Five Inspiring Ways that Technology is Making the World Better

Every year, the Nominet Trust names 100 people and organizations using digital technology to address the world’s biggest social problems. Tynker is honored to be chosen as one of the Nominet Trust 100 2015 for our efforts to empower children by teaching them to program in a fun, engaging way. Our software (much of it free) has been used by over 30 million children across the world, giving them crucial 21st century skills that we truly believe will make them successful and, more importantly, give them the tools to change the world with technology. Read more about our nomination here.

Reading through the list, we were so inspired by the ways that people and organizations across the globe are harnessing the powers of technology for good. Here are a few other projects from the Nominet Trust 100.

WINSUN – 3D-printed housing.

A 3D-printed building made by Winsun. Image from http://yhbm.com

For only 3,200 euros each, Winsun manufactures affordable 3D-printed houses that could potentially house the impoverished and the displaced, especially after natural disasters. 3D printing allows Winsun to build houses much more quickly and cheaply than traditional methods. A sample project made by the company (a lavish villa), took eight workers one month to build, whereas the same building would have taken 30 workers three months to build using traditional methods. Winsun has also created a low-cost housing option. At 22ft. tall, 33ft. wide, and 492ft. long, this project could solve some of the global demand for affordable, safe housing.

ESOKO – Empowering farmers in Africa with market knowledge.

Farmers access helpful information about crops, weather, and markets. Image from https://esoko.com

Rural farmers in Africa are often at a disadvantage when growing and selling their crops because they lack access to important information about market and weather conditions. By facilitating the sharing of information between farmers in rural areas, Esoko allows farmers to gain more knowledge about weather forecasts, agricultural tips, crop calendars, and market prices. As a result, farmers can make informed decisions about what to plant and when, and they also have more negotiating power.

GLOBAL FOREST WATCH – Monitoring forests in near real time.

Screenshot from the Global Forest Watch tool.

Despite the importance of forests to our global climate, deforestation continues at an alarming rate. Global Forest Watch (GFW) uses high-resolution satellite images from NASA as well as information from scientists to monitor the world’s forest health. This data can be used by politicians, environmentalists, and resource managers to make informed, responsible decisions in order to conserve our most important natural resources.

REFUNITE – Helping refugees find their friends and family.

Somalian refugee Rahma found her brother and father after 22 years of separation through Refunite. Image from https://refunite.org/testimonial/reconnected-after-22-years-of-separation/

The world has over 60 million refugees, half of whom are children. With a registered user base of over 400,000 and over 5 million searches, Refunite reunites people fleeing conflict and persecution with their friends and family in the face of tremendous disorganization and chaos.

SOLARDX – Enabling early infant diagnosis of HIV.

The SolarDx device. Image from http://www.aasinc.co/solardx.html

Early diagnosis of an HIV-linked cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma is crucial in order to begin treatment as soon as possible, but traditional methods require biopsies that must be analyzed in a lab, often with very long waiting periods. To help reduce HIV-related infant mortality, SolarDx has created an affordable, portable test kit for Kaposi’s sarcoma. Powered by the sun and about the size of a lunchbox, SolarDx allows doctors to quickly test for the disease in remote areas, delivering results within 30 minutes.

Technology is changing how we tackle huge social problems across the world. We believe it is incredibly important to teach children how to use technology so they can leverage it in creating solutions that make the world a better place. The children learning how to program today will be the people leading these kind of technology-driven humanitarian efforts tomorrow. Thanks again to the Nominet Trust for highlighting these amazing projects.