Hacking for change: Young innovators create sustainable development solutions in Uganda
Laura Richards is a graduate student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at University of Texas at Austin. This summer, Laura worked with Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) as an AidData Summer Fellow.
Rushing into the Resilient Africa Network (RAN) Hackathon forty-five minutes late after battling Kampala’s notorious traffic, I was flustered and covered in red dirt from the road on the way to the lab. I dusted myself off and stood up straight; time to get everyone together and deliver the opening statements.
The other three Kampala AidData Fellows and I had been preparing for the third annual RAN Lab Hackathon since our arrival in Uganda. For the last three years this timed innovation competition has challenged teams to create maps and apps using geospatial tools, open data, and programming. The event engages students and innovators in a collaborative effort to create applications that can benefit particular communities. It’s hosted at the RAN Lab: a collaborative tech space developed in partnership between Makerere University and USAID that is focused on making East Africa more resilient to natural and man-made stresses. After working with the planning committee, contacting sponsors, and most importantly, implementing weekly trainings at the RAN Lab to introduce geospatial tools and their applications, we had high hopes that the event would be successful. The Hackathon’s massive turnout was indicative of the popularity such events have in these communities of innovators: twelve teams of four to six members each, more than sixty participants total. It was a full house.
The morning began with a discussion of the importance of open data in development — when data is open and can be used by multiple groups, people can work together across sectors and borders to develop solutions concurrently instead of separately. Then I introduced this year’s Hackathon challenge: Sustainable Development Goal 13. SDG 13 urges action to combat climate change and its impacts through innovation and the utilization of open data. We discussed the urgency associated with the Sustainable Development Goals and how climate change has affected Uganda specifically through drought, landslides, and floods. We thanked our sponsors: AidData for providing cash prizes for the top three teams, Vodafone for the internet, and the Global Pulse Lab for offering internships to the winning team. Finally, the hacking commenced.
Once the event began, participants quickly formed multidisciplinary teams with tech experts, communication leaders, and business majors. They strategized creative plans and innovated creative plans to address tirelessly from 8 AM until 6 PM. The AidData Fellows and Ugandan tech entrepreneurs mentored teams on their ideas and assisted them in creating their final projects. In the middle of the afternoon, the Ugandan Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye visited and shared his support for the event. He included an invitation for the participants to bring their innovations to his office, as he has a mandate from President Museveni to focus on promoting the work of young innovators. This message, coming from a government official, emphasized the importance of our work, and stirred an excited fervor in the room that lasted through the end of the evening.
At 6 PM, the groups began their pitches. Despite only working on their projects for ten hours, the solutions were well-developed and professional with apps, maps, and business plans. After the judges deliberated, Deborah, one the hosts from RAN Lab, invited me to make closing remarks and announce the winners. Before sharing the results, I encouraged all of the groups to continue the work they started and noted how honored I was to have worked with such an incredible and determined group during my time in Kampala. I then proudly announced the winning teams: the first place team designed an app focused on food security in Karamoja, a region in Northern Uganda. A few of the teams who didn’t win a prize approached me after the event, and we made plans for the following week to meet and discuss the next steps for getting their innovation off the ground — a clear demonstration that despite not winning this event, these participants were serious about bringing their work and plans to fruition.
At 10 PM, I walked away from the Hackathon still dusty, but proud. It was an amazing opportunity to work with young, talented, passionate Ugandans who are motivated to initiate social change through innovation. The people in that room are part of the movement that is bringing Uganda to the forefront of innovation for social change in Africa.
Funded by the USAID Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN), the 2016 AidData Summer Fellows are embedded within local host organizations and USAID Missions in eight countries: Thailand, Ghana, Uganda, Senegal, Peru, Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. The Fellows provide training and assistance to their host organizations in order to promote the use of geocoded data and GIS into development program planning, advocacy, and research.
