Statistics Without Borders: An Overview

Author: Prannay Khosla, Statistics Without Borders

In an increasingly data-driven world, innovation comes from collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data in highly complicated scenarios. Statistics is the voice of reason in this world, a methodology that disentangles facts from perceived reality — which is often not so real. Statistics Without Borders (SWB) is an organization that aims to make the world better by increasing accessibility and impact of the field, through a network of over 1,500 like-minded and highly motivated volunteers distributed around the globe.

If your organization fits the following criteria, then SWB may be able to help you:

• If your organization collects a large amount of data but lacks the resources required to glean insights from the data.
• If your organization is working on making data accessible and impactful but requires help with scaling, training people, or creating content.
• If your organization is a not-for-profit collaborative that seeks volunteers to handle data, generate insights, and publish them.
• If your organization seeks volunteers to increase the penetration of statistics in underserved communities

What is the organization’s track record?

SWB clients include:

• The Center for Genomic Interpretation,
• UNICEF,
• Asante Africa Foundation,
• HelpAge International,

and many more.

An interesting example: SWB is currently executing a project that involves around 100 volunteers in a remote-first manner for the African Institute of Professional Development. The goal of this project is to create open-source professional training material through a series of lectures and exercises. The training is particularly focused on imparting actionable skills to recent graduates in the African population that helps well-trained individuals find jobs where they can make an impact using statistics and data.

In future blog posts, we will see in detail how one of SWB’s biggest projects — the AIPD project — to create content on various statistical topics and in effect, democratize knowledge — was organized.

How do I become a client?

1. Prospective clients — like yourself — start by filling out this form to request a project.
2. A member of our New Client Acquisition (NCA) team will reach out to you to dive into details to scope out the statistical or data science project into tangible deliverables over a series of calls.
3. The NCA team can then make a determination if SWB can help your organization. Remember that SWB focuses on projects that are useful to society and that are done by not-for-profit organizations.
4. If SWB can indeed help your organization, the project is then handed off to our Project & Client Management team to begin the actual work on the project.

Interested in learning more?

• Want to request SWB assistance on a project? Request assistance here.
• You can find more information on the Statistics Without Borders website.
• You can learn more about our New Client Acquisition efforts here.