What About Non-First World Countries?
Reflections on the Partos Innovation Festival of October 6th, 2016
Yes, we’ve all heard about the endless possibilities of Virtual Reality, the Sharing Economy and Blockchain by now. What these new concepts and technologies might mean to companies and their marketing and sales strategies, or to the individual consumer. However, this is, without exception, always discussed from a First World perspective. You know the succes stories of Airbnb, Blablacar and Oculus Rift. But what’s going on in the rest of the world? And specifically, how can developing countries and development organizations implement these tools and techniques?
In comes the Partos Innovation Festival (#innovatiefestival), hosted in the NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam. Partos represents 100+ development organizations and organized this festival to inspire their members with practical use cases of other members. The central question for me this day was: Tech x Development Organizations equals what?
Virtual Reality
At TIS we’re familiar with VR and AR as a means to entertain, educate and experience. And that is exactly how NGOs should implement VR in their fundraising and awareness strategies, according to Tim Nijland (VR Expert).
“VR is an excellent tool for NGOs. It’s all about emotion, being part of the experience. Use it to inform, persuade and train.” — Tim Nijland
Nonetheless, Nijland warns everybody to not to go overboard with VR, because it can become a bit overwhelming and intrusive. Instead think carefully before writing a campaign that incorporates VR: will you convey a positive or negative message? A negative VR-experience might leave sponsors with a bad feeling all through the fundraiser.
Nijland closes by mentioning his favorite (and very successful!) VR-fundraising-campaign: charity: water. The charity has made a 360 video which illustrates the life of a 13-year-old Ethiopian girl and her daily struggle for clean water. Because you’re not just watching a video or reading about it, but your ARE part of the experience. This is the next step in fundraising. It’s called the empathy machine for a reason!
Blockchain
After lunch it was time for the most difficult session of the day: Blockchain technology. The session was hosted by Perry Smit (Dutch Chamber of Commerce) and dug in to the possible applications of the Blockchain for development organizations.
“I’d like to compare Blockchain to the rise of the Internet. Fifteen years ago, when I asked a room full of people if they had an e-mailaddress, I got the same answer as when I ask people now about having Bitcoins.” — Perry Smit
Smit illustrated that Blockchain is so more than an online system providing electronic currency:
- Blockchain can give refugees without homes, birth certificates and bank accounts an online identity;
- Blockchain will result in transparent donations; a sponsor will be able to see what his money is spend on;
- Blockchain can be used to donate in other items than money. Donate in whatever’s needed: gas, water, shovels, seeds, etc.;
- Blockchain can be used for smart contracts; e.g. without the help of a notary, a person can bequeath a sum (or items) to a charity.
Sharing Economy
Considering the western world is a very individualistic world, it was interesting to hear more about Sharing Economy projects going on in more family and community-oriented societies as is the case in developing countries. Isn’t it even more common there to share products and services with the community? Maybe not officially via mobile networks, but also via informal networks?
“The Sharing Economy is an economic system(s) of decentralized networks and market places that open up the value of unused goods and services by bringing question and demand together, cutting out the middle man. And this is not a trend, this is a transition!”—Samantha van den Bos
The session was hosted by our partner ShareNL, represented by Samantha van den Bos. Together with Matthijs Nederveen (Light of the World) they discussed several (African) examples of sharing economy platforms: M-Pesa, Herdy and Hello Tractor. One of the last examples mentioned was ride-sharing. As some African countries have a high death-rate due to motorcycle accidents, the company SafeBoda has come up with a safe ride-sharing alternative:
Van den Tol ended with a discussion on ethics and legislation. If you’re a chef and sell some left-over meals from home, does that make you a company? What about showing some tourists around town for a small fee? What about lending out your equipment as a carpenter? What about Uber drivers? Both policy makers and legislation hasn’t caught up yet with this ‘new’ economic system, so there’s a lot to be discussed in the following years.
The Sharing Economy definitely is a fascinating theme, to be continued soon on TIS.tv!
Interested in more Virtual Reality newsletters?
- Games. Better In Mixed Reality?
- Exploring Augmented Reality
- VR For Good!
- VRickin’ Amazin’
- Real Or Not Real? That Is The Question
- TIS Picks — The 5 Best Videos On Virtual Reality
- More about: Virtual Reality — The History Of Virtual Reality
Interested in more Social Innovation newsletters?
- More About: Social Innovation — Power To The People
- Social Innovation Without The Tech
- Social Tech: Empowerment
- Social Innovation: The Power Of Open Source
- Social Innovation Challenge
- Power To The People
- NGOs, stop talking, start listening
