Code4Cause Series: SDG1: No Poverty: Grameen Foundation

According to the United Nations, more than 700 million people, or 10 per cent of the world population, still live in extreme poverty today, struggling to fulfil the most basic needs like health, education, and access to water and sanitation, to name a few. Worldwide, the poverty rate in rural areas is 17.2 per cent—more than three times higher than in urban areas.

The goal of this SDG 1 is to

  • By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day
  • By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

Credit Source: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/poverty/

For today, will cover Grameen Foundation,  which works to combat the SDG No Poverty.

Grameen Foundation builds tools and resources to help people in poverty and connect them to information to help sustain themselves. They provide resources and apps such as managing digital money and apps to grow income from corps. Based on qualitative and quantitative research, they have developed a scalable and sustainable solution to help poor women and farmers.  They have different solutions to address financial management, helping them grow crops more efficiently, and connecting them with community agents.

Their first solution is making digital money accessible to women. In this solution women can become financially independent as in most households in poor communities, the men control the money. With this financial freedom, women can start their own business, go through and survive through any crisis, and invest money for her and her family’s betterment. They have people on sight who help mitigate these steps to better finance management. This way people in poverty are able to save money better and invest more into their businesses.

The second solution is Digital Farming. This digital platform provides farmers with key information such as data such as weather, pesticide information that will maximize their profit in farming. There will be call-in radio shows that farmers can listen and voice and text messages with information. Such information will keep all farmers on track to maximize all profit from farming.

They also have community agents that help people learn how to use these tools for their benefit. 

The Grameen Foundation has really understood the root causes of poverty. At a local level, they have analyzed the barriers that poor people face, especially in the formal markets, which is their main source of income. Additionally, they are focusing mainly on poor women as The Grameen Foundation said “digital and financial inclusion is only possible when women are at the center of product and service creation.” With this, the services are centered around helping women and farmers in poverty. 

I am going to add the link to the Grameen Foundation for you to check out and support their business. I hope this series provides motivation for you to think outside the box on how you can support the UN SDGs. Don’t forget to #Code4Cause!

https://grameenfoundation.org

Code4Cause Series: SDG2: Zero Hunger: Olio

According to the United Nations, nearly 690 million people are hungry, or 8.9 percent of the world population. If recent trends continue, the number of people affected by hunger will surpass 840 million by 2030, or 9.8 percent of the global population.

The goal of SDG 1 is that we end hunger, ensure that all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations such as infants have access to nutritious and sufficient food all year round.

As a community we also aim to ensure that no food is being wasted.

Credit: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger

For today, I will share about OLIO, which works to combat the SDG Zero Hunger. 

OLIO is a mobile based app where users can enter items such as food that they plan to give away and people can pick up those items. Users can also request items and in the end people in the people community can work together to end food wastage. The food can also be supplied to local businesses.

In terms of the app itself, it is available on both the play store and app store. The user interface of the app is so straightforward and effortless. You simply have to either request an item or upload an item and some description, and that’s it! It automatically filters for other people according to location for pick up making this chain undemanding and user-friendly.

So far, OLIO has shared 9.8 million meals and with the community sharing platform, 28.8 million car miles have also been saved.

Overall, this app stands for “small actions can lead to big change”. Slowly as a community, we can work together to end hunger! 

This app from its core is community based as it connects various groups to fight waste together. It brings trust and a community feeling as everyone helps each other out. Additionally, most platforms shy away from providing food from third parties. OLIO provides food that could be nearing its sell-by date in local stores, spare home-grown vegetables, bread from your baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go away. However, OLIO creates a trust feeling in the community where everyone supports each other without any obstacles. 

Additionally, the app could also filter by specific products rather than just location. Such as food/ other items.

I am going to add the link to OLIO for you to check out and support their business. I hope this series provides motivation for you to think outside the box on how you can support the UN SDGs. Don’t forget to #Code4Cause!

https://olioex.com/about/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/olio/id1008237086

Code4Cause Series: SDG2: Zero Hunger: Share The Meal

I am starting a new series called Code 4 Cause (#Code4Cause). In this series I review companies that build solutions around 17 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals.

I am starting this series to promote technologies and businesses that are innovating solutions to combat real world challenges. To me, it’s really important that we support each other and it just really excites me to see how people are coming together in the form of business to challenge conventional standards and methods that we see today to come up with new and out of the box solutions to build a better future.

I would like to give some background information on a key topic that will be present across all my videos in this series, the UN Sustainable development Goals.

The UN SDGs are 17 Global Goals adopted by all United Nations Member States as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

The SDGs are:

  • No Poverty
  • Zero Hunger
  • Good Health and Well Being
  • Quality Education
  • Gender Equality
  • Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Affordable and Clean Energy
  • Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • Industry Innovation and Infrastructure
  • Reduced Inequalities
  • Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Responsible Consumption and Production
  • Climate Action
  • Life Below Water
  • Life on land
  • Peace Justice and Strong Institutions
  • And last
  • Partnership for the Goals

Today’s company that we will be learning about is, Share the Meal, an  app of the United Nations World Food Programme, that works to combat the SDG Zero Hunger. 

Here is the official website for Share the Meal that we will be going through https://sharethemeal.org

Right off the bat we see some really impactful statistics such as that Share the Meal the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger. And each year, WFP reaches more than 86 million people with food assistance in around 83 countries.

Now how does this app really work: In their core values first, we can see 80 cents. This means that any one of us can donate a minimum of 80 cents which helps one child fight hunger a day.

Next, by transparency they mean that the donors on the platform can see progress of this initiative and the impact that even 80 cents can make.

And above it mentioned that this platform is 100% voluntarily funded which means that we fund the app that allows for a continuous and sustainable platform.

There are two other features on this app that I want to talk about.

The first is the table feature where an user of the app can directly connect with the families and provide them with direct assistance. In real time I could learn about a family’s needs and purchase items fit for the family and allowing them to flourish. The personal connection factor on the app really provides this gratifying feeling that inspires us to make change ourselves as we are directly involved in the process of helping a family in need.

Another great feature for this is the in-app teams. On the app you can search for various teams across the world and support the teams and their causes. This app provides a great platform for people to connect with each other and fight hunger.

In terms of the technology this app is available on both the app store and play store. The user journey for the app is so simple and efficient as just with a simple tap you’re able to help a child in need. This is the table feature this is where we were can see the progress

Most donors worry about where and their money is being used and this app provides transparency! It showcases the progress and how much impact they have made. This feature provides motivation for more donors as we can clearly see how even $0.80 can help a child in hunger. 

This solution overall is just so innovative that we as a community can make such a big impact through this platform. It takes a really simple concept of donations has made a platform that connects people to fight for hunger. 

Now, this app already ecompasses great aspects to help fight hunger. However, in terms of the donors maybe the app can provide more information/transparency on the cost breakdown of the app to just further assure them. For instance, more information about the food itself and whether or not any of the donations go to companies for advertising. If the donors are assured that every single penny from their donation is being provided to help a child, it would further motivate them to donate and spread the word. 

I am going to add the link to Share the Meal for you to check out and support their business. I hope this series provides motivation for you to think outside the box on how you can support the UN SDGs. Don’t forget to #Code4Cause!

https://sharethemeal.org/en/values.html

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sharethemeal/id977130010

 

 

 

 

Penn Summer High School Coding Camp

Held virtually, the Penn Summer High School Coding Camp is a three-week front end coding immersion. Participants will have the opportunity to to learn browser based technologies including HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and more! Students will study part time in a hands-on environment created by instructional staff. This program is open to high school students (ages 14-18) and will be running for most of the 2021 summer. Get more details here!

MCW Global Young Leaders Access Program 2021

Are you a young adult looking to find a mentor? Are you looking to benefit your community using real solutions? Join MCW Global Young Leaders Access Program! Anyone ages 18-26 can apply for a chance to experience an awesome mentorship experience. Deadline to apply is March 21st. Check out this opportunity here!

Biomedical Research Program Summer 2021

The Biomedical Research Program gives students the opportunity to work side-by-side with some of the leading NIH scientists in an environment dedicated to biomedical research. This program will be run at multiple college campuses and research facilities. The NIH High School internship is open to students age 17 or older by June 15th, 2021. Applications are due by February 1st. If you are interested in research and biomedical engineering, check out this amazing internship opportunity here!

Columbia Business School Summer Research Internship

The Summer Research Internship Program, hosted by Columbia Business School, will grant interns the opportunity to work with Columbia Business School faculty on research projects. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, interns will be able to delve into the world of business and conduct a research project. This program is designed for sophomore or junior undergraduate students. Applications are due by March 1st. Get more information here!

Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering

Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE) is a 7-week program hosted in New York City. Students will have the opportunity to study college-level coursework, spend time in a lab, and be mentored by a graduate or postdoctoral student. This program is open to 10th and 11th grade students who live in New York City. Students should apply ASAP for the awesome experience. Applications for Summer 2021 close March 1st. Check it out here!

UCLA Game Lab Summer Institute

In UCLA Game Lab Summer Institute program, students will be introduced to the world of game design by the UCLA Game Lab Summer Institute. Students will have the chance to form a solid foundation in game design, while creating their own games. The program has two summer sessions and applications close April 1st. The program is open to all high school students (ages 14-18) For more information, click here!

Palm Beach Tech Hackathon

Palm Beach Tech is hosting its annual Hackathon on Friday, October 23 through Sunday, October 25. This year’s theme, ‘Coding for Good,’ will benefit two South Florida not-for-profit organizations, Feeding South Florida and the Gift of Life Marrow Registry.

Individual registration is $25.

To apply, visit palmbeachtech.org/hackathon or call (561) 425-8918.