Envaya
is a non-profit based in Tanzania, and it has set up a platform for community-based organizations (CBOs) on the web.
Envaya’s first project www.envaya.org is a “free, easy-to-use, low-bandwidth, mobile-optimized, and fully translated platform for CBOs to create and update their own websites”. In addition to hosting websites, Envaya.org also provides technical assistance to make CBO content accessible on mobile phones:
“News from CBOs can be published and consumed using any cellphone with a web browser. Envaya is seeking funding to launch a SMS interface which will enable CBOs to publish news from nearly any mobile phone by sending a text message to a toll-free shortcode.” (Courtesy of Open Innovation Africa Summit)
As of 2010, about 200 CBOs in Tanzania were using the Envaya platform, and this number is expected to increase to 800 CBOs this year. In creating an online presence and networking tool for community-based activity, Envaya creates an incubator of “lessons learned”, which are important to record for future progress. In addition, part of Envaya’s product is training, which in my opinion should be considered as education. Working with web-based applications takes resources, and more so, the knowledge necessary to properly utilize these resources.
Tanzania currently faces challenges in its formal education system. Considering problems with primary and secondary education attainment, it may prove useful for Tanzania to consider training activities as which take place across the formal-informal education divide. Organizations like Envaya are beginning to show that “progress” means more than just investment in physical assets like schools buildings, but intangible assets like knowledge.
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