Schoolchildren in Kliptown, Soweto have become the first in South Africa to benefit from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) campaign, reports the Mail & Guardian.SA Good NewsOne hundred children from the Kliptown Youth Programme have joined the community of 250 000 children from developing countries across the world in being owners of the world’s cheapest and child-friendliest laptops.

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The Unitedforafrica.co.za project aims at tracking the events, pooling resources and influencing positive action to solve the current problem, as well as to start a dialogue going forward. Started as an initiative by Quirk eMarketing we hope this project will result in some meaningful dialogue not just to solve the immediate crisis but to investigate its root causes and start laying the ground to some longer term solutions.

Starting as sporadic and isolated incidents the activity have growing into a full blown assault on our fellow Africans. This portal looks to empower each one of us to make a difference, both in terms of keeping each other informed and providing assistance to those who are being persecuted. If you see or hear anything please report it. Through our collective efforts we can force local and international governments to be frank, honest and responsive to this situation.

Get involved by visiting their site, reporting any incidents and getting involved in the many activities which have come about since the violence began.

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The new intiative called “movement for good” is building momentum and looking to make a big impact on South African society by involving all sectors of society. Their opening address on their website states:

The Movement for Good is a network of organisations that have come together to inspire and mobilise South Africans to become active citizens for good. Our vision is to build a country that lives its constitutional values, is safe, and has opportunity for all - so that we and our children have hope in our future.

The Movement aims to integrate organisations that are currently mobilising South Africans so that there is coherency and synergy across the various campaigns. All across our great nation, good people have been independently organising, tirelessly striving and selflessly building communities that care.

You can play a part in this, no matter how insignificant you think you or your actions may be. Every little bit makes a difference, and if we can mobilise the collective, as we believe we can, we can ALL contribute…for good.

It’s time to mobilise our nation, to bring us all together into an unstoppable force. It starts with us. It starts with you.

- http://www.itstartswithyou.co.za 

There’s no excuse to sit at home and complain, get involved and be part of the change.

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I have connected with a number of individuals who are working on similar projects worldwide and have highlighted a few sources of content, resources and individuals with which we hope to launch The One Project.

The emphasis of the project will be on conversations as a starting point to uncovering problems which need addressing in our society as a priority with the hope that these conversations will extend into problem solving think-tanks & action groups.

We have run this website off the wordpress blogging software but will be looking into setting up a more interactive and functional community portal where individuals can add their profiles, form focus groups, share resources and have more meaningful conversations.

We have also highlighted a number of individuals who we will be having initial conversations with for advice, resources and knowledge in different areas of our project.

What we aim to do is not to start an NGO or any other type of organisation, but rather to start a movement towards open conversation and meaningful/constructive action.

If you want to be part of the “New Movement” for change in South Africa join http://theoneproject.ning.com/ by signing up on our ning network and start having a conversation with us.

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Unlocking the promise of open educational resources

We are on the cusp of a global revolution in teaching and learning. Educators worldwide are developing a vast pool of educational resources on the Internet, open and free for all to use. These educators are creating a world where each and every person on earth can access and contribute to the sum of all human knowledge. They are also planting the seeds of a new pedagogy where educators and learners create, shape and evolve knowledge together, deepening their skills and understanding as they go.

This emerging open education movement combines the established tradition of sharing good ideas with fellow educators and the collaborative, interactive culture of the Internet. It is built on the belief that everyone should have the freedom to use, customize, improve and redistribute educational resources without constraint. Educators, learners and others who share this belief are gathering together as part of a worldwide effort to make education both more accessible and more effective.

(more…)

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A few days ago I started a wiki site (http://one-thinktank.pbwiki.com) with the idea of getting people together to brainstorm some activism towards positive change in South Africa. It thought that due to the spread of social networking that this would be a great way to get people collaborating. Just now I came across the facebook group for the “16 Days of Activism against abuse” which highlights this thought, and has done a better job than I could in getting something going.

So what is this event all about? The Centre for Women’s Global Leadership gives us a bit of an introduction to this promising event:

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women and December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.

Pieter Boschoff, founder of www.myalert.co.za, www.missingchildren.co.za & www.realsouthafrica.co.za started the Face Book Group related to the South African wing of this International period of activism in order to spread the word and inspire people towards positive action.

Womensnet.org.za has posted a list of activities related to this event so get involved now and help spread the word.

The following message on the Face Book Group introduces the purpose & aims of the event:

Imagine if, for 16 days, there was no rape, no child abuse. The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign challenges South Africans to declare a truce on violence against women and children - and, ultimately, to make it a permanent one.

Around the country, South Africans are being called on to combat violence against women and children. For the 10th year, SA is taking part in the global 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women campaign, which runs from 25 November (International Day of No Violence against Women) through to International Human Rights Day on 10 December.

While the global campaign focuses on violence against women, South Africa added children to its campaign because of the high incidence of child abuse in the country.

South Africa is still home to high levels of violence against its women and children, despite a world-renowned Constitution and a legislative overhaul that safeguards women’s and children’s rights.

The government, business, civil society organisations, state-owned enterprises, faith-based organisations and the media are all participating in the drive to increase awareness of the negative impact of violence and abuse on women and children.

The campaign also aims to:

• Challenge the perpetrators of violence to change their behaviour.
• Involve men and boys in helping to eradicate violence.
• Provide survivors with information about services and organisations that can help lessen the impact of violence on their lives.
• Extend its reach beyond South Africa’s borders.

What you can do
South Africans are urged to support the campaign by wearing a white ribbon during the 16-day period to symbolise their commitment to “never commit or condone violence against women or children, and to speak out about violence where they see it.”

People can also pledge their support to the campaign by signing the 16 Days Postcard and e-mailing it or posting it free of charge at any post office. Each card signed and collected will raise R1 for the campaign. E-cards can be selected, customised and sent from here, while postcards can be collected at any post office or multi-purpose community centre.

South Africans can also help by sending an SMS with the words “16 Days” to 31616. Each SMS will raise a further R5 for the campaign.

All money raised will be forwarded to the Foundation for Human Rights, which will channel it to organisations that support survivors of violence and abuse.

Other ways of supporting the campaign:

• Donate money to organisations working to end violence against women by making a contribution to the Foundation for Human Rights.
• Check out the calendar and attend a 16 Days event.
• Check out the directory of helping organisations and volunteer some of your time and energy.
• Join the online Cyber Dialogues around the campaign.

Rhetoric and reality
South Africa, according to non-governmental organisation Gender Links, needs to close the gap between the “rhetoric of gender equality” and the “reality on the ground”. Gender Links says the country has made impressive strides in recognising the roles and rights of women and children.

The Constitution recognises gender equality as the cornerstone of South Africa’s democracy, and new legislation - such as the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act and the Domestic Violence Act - have been lauded for enforcing the rights of women.

But more needs to be done. “Changing laws can be swift,” says Gender Links. “Giving them effect, and changing the mindsets that often render them ineffective, is a much more demanding task.”

It gives me hope that ideas can be powerful when shared and inspires me to stop keeping ideas stuck in the back of my mind and to start speaking, sharing and collaborating. Get involved, spread the word & make a difference in someone’s life.

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Before we complain too much we should play out part and get involved in doing something to make life easier for someone else. Giving is something which cannot be replaced by any other activity, giving empowers both the giver and the gifted, it cleanses the soul when done sincerely, it inspires hope and creates bonds, it makes life easier for all involved.

Visit http://www.myggsa.co.za/connect/requests/ and for a quick list of organisations in need of your assistance. The requests are varied and some even only require you give of your time or expertise. We are all in need at some stage of our life and giving to those in need qualifies us to be gifted in our hours of need.

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Posted on May 15th, 2007 by Author Goldstuck at www.thebigchange.com

South Africa’s socio-economic challenges can be addressed far more quickly if poverty alleviation becomes a business development task shared between the private sector, local governments and local entrepreneurs.

That’s the bold prediction of social entrepreneur Lee Elliott, whose innovative model of for-profit social upliftment is rapidly grabbing the attention of some of South Africa’s most progressive companies, including the African Bank.

Elliott is the MD of Shujaa Holdings, whose Sustainable Economic and Environmental Development (SEED) methodology framework is starting to catalyse poor and disadvantaged communities across the country into prosperity using its unique integrated development system (IDS).

Announcing SEED’s sponsorship of innovationTOWN, an initiative that seeks to change the way South Africans think about innovation, Elliott said innovation is the key to addressing the socio-economic challenges faced by South Africa and Africa. “There’s an immensely compelling business opportunity in our poorest communities,” said Elliott. “By working together with communities to introduce sustainable upliftment programmes, South African companies can ease poverty, create jobs and earn BEE points – while boosting their bottom lines.”

Elliott says SEED’s involvement with innovationTOWN, as headline sponsor, is a natural extension of its innovative and life-changing activities across South Africa and the continent.

“Our model provides a new growth opportunity for the private sector and a forum for innovations. Old and tired solutions cannot work at this level.”

SEED’s IDS has several characteristics, the first of which is to cause disruptive change in the community it is operating in to create momentum for positive change and movement. It then makes interventions in specific areas like economic development, communication, the youth, leadership, technology and personal development.

There is a strong focus on developing the youth as strong spiritual, business and community leaders, with young people owning and running the majority of the Shujaa companies. As Elliott points out, if a new business venture in a community employs 100 people, those 100 people now have more disposable income, which means more products and services are needed to satisfy them. The more products and services are available, the more money cycles through the community, and the more people have an income in what she calls “a glorious cycle of abundance.”

“Innovation is something everyone is born with – but people don’t know how to tap into it. We in South Africa and Africa must find and nurture our innovation heroes who are changing and uplifting this country and continent,” said Elliott.

A previous innovation award winner, Uniep, addresses poverty and unemployment in the Uniondale area by intermeshing a number of projects to create a sustainable micro-economy within this impoverished area. Formerly unemployed women have created small business that supplies food to destitute members of the community and other community support groups, such as community carers (also unemployed women).

They use fresh produce from community gardens, once again run by previously unemployed women, while more unemployed people produce furniture. More than 400 people and their families have benefited.

CIDA City Campus and innovationTOWN co-founder Dr Taddy Blecher says entrepreneurial solutions such as these place a minimal financial burden on the regions in which they occur. “Africa is bubbling over with innovation. If we can just recognise and nurture it, we would be a far more prosperous and balanced country and continent.”

innovationTOWN is a national campaign to champion innovation as part of a 2010 initiative to recreate South Africa as an innovative country. innovationTOWN seeks to promote innovation as a solution oriented attitude that can be harnessed to help alleviate the social and economic challenges that face South Africa.

Elements of the campaign include the iHERO Awards that finds and rewards innovators; an education initiative; a programme that seeks to match innovators with investors; an innovation faire that exhibits award-winning innovations; a photo and narrative exhibition on innovation; and a national advertising and publicity initiative aimed at putting innovation back on the local agenda.

innovationTOWN is co-founded by CIDA City Campus, Axius Publishing , SoulCircle and the CIDA Investment Trust , to help reposition South Africa as an innovative country by teaching people that innovation is more than a product or a process, but a ‘can do’ approach that helps build a better world.

innovationTOWN is sponsored by Shujaa Holdings and the Sustainable Economic and Environmental Development (SEED) framework, as well as African Bank, South African Post Office and the Branson School of Entrepreneurship. Other supporters include Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in New Town, Brand South Africa, TBM, The Gordon Institute of Business Science, DSG and Media Tenor. At the heart of the campaign is the iHERO Awards, the awards programme of innovationTOWN which identifies and rewards innovations and innovators who are making a positive contribution to South Africa. A

(For more information, visit the innovationTOWN web site)

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“It’s an education project, not a laptop project.”— Nicholas Negroponte

Our goal: To provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves.

I’m still a bit skeptical on how to achieve such a high goal with so many efforts being made to inject positive influence into society being brushed aside or merely given lip service by governments and other key figures. Because this project aligns very well with my vision for The One Project I’ve started thinking how we could get a few prominent local players involved in getting OLPC going in SA. Thinking positively and proactively is the only way to get anywhere when it comes to endeavours of this nature and though the odds are stacked heavily against it any Noble endeavour is worth some effort.
It was a recent post(Most Governments won’t buy OLPC - will you?) I came across which got me thinking about this seriously. If governments who had promised participation and support for this project are not keeping their promises, as governments usually do, what can we do as ordinary citizens to make a difference and get this project out in the open.

The OLPC organisation has provided us with an option which seems a little more attractive to those willing or able to part with a few bucks. Get one give one is what they’re calling it and it allows you to buy 2 of these laptops, one for your child and one for another child who is much more in need of it at the cost of $399.

If we look at what some parents spend on playstations, mobile phones, iPods & the like for their kids then the price tag should be nothing to blink at at least that’s if you are by the means.

It seems there has been a little activity surrounding the OLPC project in South Africa and Nigeria in this interview with RUSSELL SOUTHWOOD of Balancingact-Africa. How do you think we can get this project on the go in South Africa and start empowering our children towards a brighter futures?

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Now, this is naturally not something that can just be created; a national identity stems from much internal debate, challenges to the status quo and a collective understanding of what holds us together as a nation. South Africa is in the throes of debate at the moment; debate about the right governance path, debate about what our collective morals are, debate about the capitalist/socialist mix and debate about what makes us African. All of these factors make up our national identity, and this is a process that we must go through, lest we flounder in national division rather than national unity.

We’re only at the beginning of this journey now, but it has never been as important. Our national identity is a set of guidelines, like a company philosophy that guides management decision-making. The United States’s national identity is centred on individuality, opportunity and equality. On what should our national identity be centred?

Well, our strengths should filter out of what was so hard-fought during the struggle: tolerance, equality and the principles of ubuntu. For me, the principle of hope should also be part of our make-up, both as a beacon of hope for oppressed peoples of the world and as a beacon of hope of what can be achieved on the African continent.

On those principles alone, one can see that our current leadership structures, from municipalities to the Union Buildings, are not answering the brief. Tolerance of debate and opposing viewpoints is not robust enough. Neither is equality, both in class structures and in access to opportunity. Ubuntu is such a noble premise and South Africa could do with more of it in spades. Collectively, these threaten to dampen some people’s vision of hope.

Whatever the outcome, it is critical that we as South Africa’s people, from the street-sweeper to the captain of industry, enter this debate and add our perspective. South Africa needs a new national identity, a guideline for a new moral, social and governance platform to take us forward for another half-century. What’s important to you? What would you add to Project South Africa?

This entry was posted by Jonty Fisher on www.thoughtleader.co.za on Monday, October 29th, 2007 at 10:04 am and is filed under Perspective, News & Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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