Aid, Evolved

Empower Women to Code with Marlene Mhangami of the Python Software Foundation

Marlene Mhangami is a remarkable woman. She was the first African woman to join the board of the global Python Software Foundation (PSF). PSF develops and maintains the Python programming language, one of the most popular programming languages in the world. Marlene was also chair of the first ever pan-African PyCon (Python Conference). She co-founded ZimboPy, a non-profit that empowers young women in Zimbabwe to pursue careers in technology.

 

In this conversation, Marlene and I discuss what it was like joining the board of PSF, particularly as a young African woman. She reflects on the resources she had, and the ones she didn't, when she taught herself how to code. On many occasions, Marlene has needed to act against traditional views of what a Zimbabwean woman should do. In equal part, she's needed to resist misguided donors with antiquated ideas of how to teach technology. Today Marlene sits at a crossroads, with open source and non-profit work down one path and the private sector technology industry down another. Which path will she choose - or will she find a way to bring these two worlds together?

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

The Promise and Peril of Biometrics with Sebastian Manhart and Simprints

Sebastian Manhart has recently concluded his role as COO of Simprints. Simprints is the world's only nonprofit biometrics company focused on the last mile. He now works as an Advisor on Digital Identity for the German Federal Chancellery, the World Bank, and ID2020.

In this conversation, Sebastian reflects on the eventful six years that he spent at Simprints. It began as a bunch of scrappy young kids studying in Cambridge, with an idea. Over the years, this morphed into the organization it is today, which has reached well over a million people in 12 countries. We cover the ups and downs, the believers and naysayers, and the risks and successes along the way. In parallel with this story we also learn about the rise and popularization of digital identity in the aid sector.

In the second half of our conversation, Sebastian and I dive into the nuanced and tricky issues surrounding digital ID. How do we strike the balance between the work of institutions and the needs and rights of individuals? How have the currents of change shaped the way that this technology was introduced, and how it's being taken up? In closing, we point to some of the key challenges that remain as well as possible approaches to address those challenges.

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

From Serial Entrepreneur to Non-Profit Founder with Gustav Praekelt of Praekelt.org

Gustav Praekelt is founder, chairman, and CEO of the African-based Praekelt Group. Praekelt has directly delivered essential health information to 100 million people around the world. Praekelt runs both the South African national COVID-19 hotline as well as the World Health Organization COVID-19 hotline, making it the most popular WhatsApp service in the globe.

 

This is the story of the man behind the institution. We peel back the layers to uncover the tragedy which led this tech entrepreneur to dive into the aid sector. Intertwined through his story is the story of modern-day South Africa, from the HIV epidemic to Apartheid. But it's also a story of hope, of idealism, and of the endless work of making change that he continues to this day.

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Foreign Aid or Local Aid? The Side Hustles of Ismaila Diene of Dimagi

Today we dive into the life and side hustles of Ismaila Diene, a senior executive within Dimagi. Born, raised, and now returned back to Senegal, he shares his experience with the diaspora, homecoming, foreign aid, entrepeneurialism, and structural inequity.

 

Ismaila is a member of Dimagi's global executive management team. He leads our team in West Africa, runs a major global consulting practice, and is Dimagi's representative to government in multiple countries. At the same time, he also manages to bring technology leadership to our product roadmap, raises two children, and balances a host of side hustles outside of work.

 

Ismaila shares how growing up with four sisters has made him a 'feminist by default'. Following the influences that shaped many in his generation, he went abroad to study and work - before making the fateful decision to come back to Senegal. Outside of his work in aid and with Dimagi, Ismaila leads many local initiatives, including one to strengthen agricultural enterprise and another to provide health insurance. These efforts provide a fascinating case study on the kind of aid that can be driven for Senegal from within Senegal.

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Learning How to Speak Up with Joy Kamunyori of JSI

Today we speak with Joy Kamunyori. Joy has a long career in digital health, and most recently was the Program Director at the Center for Digital Health at John Snow Inc (JSI). JSI is one of the largest global health firms, with thousands of staff and dozens of offices around the world, and the Center for Digital Health played a key role in enabling and facilitating technology use across its programs.

In this intimate conversation with Joy, we explore Joy's personal journey from growing up in Nairobi to joining JSI in the USA. Joy has a deep respect for the power of education, which was put to the test when she enrolled - and dropped out - of a Computer Science PhD program. Uncertain about how she could use her skills in the aid sector, she eventually found her way to return to Africa, and to share the life lessons she picked up along the way.

 

To find out more, download the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Side Chat: Behind the Scenes with Three Digital Development Podcasts

In late 2020, a few months after much of the world entered pandemic lockdown, three different digital development podcasts were each independently launched: the ICT4D Conference Podcast, Pulse on the Principles, and Aid, Evolved. 

 

In this unscripted side chat, the hosts of these three podcasts gather together to figure out, "Are we all just doing the same thing?". Claudine Lim of the Pulse on the Principles, Sonja Ruetzel of the ICT4D Conference Podcast, and Rowena Luk of Aid, Evolved talk through what inspired each of us to start a podcast. We share how the design and planning works behind the scenes. And, with relief, we realise that even though we're all talking about digital development, the way in which we explore that topic is vastly different. If you're trying to find the right digital development podcast for you, you want to listen to this conversation.

 

For a complete transcript of this episode, visit: https://aidevolved.com/behind-the-scenes 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

The Seven Lives of Living Software with Nic Pottier of Nyaruka

Nic Pottier is the CEO and co-founder of Nyaruka, a software startup founded in Rwanda. Nyaruka builds and maintains RapidPro and TextIt.com. RapidPro today runs in over a hundred countries worldwide, supporting national scale messaging programs and reaching tens of millions of people daily.

 

My conversation with Nic traces his adventures moving from the start-up ecosystem in Seattle, Washington, to the burgeoning tech community in Kigali, Rwanda. Along the way, Nic takes us through the birth and re-birth of different software products, with a particular emphasis on the different financial models needed to maintain those software products. We talk about the ins and outs of running a software development consulting firm; pay-for-license proprietary software; recurring monthly payments for software-as-a-service (SaaS); how these revenue streams change when they collide with open source; the "robin hood" business model; and much more.

 

This episode is for anyone who is looking to start a sustainable software business - but it's also for any of you looking to build software that lasts.

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Digital Identity, Cash, and Trust in Humanitarian Response with Rosa Akbari

Rosa Akbari is a humanitarian technologist. She deploys digital technologies for crisis response, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. Most recently she was a Senior Advisor in Technology for Development at Mercy Corps, and before that has worked with organizations such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Dimagi, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).

Our conversation with Rosa is also a case study on the use of digital identities, cash programming, and the interplay of machine interoperability with human trust, in times of crisis. Rosa shares the story of how her family left the Middle East, and how she couldn't resist going back. We talk about setting up Wi-Fi hotspots in Haiti, digital identities in Iraq, and digital vouchers in the Central African Republic (CAR). We explore the design challenges of working with both low literacy and low numeracy populations. Through this journey, we hear some familiar themes re-emerge, such as the importance of watching, listening, and learning from the local context. And how crucial it is to respect local knowledge and institutions, in order to make change that lasts.

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Defying Expectations with Nithya Ramanathan of Nexleaf Analytics

Nithya Ramanathan is CEO and co-founder of Nexleaf Analytics, a technology non-profit. Today, Nexleaf technology protects the vaccine supply for 1 in 10 children born on Earth. Nexleaf Analytics is known for its work in low-cost smart sensor design, data analytics, and data advocacy.

In this conversation with Nithya, we unpack the formative experiences which led Nithya to Nexleaf. She talks about the discrimination she faced in high school, and ignored. She shares the complex lessons she learned from building a "simple" well in Bangladesh. And she celebrates the strong individuals who have inspired and guided her along the way.

In the second half of our conversation, we dig into a few trickier topics. For example, what is the role, and the limits, of researchers in international development. We discuss how health data needs to be owned at the country level, even though and especially when aid workers are eager to present this data in the international spotlight. Nithya celebrates what she's learned through years navigating and supporting government decisions - even when those decisions acted against Nexleaf. And, of course, we talk about how low-cost sensor technology, often referred to as the "Internet of Things", is changing how healthcare works in the most remote parts of the world.

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Side Chat: Podcasting in the Aid Industry with Stephen Ladek of the Terms of Reference Podcast

In 2019, when I started thinking about doing a podcast on innovation in aid, I looked around to see what else was out there. At the time, one podcast stood out to me for its ability to capture the spirit of innovation in aid. It was the Terms of Reference Podcast, which Stephen Ladek ran from 2014 to 2018. Stephen recorded almost two hundred episodes with aid workers, social entrepreneurs, and other change-makers. His guests included CEO of FHI360 Patrick Fine, USAID's Chief Innovation Officer Alexis Bonnell, the President of Chemonics Bernhard Kowatsch, and the Head of the Innovation Accelerator at World Food Programme Jamey Butcher. As one does, I stalked Stephen relentlessly on the internet until he agreed to be on my show.

In our conversation, Stephen and I talk about what it means to be a podcaster and an entrepreneur in the aid industry. Stephen shares his secret to success over the years. We gripe about how this sector has plenty of policies and policy makers, and how it has platforms for diplomats and executives to speak - but it doesn't have enough space to share the stories and lessons learned of real people working in the trenches. And, of course, we talk about the craft of podcasting, how far we've come, and how much farther we have yet to go. 

This short episode is the second in our experimental 'side chat' format.

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)