useful as several rural women don't have access to hospital and the cases of teen age pregnancy are high
• The implementing organization can still make profit through SMS charges (though margin can be a bit low). However, I believe the social capital through such project would produce good returns in long run. And, moreover, it will help develop a market for SMS based services at the bottom of the pyramid (it is virtually non-existent in rural area at present and has great potential. One has to only connect to the kinds of services that would matter to rural population).

Although, I would like to work on these ideas, I am not quite sure if I would be able to work on either of them because of my other engagements. I would be more than happy to extend any help if someone wants to implement them.

Google Bots are looking at you!!

We all know of the enormous amount of data Google stores about so many things. But today I ran across something that I hadn't imagined Google bots were stalking at.

A picture is worth thousand words.  Hence, lets see this screenshot of my Gmail account.

In the email thread (http://groups.google.com/group/foss-nepal/browse_thread/thread/2725fc8a421c90b8) I had proposed an IRC meeting on Tuesday at 8 PM. I was surprised to find "Add to Calendar" suggestion with those details (I have noticed this feature for the first time.) It is just so wonderful and genius of engineers at Google to suggest you to add the event to you calendar, isn't it? 

Even before, I add the event to calendar, Google still has an idea of the fact that I am having a meeting at the specified time and venue. 

Google bots might over period store so much of information about your meetings that it might be able to tell you when exactly you went on date with and when.

Is Google experimenting Video Ads in Youtube?

For sometime now, Google has been vigorously experimenting variety of ads on Youtube. Anyone who has used Youtube in past 3-4 months (I don't exactly remember when Google launced it and I am too lazy to search ;) ) must have at least noticed the text based ads that appear at the bottom of videos.

Today, while trying to follow the Google-China Saga, I clicked upon a video link to notice L'OREAL ad being bombarded at me.

For a moment, it seemed I clicked wrong link. And, in a while, the video I was looking for actually appeared. For a moment, I thought that it might have been uploaded that way by the video submitter. Hence, I refreshed the page to be greeted with PEPSI ad.

This seem to be a new advertising methodology Google is experimenting in its lab! I am not sure how people will react to it but for the time being, I am loving the idea.

e-libraries in Udaypur and Lamjung

11 January '09 was a great Sunday. On this day, we set out to establish e-libraries in Udaypur and Lamjung districts. And with those setups, we are a couple of steps closer to perceiving the dream "1 e-library per district" envisioned by Help Nepal Network (HeNN). As of now, HeNN e-library project has been deployed in 8 districts and 9 sites.

While the Lamjung project was solely carried out by HeNN, Udaypur project was financed by Save the Children-Norway and HeNN looked after the implementation. FOSS Nepal provided the technical assistance in the projects.

I have been associated with HeNN since the days I volunteered for establishment of e-library in Sudal, Bhaktapur and it has been more than a year now. But working this time was a different experience all together. With Roshendra Dai and Shishir Dai gone for further studies, I was transferred the responsibility of technical co-ordinator for the projects. So, this time, I was in charge of affairs right from purchasing hardware, co-ordinating with volunteers to communicating with Save the Children-Norway. Of course, I also had to deal with technical issues in the setup and content for the e-library. Handling all these responsibilities parallely was tough but a good learning experience.

In the Udaypur deployment, we had a team of 4. Me, Suraj, Mitra Rai and Khem Rai. The project was accomplished in Shree Rauta Higher Secondary School, Murkuchi. In Lamjung, Sushil Shilpakar led the team, with Sanjeev KC, Dipesh Shakya and Kailash Budhathoki as other team members.

There were lovely moments as well as tough moments during the project. But the accomplishment of the projects is definitely a thing we feel proud of since this has created an opportunity of learning Information Technology for at least 1000s of students who will be helping hands in the nation-building tomorrow.

And the beauty of these projects is that they are solely based on Open source and implemented using LTSP (Linux Terminal Server Project) which greatly reduces the cost which is a key concern in nation like ours. Moreover, we have tried to ensure that the setup is more than just a computer lab. With contents like gCompris, Student Wikipedia, e-Paath developed by OLE (Open Learning Exchange), eBarnamala, Kalzium, etc. the setup is a supplement to the traditional library. Hence, we call it an e-library.

I am pretty sure that this mission of "1 e-library per district" will give several young minds an opportunity to be aware of the power of Information Technology and connect them to the global phenominon. This definitely is a reason for me to smile and feel good about these deployments.