Working in all world regions, the nominees demonstrate the impact that technologies such as the Internet, satellite communications, smart cards, and others can have on development in various fields. For instance, Radio News Agency 68H of Indonesia, and the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation have been active in relief and recovery after the Asian tsunami. ITC e-Choupal and MAP-IT are helping India's farmers improve their livelihoods. Other finalists include Modemmujer, of Mexico, for advancing women's rights in Latin America; and Prodem, for bringing banking to Bolivian villages. The finalists' stories will be shared on the Development Gateway Foundation's global portal of development knowledge, to advance the understanding of their work and of these new technologies' catalytic role.
The award, with major sponsorship from Deutsche Telekom, will be presented at the Development Gateway Forum 2005 on September 16-17 in Beijing. The Forum, co-hosted with the Government of China and the World Bank, will bring together leaders of China's information technology and development sectors with their peers from around the world to address the theme of "Information Technology and Collaborative Development."
Last year, Grameen Bank-Village Phone won the award (then known as the Petersberg Prize). Grameen Village Phone helps women entrepreneurs start small businesses providing wireless phone service in rural areas of Bangladesh. Since winning the award, the number of these entrepreneurs has doubled, to 100,000, and Grameen is targeting 200,000 this year.
"Not only has the Development Gateway Award inspired Grameen's staff to do more, it has inspired technology people around the world to design similar or more innovative ideas to make a change in the lives of the poor, women and excluded people," said Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus.
