Vincent RichardsonCIO Concern WorldwideVice-Chair man NetHopeICT in the Developing World

Concern is Ireland’s largest iNGO• We are a humanitarian aid and development organisation.• We are non-political and non-denominational.• Annual budget of €180m.• Operate in 27 countries on 4 continents with about 4000 staff.• Our work is focussed on the poorest of the poor.• We work in some of the most austere places on the planet• Our programmes;• Livelihoods, Emergency Response, Education, Health,

HIV/AIDS

Technology is core to what we do and how we do it…

(So it needs to work!)

Stability starts and ends with good supply of clean power

ICT in Concern• Support user base of 2500+ in 150 sites – all requiring connectivity.• 50 ICT staff – 20 based in Dublin.• Connectivity has dramatically improved but still a big issue.• All LOB systems hosted on our private cloud in Dublin.• Global standards are essential and the less we host in-field without impeding

the fieldworker the better.• Key vendors are Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, EMC, HP.• Email our key tool – recently completed migration to Office 365• VoIP telephony and cost effective communication essential - Skype used

globally.• Web is also a core tool for the generation of income.• ICT for Development is exciting new paradigm and one

that’s key to the ICT strategy over the coming years.

What is ICT for Development?

ICT4D is a general term referring to the application of Information and Communication Technologies

(ICTs) within the fields of socioeconomic development, international development and

human rights.

The basic hypothesis behind the approach is that more and better information and communication furthers the development of a society - be this to improve income,

education, health, security, or any other aspect of human development.

The concept of ICT4D can be interpreted as dealing with disadvantaged populations anywhere in the

world, but is more typically associated with applications in developing countries.

At Concern Worldwide, we believe thatdirectly applying information technology

approaches to our programming will assist us with our goal to eliminate hunger and make

poverty history.

Mobile Money: M-Pesa has revolutionised the Kenyan marketplace 70% of all financial transactions are carried out on the M-Pesa platform

Digital Data Collection will transform how we monitor and evaluate our work…

With a grant of $50m from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in 2009, Concern Worldwide launched Innovations for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a multi-year effort to support the development and field testing of inventive ways to save lives and improve the health of mothers and young children.

In Malawi and partnering with VillageReach we;

• Established a 24-hour, toll-free hotline for women seeking information and advice from a trained operator.

• Manage an SMS-based automated tips and reminder service for pregnant women and caregivers of children under five.

• Designed and put into place a SMS-based health center booking system to reduce wait times and streamline service.

• Undertook community outreach, education, and mobilization on maternal, newborn and child health issues

Our Innovations unit is piloting similar initiatives in India and Sierra Leone

mHealth

mLearning

Mobile Money

SMS Information Systems

Can you see the constant?

It’s all about mobile…

NetHope is a collaboration of 34 Members…

Who partner with a diverse group of supporters…

Questions?