Human Centered Design Toolkit from IDEO

A free innovation guide for NGOs and Social Enterprises

For years, organizations have used Human-Centered Design (HCD) to arrive at innovative business solutions. In collaboration with the Gates Foundation and non-profit groups IDE, ICRW, and Heifer International, IDEO has specially adapted this process for NGOs and social enterprises that work with impoverished communities around the world. The resulting HCD Toolkit helps organizations understand people’s needs in new ways, find innovative solutions to meet these needs, and deliver solutions with financial sustainability in mind.

Download it here >

Maker Faire Africa!

Can't wait to hear more about it. http://makerfaireafrica.com/

First impressions video can be seen here. And photos here.

Maker Faire Africa (MFA) www.makerfaireafrica.com, a celebration of African ingenuity, innovation and invention, will take place August 14-16 at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT in Ghana's capital, Accra. This event will showcase ICT, robotics, green machinery and software development. Maker Faire Africa asks the question, “What happens when you put the drivers of ingenious concepts from Mali with those from Ghana and Kenya, and add resources to the mix?"

Specifically, Maker Faire Africa will take an approach that will achieve these principal aims:

* Brighten the light on local examples of the “fabrication” ethos
* Provide mechanisms to incubate these innovators and their products to a point where they can be taken to market
* Connect refined plans to disseminate innovations with venture finance
* Inventions that can help with reliable green electricity
* How to use robotics to solve every day problems

Quality of Life

a fascinating article on the best places to live! I won't spoil it by telling you who won. Here are some surprising charts:























Best places to register a new company:
(in # of days it takes to do so)


and worst!


check out the article >

from internationalliving.com