[kictanet] CNN to Feature SIDAREC (Kenya) and Architecture for Humanity (Saturday August 30th)

Thu Aug 28 06:19:47 EAT 2008

Dear Friends,

On Saturday, August 30th, at 7:30pm on CNN, Architecture for Humanity's latest project, a full-fledged media center serving youth in slum areas of Nairobi, Kenya, will be featured. For more see these websites:

http://www.architectureforhumanity.org and http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/node/1677

And read more below about the Open Architecture Contest, including the overall winner:  SIDAREC (Slums Information, Development, and Resource Centers), at http://www.sidarec.org. SIDAREC is an amazing nonprofit started by young people, and it is young people who still manage the organization and are served by it.

The media center will help to transform many individual lives, the communities in which SIDAREC operates, and also a city whose slums are among the worst in the world. Please tune in Saturday and hear more about the outstanding work being done by these organizations.

Thanks and all best wishes, Janet (Feldman, KAIPPG International and ActALIVE, kaippg at earthlink.net) 

CNN's Charles Hodson presents the second Principal Voices program: "Principal Voices: Design for Good" at the times below:   http://edition.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/principal.voices/design/

Saturday, August 30  (SIDAREC featured today)

0730 ET

1330 ET

Sunday, August 31

0330 ET

0930 ET

1430 ET

Monday, September 1

0930 ET

1330 ET

PRESS RELEASE

SIDAREC SCOOPS THE 2007 AMD Open Architecture Challenge: An ultra-modern technology media lab and radio station to be constructed in Mukuru Slums

Organizational summary:

SIDAREC is an acronym that stands for Slums Information Development and Resource Centres. This is a community based organization operating in the slum areas of Mukuru and Majengo in Nairobi, Kenya. SIDAREC was formed in 1996 as a youth group but later developed and changed status to an NGO in 1997. 

It is instructive to note that SIDAREC was founded by a group of youth who have managed it to date. The primary 
target group for SIDAREC is children, youth, and women living in these slums. SIDAREC pillars (programmes) include: Youth Reproductive Health and Development, Early Childhood Development, Community Media and ICT, and Livelihood.

Vision:

Empowered slum community with easy access to information and opportunities that enable them to lead a decent life on a sustainable basis.

Mission:

To build the capacity of slum communities through provision of quality services in the areas of Information, Communication, and Technology, as well as advocacy and socio-economic initiatives.

Global Challenge:

SIDAREC submitted its bid to the global challenge organized by Architecture For Humanity in 2006. There were about 556 entries received from all over the world. The screening and selection process was very competitive and time-consuming. On Tuesday June 3, 2008, Architecture for Humanity and AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced SIDAREC as the winner of the 2007 AMD Open Architecture Challenge during the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. 

AMD sponsored the 2007 challenge through 50x15, a global initiative founded by AMD with the goal of enabling affordable Internet access and computing capability for 50 percent of the world's population by the year 2015.

The winners, including one overall competition winner and two regional site winners, were determined by an international review board of jurors comprised of architects, technologists, and community members. SIDAREC was 
not only the Africa challenge winner but also scooped the overall competition prize among three entries from Nepal (construction of a health facility) and Ecuador (establishment of an indigenous chocolate factory).

The site winner for SIDAREC is the Global Studio of Seattle, WA, USA, which will construct a technology media lab. This Community Media lab will include but is not limited to an internet centre, computer training lab, day care, 
amphitheatre, elevated wide screen, and radio station.  With the construction of this media lab, the youth feel like managers (who are also the pioneers), and they believe that it will become "the next Silicon Valley," in the slum area of Mukuru.

Benefit of Award to SIDAREC:

-Build institutional capacity in terms of technology.
-Generate revenue from the hire of amphitheatre, hall, computer training which will be ploughed back to social development activities.
-Establish offices within the facility as opposed to renting elsewhere and thus saving on this cost.

Benefits to be accrued by the community members:

-Narrowing of the digital divide.
-Increased affordability and accessibility of technology in the slum areas.
-Improvements in the surrounding environment by building a facility complete with a greening concept.
-Increased markets to local entrepreneurs through e-marketing and advertising.

About the Sponsors:

AMD
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of innovative processing solutions in the computing, graphics and consumer electronics markets. AMD is dedicated to driving open innovation, choice and 
industry growth by delivering superior customer-centric solutions that empower consumers and businesses worldwide.

For more information, visit http://www.amd.com

The 50x15 Initiative, launched by AMD in 2004 at the World Economic Forum, is a bold and far-reaching effort to develop new technology and solutions to help enable affordable Internet access and computing capability for 50 
percent of the world's population by the year 2015. More than just goodwill, 50x15 is about fostering long-term economic progress and investment within high-growth markets in ways that benefit a wide range of people and businesses. For more information, visit http://www.50x15.com

Architecture for Humanity:
Architecture for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crises and provides professional design services to communities in need. For more information, please visit 
http://www.architectureforhumanity.org

Open Architecture Challenge:

Each year, Architecture for Humanity hosts a global design challenge on the Open Architecture Network to harness the creativity and energy of the design community to address a different systemic issue facing those living in underserved communities. By reaching beyond the traditional bounds of architecture, the open design competition challenges architects, designers and others to solve inequities in the built environment affecting the health, prosperity and well-being of under-served communities.

Contacts:

Lucy Mathai, Executive Director
Slums Information Development & Resource Centres (SIDAREC)
P.O. Box 9687 00300
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 020 246961 / 247356

Email: info at sidarec.or.ke, lucy at sidarec.or.ke

Laura Galloway
Galloway Media Group
Tel: (212) 260-3708
Email: laura at gallowaymediagroup.com

Travis Bullard
AMD Public Relations Executive
Tel: (512) 602-5667
Email: travis.bullard at amd.com
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