Kinyei team, Justin Lorenzon and Melina Chan, will run several sessions in this coming Mekong ICT Camp 2 on SMS for agricultural applications, SMS gateway, running a cause using social media, and online fund raising.
Justin shares his thoughts on ICT for Mekong development:
Disruptive ICT, such as technology that enables grassroots social movements and high value social networks under difficult geographic or political conditions, comprise the most powerful tools available today for communities to achieve their own development. We believe that the Mekong region represents perfect grounds for ICT to operate for social betterment, combining an emerging connected youth with huge opportunities and needs for social change.
Kinyei supports local, primarily youth-led social projects and enterprises with business coaching, social media training, and technology services. Exploring innovative volunteer engagement models and social media platforms, we aim to introduce projects to the global conversation, leveraging the support, ideas and engagement of supporters of social change worldwide.
Coming from a background in enterprise information management systems, Justin has been working with IT in Cambodia for about 2 years. In 2001 he came to develop IT programmes and infrastructure for some rural universities, and do some software engineering capacity building in Phnom Penh. More recently, he’s been working with Kinyei to try and find ways of using IT to connect local social projects and enterprises with the global community. Justin is also currently working on an ACIAR funded project to develop a social-networky agriculture sector support service over SMS.
Melina has a background in business and entrepreneurship, but has always been passionate about projects emerging from grassroots communities. Relocating to Battambang, Cambodia with the AusAid Youth Ambassadors program in 2008, she has worked with local NGOs, social projects and businesses, most recently with Kinyei organisation. She is also interested in emergent event formats and runs the cross-discipline “Trampoline” unconference in Australia.
