[kictanet] Mobile Campaign to Vote for Kenyan Innovator

Sat Nov 13 14:08:30 EAT 2010

I just cast my ballot paper :-)

On Sat, Nov 13, 2010 at 10:07 AM, Edith Adera <eadera at idrc.or.ke> wrote:

>    Listers and CEOs of all Mobile Companies in Kenya,
>
> We need to take pride in our "own" and promote INNOVATION by young Kenyans.
> I would like to appeal to *ALL* mobile operators in Kenya to launch a
> campaign via mobile to get millions of Kenyans to vote for Evans. If we can
> have a mobile to web-link (i.e. get people to vote via sms..which is
> then automatically channelled to the voting site heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx that
> will be great). I think we have enought techy innovators within the mobile
> companies to make this happen!
>
> Lets see which moble operator will take up the challenge and lead from the
> front!
>
> How is this related to ICTs? He intends to use the money he wins to put up
> "an *ICT centre*, a solar-powered fish processing plant and build more
> lanterns for distribution to needy homesteads in the country". In the near
> future..you never know, this ICT centre could be turned into an "innovation
> hub" for ICT solutions!
>
> We need to inspire our youth to innovate!
>
> Over to you to make this happen!
>
> Edith
>
> =====================================================================
> Kenyan shines his way to CNN awards with solar lantern
>
>     [image: Evans Wadongo, Kenya’s finalist in the 2010 CNN Heroes Award.
> You vote for him at heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx. Photo/SULEIMAN MBATIAH]
>
> Evans Wadongo, Kenya’s finalist in the 2010 CNN Heroes Award. You vote for
> him at heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx. Photo/SULEIMAN MBATIAH
> By ABY AGINA aagina at ke.nationmedia.com
> Posted Thursday, November 11 2010 at 20:34
>
>  It all started in a room at his hostel when he invented the first ever
> solar-powered lantern back in 2004.
>
> His desire to provide sustainable energy to communities was hatched while
> studying Electrical Engineering at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture
> and Technology.
>
> As he fiddled with an experiment involving the timing of Christmas lights
> the idea to provide an environmentally friendly light source for rural homes
> struck him.
>
> Today, Evans Wadongo’s initiative, which involves supplying solar-powered
> lanterns at no cost, has transformed the lives of thousands of rural
> families who have no access to electricity and live below the poverty line.
> He has received 200 supply requests from countries interested in his
> lanterns.
>
> “We plan on opening an office in Lagos Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda and the US to
> meet the growing demands.”
>
> Coming from a poor family of four children, he relied on a kerosene lamp to
> study at night. At some point he develop poor eyesight because of smoke from
> the kerosene lamp.
>
> Wadongo, the only African in the finals for the 2010 *Cable News Network
> (CNN*) Hero Awards, will be travelling to the United States on November 15
> to represent Kenya at the awards ceremony in Hollywood.
>
> The award, which attracted over 10,000 contestants form all over the world,
> is given to young persons with innovative projects geared towards
> eliminating poverty and creating sustained social development in local
> communities.
>
> The 24-year-old will be relying on votes from Kenyans to clinch the coveted
> award come the finals to be aired on *CNN* live on November 25. Voting is
> still under way on heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx and is expected to close on
> November 18.
>
> If he gets voted as the finalist he stands to bring home $100,000 (about
> Sh8 million) which he says would be channelled towards financing production
> of more lanterns and other economic ventures his organisation supports.
>
> He says part of the cash will finance a project in Migori, Nyanza, that
> targets to transform the area into a virtual tower.
>
> “I plan to invest the money in setting up an ICT centre, a solar-powered
> fish processing plant and build more lanterns for distribution to needy
> homesteads in the country,” he said.
>
> In a media briefing held on Thursday organised by Brand Kenya Limited at
> NHIF building an upbeat Mr Wadongo urged Kenyans to vote for him at the same
> time exuded confidence of victory in the competition.
>
> During his visit, Wadongo is expected to hold meetings with top business
> leaders and tour several States and institutions of learning.
>
> “I intend to spend a month in the US and meet with business executives from
> Microsoft and Apple, hold media interviews and address students at Stanford
> University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology,” he said.
>
> His innovative programme dubbed ‘Use solar, save Lives’ produces lanterns
> at a cost Sh1,600. The production is funded by donors. The solar-powered
> lamp can light up a home for six hours if it is fully charged by being left
> in the sun during the day.
>
> The inventor says the life span for the lamp is between six and 10 years.
> Wadongo says he has designed a new lantern that has a radio and a slot for
> charging a mobile phone. This one is still in the test stage.
>
> Operating from his office in Nairobi’s South B area, which also hosts a
> workshop and employs eight permanent staff and over 10 volunteers each
> month, Wadongo estimates he has distributed 14,000 lanterns to rural
> communities across the country and hopes to hit 150,000 by 2015.
>
> His group buys excess pieces of solar panelling cut from commercially sold
> panels and collects scrap metal to make the lamps.
> Wadongo plans to train more youths to handle the large orders.
>
> He says his dream of providing sustainable development to the poor has
> become a reality. “Children can now study, households can buy food with the
> money they save on kerosene, and carbon emissions have been reduced,” he
> says with a smile.
>
> **
>
> **
>
> *________________                                    *
>
> *Edith Ofwona Adera *
>
> Senior Program Specialist
>
> ICT4D Program and Climate Change & Water Program
>
> International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le
> développement international
>
> Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa
>
> Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera
>
> eadera at idrc.or.ke | www.idrc.ca | www.crdi.ca
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> kictanet mailing list
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>
> This message was sent to: otieno.barrack at gmail.com
> Unsubscribe or change your options at
> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail.com
>
>

-- 
Barrack O. Otieno
Afriregister Ltd (Kenya)
www.afriregister.com
<http://www.afriregister.com>ICANN accredited registrar
+254721325277
+254-20-2498789
Skype: barrack.otieno
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20101113/872a3691/attachment.htm>