Skateboards: Made in Nepal

I've been keeping an eye on the latest style breakthroughs in Nepal and am ecstatic to find out about one of Nepal's first skate shops, Arniko Skateboards. They've branded themselves as made in Nepal, using traditional woodcarving techniques, and designed in Switzerland. Pretty cool. Hoping to meet these guys in Kathmandu soon.

Social Investing, Social Marketing, and Gossip Girl

I was recently catching up on Gossip Girl (an American TV show that I absolutely adore) and to my surprise they have made an attempt to mirror and connect with the real world by weaving in stories about the economic downturn and the financial challenges that people face. And, during one recent episode, a character by the name of Gabriel seeks out investors for his wireless access initiative for the developing world and BOP communities. I was absolutely pleasantly shocked. There were clearly spoken scripts, with the character, Rufus, saying "doing well by doing good." And the main star, Serena (Blake Lively) jokes about giving the "poor" the ability to post on Gossip Girl.

This probably went in and out the ears of most, but I was excited about two things: 1) the mention of rural access initiatives and the idea of giving the BOP access to sites such as social networks and 2) the mention of social investing.

As a former student and colleague of Jay Winsten and a general fan of social and cause marketing, especially when woven into mainstream media, I wonder: who is behind the scripting? Did someone sit on set, as Jay Winsten did, and coach the writers and actors about the concept of social investing and it's allure in the current economic climate? Who inspired the inclusion of the ideas in the show, how did they hear about the ideas, and who made the final decisions about their inclusion? I'd love to see more of this happening across mainstream media. Just as in public health we try to get people to adopt healthier behaviors through such modeling, perhaps we can do the same to get more people interested in and excited about the concept of rural access, social entrepreneurship, and investing in social entrepreneurs.

Sankhu Telecenter - Youth Managed Resource Center

Sankhu Telecenter is a remarkable TC in beautiful Sankhu, run entirely by youth volunteers. I was impressed. My friend Chris Hoadley, an MIT and Berkeley alum who is now a Professor at NYU, was there the same day, facilitating a participatory learning workshop on ICT.

Ramita and David Shrestha, two of the TC leaders, are on BOP Source, so you can find them there. Ramita and David will be teaching TC users how to use BOP Source so you can find other Sankhu residents on BOP Source as well.




Ramita


Bidya teaching David


Chris facilitating a workshop


David, another manager of the TC

Bungamati Telecenter

Bungamati Telecenter is nestled in the Kathmandu Valley, in traditional older Nepali homes with a largely Newar population. This TC was rated best TC in the country this year and was quite impressive. They hold computer and internet classes for school kids, University students, and locals from the community.

Several of the Bungamati residents are already using BOP Source regularly, so you can interact with them there.






The school. According to Bidya's research for his Masters thesis at Kathmandu University, which was the most comprehensive study of Telecenters in Nepal to date, Telecenters thrive when they are part of a greater ecosystem such as a school or community center, which I think helps explain Bungamati's success.


Bidya teaches Prem how to use BOP Source


Urbashi, the main TC teacher, uses BOP Source


All of the young people you see here are on BOP Source