List of ICT4D organizations
The sections below show two separate classifications: In 2003 Aptivate was founded as a nonprofit company limited by guarantee in Cambridge, UK, to solve the problems aid workers experienced accessing the internet in low bandwidth environments.
In November 2002, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a call for Silicon Valley to create the computers and communications systems that would enable villages to leapfrog several generations of technology and enter the Information Age directly.
In 2006, at the end of his tenure, outgoing UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID).
It includes a large number of persons from the fields of government, development cooperation, foreign policy, finance, the social sector (health, education), regulatory agencies, industry and workers' associations, producers and consumers of ICT, the media, non-governmental organisations, community social organisations, foundations, scientific, academic and ICT communities and "individuals providing advocacy and oversight on Information Society issues and implementing programs addressing the United Nations' MDGs Millennium Development Goals."
It intends to raise awareness and help policy makers and planners understand the relevance of information and communications technology (ICT) for development, by explaining technical jargon in simple terms.
The IDRC is a Canadian governmental agency (crown corporation) that has a very broad programme which includes many small to mid-sized ICT4Dev projects.
[5] Founded in 1998 Computer Aid International is a not-for-profit organisation that facilitates the practical application of ICT4Dev solutions[buzzword] to social development challenges.
Founded in 2002, Dimagi Inc. is a software social enterprise that develops scalable, open source ICT solutions[buzzword] for low-resource settings.
Dimagi has performed technical strategy, systems design, software development, and research for 100+ projects worldwide, and its core product suite supports thousands of Frontline Workers in over 40 countries.
Dimagi also has experience conducting research on ICT4D, which has led to 18 peer-reviewed publications about its primary mobile health platform, CommCare.
A spider was established in 2004 and is primarily financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation (Sida), with complementary funding from Stockholm University.
In 2011, it launched the SmartVillage project that integrated Android Smartphone technology and social networking as a tool for community development.
[19] Open Function works with NGOs (such as UNICEF[20]) and governments to scale public health and humanitarian programs via data integration, interoperability, and automation.
However, there exists no impact assessment report that might claim its success in the areas it is involved, reflecting on the experiences of its target beneficiaries.
The company has established a presence in 13 countries and has donated Windows for thousands of school computers and funded programs for entrepreneurs and the youth and has used aggressive business tactics aimed at Linux, which is its biggest threat in the region.
[29] At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the IMARA organization (from Swahili word for "power") sponsors a variety of outreach programs which bridge the Global Digital Divide.
Its aim is to find and implement long-term, sustainable solutions[buzzword] which will increase the availability of educational technology and resources to domestic and international communities.
These projects are run under the aegis of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and staffed by MIT volunteers who give training, installed and donated computer setups in greater Boston, Massachusetts, Kenya, Indian reservations the American Southwest such as the Navajo Nation, the Middle East, and Fiji Islands.
