Conference 2011

On 15th September 2011, the Indigo Trust, in collaboration with The Institute for Philanthropy and The Omidyar Network, hosted a conference: “The Power of Information: New Technologies for Philanthropy and Development”.

The conference explored the ways in which innovative developments in information and computer technology can aid development, improve service delivery, enhance communication and enable critical information to reach the most excluded communities in the developing world.

The conference brought together philanthropists and the donor community to gain an insight into the ways in which the emerging field of Information Computer Technology for Development (ICT4D) has the potential to enhance interventions in all sectors across the developed and developing world.

The conference provided an unrivalled opportunity for practitioners to meet with donors already funding in the field and to break out into the following sector specific break-out panels:

• Transparency, Accountability & Democracy
• Health
• Finance & Rural Development
• Youth Empowerment and Education
• Human Rights
• Fostering Innovation and Enterprise

We were also thrilled to welcome Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia and the not-for-profit Wikimedia Foundation, as our special dinner speaker.

Richard Allan of Facebook and Sodnet’s Philip Thigo were our morning keynote speakers.

Among our speakers were:

• Amy Sample Ward (Independent)
• Anna Kydd (SHM Foundation)
• Ashifi Gogo (Sproxil)
• Bill Zimmerman (ActivSpaces – AfriLabs – VC4Africa)
• Bosun Tijani (Co-creation hub)
• Chris Locke (GSMA)
• David Edelstein (Grameen Foundation)
• Erica Hagen (Map Kibera)
• Erik Hersman (Ushahidi/ihub)
• Francesca Perrin (Indigo Trust)
• Gustav Praekelt (Praekelt Foundation)
• Ida Jooste (Internews)
• John Kipchumbah (Sodnet)
• Jon Gosier (HiveColab)
• Ken Banks (FrontlineSMS)
• Laura Walker Hudson (FrontlineSMS)
• Loren Treisman (Indigo Trust)
• Marjan Besuijen (Hivos)
• Martin Tisne (Transparency and Accountability Initiative)
• Matt Berg (Millennium Villages)
• Owen Barder (Aid Info)
• Patrick Meier (Crisis Mappers/Ushahidi)
• Philip Thigo (Sodnet)
• Rodrigo Baggio (CDI Brazil)
• Rose Goslinga (Syngenta)
• Rose Shuman (Question Box)
• Sameer Padania (Macroscope)
• Stephanie Hankey (Tactical Tech)
• Stephen King (Omidyar)
• Su Kahambu (iCow)
• Sunil Abraham (Centre for Internet and Society)
• Susan Kariuki (Youth Agenda)
• Tom Steinberg (mySociety)
• Uju Ofomata (One World)
• William Perrin (Indigo Trust)

The conference also featured a video message from Pierre Omidyar, Founder of eBay.

About the Omidyar Network:

Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. To date, Omidyar Network has committed more than $383 million to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple investment areas, including microfinance, entrepreneurship, property rights, consumer Internet, mobile technology and government transparency.  To learn more about Omidyar Network, please visit www.omidyar.com.

About The Institute for Philanthropy:

Established in 2000, the Institute for Philanthropy is one of the world’s leading organisations providing international donor education; its staff brings more than 50 years of experience at the highest level in strategic philanthropy.  With offices in London and New York, we work closely with a global network of wealthy individuals and families, and in partnership with private companies, trusts, foundations and schools.  We work to increase effective philanthropy in the United Kingdom and internationally. We do this by (1) providing donor education; (2) building donor networks; and (3) raising the awareness and understanding of philanthropy.