Since October 2011, Jonathan Gosier, TED Fellow and CEO of AppAfrica International supported by Spotone Global Solutions, led by group CEO Marieme Jamme, have been travelling across Africa to organise brainstorming sessions for the 2011 Apps4Africa contest, which this year has focused on Climate Change challenges. Events have been held in many countries, including Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria and the DRC.

As part of its commitment alongside African partners to address the challenges raised by climate change, the U.S. Department of State announced the West and Central Africa winners of the Apps4Africa: Climate Challenge in Durban, South Africa on December 7, 2011. Apps4Africa consists of three regional competitions – held in West & Central, East and Southern Africa – that seek to find the best new web-based and mobile applications designed to address local climate change challenges. These contests build on the outcomes of regional climate change adaptation workshops organized by the Adaptation Partnership, which includes the United States and more than 20 other countries.

The Apps4Africa: Climate Challenge builds on the success of the 2010 Apps4Africa: Civic Challenge, in which civil society challenged program developers to find innovative technological solutions to everyday problems on issues ranging from transparency and governance to health and education.

This year’s winning applications were announced at the U.S. Center at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Durban. The announcement was part of an event highlighting country-driven solutions to climate change adaptation in Africa, demonstrating that the United States is working with partners to bring together practitioners, policy-makers, and African technology innovators to address climate change challenges through programs such as the global Adaptation Partnership and Apps4Africa.

First place in the West and Central Africa Apps4Africa went to HospitalManager, a web-based application from Nigeria that will help hospitals prepare for the possibility of more frequent extreme weather events such as storms, floods, and heat waves. Second place went to the EcoFund-Forum, a web-based app from Senegal that helps communities share successful strategies for adapting to local impacts of climate change. The third prize winner was Farmerline, a mobile and web-based app that will help farmers in rural Ghana obtain the information they need to increase yields in the face of changes in the growing season and climate variability. Winners will receive cash prizes. Private partners, including TED, and Indigo Trust, are contributing follow-on support.

In order to be eligible, applications were required to fall under the following categories: agriculture (distribution), food security/early warning and/or disaster preparedness, resource management, water, flooding, forestry/deforestation, transportation/traffic/emissions, livestock and health and sanitation.

The East Africa Apps4Africa contest closes December 20, 2011, and winners will be announced in January 2012. The Southern Africa competition runs from February 1, 2012 through March 31, 2012, with the winners to be announced in April.

For Information about the contest and future Apps4Africa Competition across Africa Contact Marieme Jamme at marieme@SpotoneGlobalSolutions.com Tel: +447595882717  or Jonathan D. Gosier at Jongos@gmail.com Tel: +1 (520) 301-7906
Website: www.apps4africa.org

Thousands of well-meaning people around the world give regularly to charities or want to donate or get involved in some way but are unsure of the best way to go about it. Many of these people lack knowledge of the real issues on the ground affecting ordinary Africans. Their motivation to donate might be based on guilt or pity or misconceptions about Africa that are fueled by negative images and misleading stories relayed by the media, or they are unaware of alternative, more hands-on strategies to donate and help that can sometimes give better, more tangible results and are ultimately more satisfying for all concerned.

So here are 15 points worth considering that I hope will help potential donors understand their own motivation and tips on possible donation strategies.

1. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that Africa is all about poverty. It is extremely rich in resources both human and natural.

2. Do not watch TV images of Africa and feel only pity: starvation, war, HIV-AIDS etc…

3. Do not give money to Africa in an attempt to make yourself feel good

4. Do not give money to Africa because you feel guilty about colonialism

5. Do not forget that governments are often incompetent and corrupt. The intended recipients of aid are not at fault

6. Do not forget that there are 53 countries in Africa where your money can make a significant difference.

7. Do some research on your chosen charity before committing yourself to a donation, or support.

8. Do not write a cheque or set up a direct debit before asking for proof of how the money will be spent. Not all charities are accountable

9. Donate to just one or two preferred and registered charities; this will make you more focused and make it easier to monitor the results

10. Do not assume that you cannot visit an NGO – either in their offices or on the ground: it’s your money after all

11. Why not consider a visit to Africa to see for yourself and make friends before donating?

12. Do not think that you cannot find individuals, philanthropists and volunteers that are already active on the ground and liaise with them.
13. Do not forget to consider empowering a local individual. Invest time in teaching and learning with that person so he can pass the knowledge on to others in the community

14. Target charities with a sharp focus on a particular area: health, new technologies, empowerment, education, infrastructure, rape centres, climate change, water, agriculture, etc

15. Finally, make friends in Africa and find partners and doers that can help you get involved in ongoing or stagnant projects. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

Looking to run events in Africa soon? Here are 15 things you must NOT do if you want to increase your chances of successfully organizing an event in Africa.

Do not think you can get away without doing full and thorough research
Do not go without an up-to-date and verified database
Do not forget that Africa has 53 countries, and that each one of them has a different culture and different values
Do not assume that just because something works in West Africa, it will also work in the East, the South and the North
Do not arrive with preconceived ideas about anything
Do not organize events that have no actual relevance to African issues
Do not think you can succeed without a trustworthy and knowledgeable local partner
Do not assume that your team on the ground can be fully operational without a learning curve
Do not assume time has the same meaning in Africa as it does elsewhere – things will not happen as fast as you want them to
Do not be surprised if ‘yes’ ultimately turns out to mean ‘no’
Do not bank on having a reliable or fast Internet connection
Do not assume that hotels will be either cheap or comfortably equipped
Do not assume that prices are not negotiable
Never bank on a successful outcome even after you have already paid out thousands to local participants
And finally, whatever happens, do not forget to smile, to learn and to take something positive from the experience.