Tech4Good winners providing life-changing power and water in Africa
We are very excited that the Tech4Good Awards are really going global! We’re also really excited to be working with Comic Relief to find inspiring examples of the ways that tech is being used for good in sub-Saharan Africa – the first time ever that we have opened our awards to international organisations and individuals.
Making a difference in Sub-Saharan Africa with Comic Relief
Our brand new category will help shine a light on digital tech, making a huge difference in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Comic Relief Tech4Good For Africa Award has been designed to draw out and celebrate the best projects tackling poverty and social injustices in the region.
Tech4Good past winners
Normally, in our spotlight pieces, we talk about a category’s previous winners. As this is a new award, we don’t have that luxury. So, we have borrowed past winners from other awards. We didn’t have to dig far to find you some excellent examples.
Often it is the simple ideas that have the biggest impact.
ActionAid
With the drought crisis currently affecting East Africa, it seems only right that we highlight the incredible work done by our 2012 Innovation Award winner, ActionAid.
ActionAid used mobile phones to save the lives of people living in drought-affected Kenya. They gave isolated communities and food distributors mobile phones and solar chargers.
These phones helped the charity work with communities, making sure desperately needed food aid was reaching families. They also helped create a link to the outside world, supporting farmers and increasing household incomes.
The current crisis is again leaving communities in need of food aid. These systems, put in place five years ago, will be making a difference to those communities today.
Buffalo Grid
In Africa, there are over 750 million mobile phone users who have no access to electricity. This, you can imagine, is a bit of a challenge. They often have to walk miles to charging shops.
BuffaloGrid, our 2014 Innovation Award winners, took the bull by the horns and came up with a solution.
They developed solar powered mobile phone charging units. They gave them to communities for free. Customers then pay for the power via a text message.
Simple. Life-changing. People now have easy access to information, online banking and healthcare services.
eWATERPay
Last year, the winners of the BT Young Pioneer Award tackled the issue of providing clean drinking water across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Using digital and mobile technology they developed eWATERPay – a cheap and easy system which allows people to pay for water via their mobile phone. It also makes sure water pumps are properly maintained.
More information
If you would like more information about our Comic Relief Tech4Good for Africa Award and how to enter, visit this section of our website.
