[Guest blog post by Nick Martin, co-founder and president of Tech4Change]
In June 2011, TechChange also partnered with the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) and Ushahidi for the Universities 4 Ushahidi program (U4Ushahidi). For this project, we took a more global approach by training a network of civil society leaders from conflict zones at USIP headquarters in Washington, DC. Students came from Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, and other conflict-affected regions for a week-long course. A key part of the course was the TechChange Afghanistan election monitoring simulation, where we divided teams into different roles as UN staff and local election monitors, conducted multiple rounds of training with lesson recaps, and challenged all their efforts by having a “Taliban” team, who submitted false reports, intimidated voters, and even broke into the system as an administrator. We believe that by allowing participants to use these types of tools within a environment that includes simulated challenges and risks, they will have increased ability to deploy the Ushahidi platform and implement it effectively in their home countries.
Why is this important? The success of Ushahidi as a crisis-mapping tool is inseparable from the strength of the community that uses it. By cultivating a global network of local experts in conflict zones, we are creating the capacity for greater coordination and collaboration among individuals who face similarly challenging circumstances. But in order for this community to thrive, it must extend beyond classroom to include a combination of face-to-face trainings and continuing support. We are excited to be developing innovative and interactive online learning experiences to complement in-person hands-on learning. Our newest online learning course is entitled “Tech Tools for Emergency Management.” It features Ushahdi, FrontlineSMS, Sahana, Open Street Map, and GIS. We’ll have another post about our online courses later this fall so stay tuned. Read more about TechChange online courses here.
Finally, in the spirit of open-source, we’d like to share our simulation framework. We are constantly working to improve this model, and are excited about any ideas and feedback from broader Ushahidi community.
From Local Training to Global Capacity Building
At TechChange we believe the best way to learn crisis mapping tools like Ushahidi is to immerse participants in dynamic simulations in which they are forced to make challenging decisions with limited time and resources. TechChange designs and runs simulations for a number of conditions including the outbreak of disease or famine, human migration, aid and resource delivery, agricultural production, mobile money transfer, and much more. A key component of this approach is conducting trainings in regions that could benefit most from the application of technology. Recently, we have used Ushahidi for an election monitoring simulation in Kenya, and to track checkpoint closures, medical emergencies, and other significant events in the West Bank. In June 2011, TechChange also partnered with the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) and Ushahidi for the Universities 4 Ushahidi program (U4Ushahidi). For this project, we took a more global approach by training a network of civil society leaders from conflict zones at USIP headquarters in Washington, DC. Students came from Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, and other conflict-affected regions for a week-long course. A key part of the course was the TechChange Afghanistan election monitoring simulation, where we divided teams into different roles as UN staff and local election monitors, conducted multiple rounds of training with lesson recaps, and challenged all their efforts by having a “Taliban” team, who submitted false reports, intimidated voters, and even broke into the system as an administrator. We believe that by allowing participants to use these types of tools within a environment that includes simulated challenges and risks, they will have increased ability to deploy the Ushahidi platform and implement it effectively in their home countries.
Why is this important? The success of Ushahidi as a crisis-mapping tool is inseparable from the strength of the community that uses it. By cultivating a global network of local experts in conflict zones, we are creating the capacity for greater coordination and collaboration among individuals who face similarly challenging circumstances. But in order for this community to thrive, it must extend beyond classroom to include a combination of face-to-face trainings and continuing support. We are excited to be developing innovative and interactive online learning experiences to complement in-person hands-on learning. Our newest online learning course is entitled “Tech Tools for Emergency Management.” It features Ushahdi, FrontlineSMS, Sahana, Open Street Map, and GIS. We’ll have another post about our online courses later this fall so stay tuned. Read more about TechChange online courses here.
Finally, in the spirit of open-source, we’d like to share our simulation framework. We are constantly working to improve this model, and are excited about any ideas and feedback from broader Ushahidi community.