worldbank
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Chaîne de WorldBank
We are not a bank in the common sense. Owned by 187 member countries, we are one of the world's largest sources of development assistance, with a mission of fighting poverty with passion by helping people help themselves. Conceived in 1944 to reconstruct a war torn Europe, we work in more than 100 developing countries, bringing a mix of financing programs and ideas to improve living standards and eliminate the worst forms of poverty.
A few months ago, at the Web 2.0 Summit, Mark Pincus from Zynga talked about some of the ways that online gaming, by connecting people to ideas, could be used for social change. While there weren't many concrete suggestions on how to do that, the idea that online gaming was an area where its full potential was yet to be discovered. Last week, game designer Jane McGonigal took the stage at the TED Conference to talk about social gaming, and in particular, her new project, EVOKE , launching next week. (Disclaimer: EVOKE is a project sponsored by the World Bank Institute , so it's particularly relevant in this context. But even if it wasn't, the intersection between international development and social gaming is one that is worth exploring.) I don't have the video or transcript of Jane's TED talk just yet, but I'll be sure to share them as soon as I get my hands on them.
intersection: web+WorldBank
EVOKE, a new online game, is a ten-week crash course in changing the world. The goal is to help empower people all over the world, especially young people in Africa, to come up with creative solutions to urgent social problems. EVOKE is free to play and open to anyone, anywhere. Players will gain 21 st century skills needed to become social innovators who shape the future. The 'text book' for EVOKE is an online graphic novel.
News: WBI Launches EVOKE: A Crash Course in Changing the World |
The Data.WorldBank.org project we built for the World Bank makes 339 human development data indicators open and available to the public (with 700+ more coming soon), but the site itself is really just a display layer on top of the World Bank’s API . In this post I’ll talk about our team’s key take aways from building Data.WorldBank.org, as well as the technology we used. A site like this is a bit different than most - it’s much more common for a site to display the same data it manages and not data from somewhere else - so we had to do things a bit differently. API performance When we started to build Data.WorldBank.org, the World Bank already had a public API thanks to the great work of Phase2 Technology and especially Irakli that exposed a subset of the data they needed on the site.
Building API: Stories from Data.WorldBa
Robert Hawkins Education - Team: World Bank
Robert Hawkins is a Senior Education Specialist with the World Bank Institute where he is managing the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) for Education component of the Education program and has recently taken over as task manager for the Africa Virtual University. The ICT for Education work assists developing countries to effectively use technology in their class rooms to improve teaching and learning – at both the secondary and tertiary levels. Prior to joining the World Bank Institute, Robert spent four years working for the World Bank Africa region, promoting ICT connectivity, policy, and capacity building. Prior to coming to the Bank, Mr.
The World Bank began work on the African Virtual University (AVU), a satellite-based distance education program, in 1995. The program intends to provide Sub-Saharan African countries with university education in science and engineering, credit/continuing education programs, and remedial instruction. The program has three objectives: Train a large number of African scientists, technicians, engineers, business managers, and employees in Africa; Encourage the further development of scientists, technicians, engineers, business managers, and employees; Provide an academic environment in which African educational institutions, faculty, and students can participate in the worldwide community of learning, research, and knowledge dissemination. To implement the operational phase, AVU has been transformed from being a project of the World Bank to an independent reputable inter-governmental organization based in Nairobi, Kenya with over 34 learning centers in 17 African countries.
Africa - African Virtual University
What do Ushahidi, Worldbank,EVOKE have in c
They are the organizations where this week’s set of mentors honed their skills and experience! We are very excited to introduce to you a set of mentors with a rich array of talents and expertise. This group has created a network of grass roots innovators, developed an application to support disaster relief and transparency, worked on every Intel microprocessor over the last decade and led the World Bank’s work in South Asia. Please welcome Anil Gupta, Erik Hersman, Joseph Nsengimana, and Praful Patel to the EVOKE network! Anil Gupta
Ory Okolloh in 2006 Ory Okolloh is a Kenyan activist, lawyer, and blogger. She currently holds the position of Policy Manager for Africa with Google. In 2006 she co-founded the parliamentary watchdog site Mzalendo (Swahili: "Patriot"). [ 1 ] The site sought to increase government accountability by systematically recording bills, speeches, MPs, standing orders, etc. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] When Kenya was engulfed in violence following a disputed presidential election in 2007, Okolloh helped create Ushahidi (Swahili: "Witness"), a website that collected and recorded eyewitness reports of violence using text messages and Google Maps . [ 3 ] The technology has since been adapted for other purposes (including monitoring elections and tracking pharmaceutical availability) and used in a number of other countries.
Ory Okolloh
World Bank Online Game Invites Youth to Solve Global Problems |
The World Bank Institute, the learning arm of the World Bank, has launched an online computer game called EVOKE , designed to get young people involved in finding solutions to urgent problems like hunger, poverty and education.
Wed, 03.03.2010 06:10 pte20100303004 Medien/Kommunikation, Kultur/Lifestyle Weltbank sucht Lösungen für Afrika in Online-Game "Urgent Evoke" soll Potenzial der Spieler erschließen Palo Alto (pte004/03.03.2010/06:10) - Hinter dem Social-Online-Game "Urgent Evoke" http://www.urgentevoke.com , das heute, Mittwoch, startet, steckt ein produktiverer Gedanke als im Internet bloß Monster zu jagen oder virtuelle Waffen zu erkämpfen. Es adressiert die dringlichsten globalen Probleme und begibt sich mit dem Potenzial der Spieler auf die Suche nach Lösungen.
Weltbank sucht Lösungen für Afrika in Online-Game - pressetext.d
Evoke -The Social Network That Churns Virtual Game Theory Into '
If you were tasked with saving the world in 10 short weeks, where would you possibly begin. Well if you're a gamer or an optimist, you might consider kicking the tires of a new type of social network. Evoke is a mash-up of the virtual and real worlds that is markedly different from any gaming enterprise that went before. Become your own super hero and solve the world's greatest challenges by evoking collaboration, creativity, entrepreneurship, resourcefulness ...and yes, even courage. Massive multiplayer online role playing games known as MMORG have gained popularity as a result of the success of " Farmville ' and ' Mafia Wars " attracting tens of thousands of players on Facebook. " Second Life " is a 3D virtual world where users can socialize in an alternate universe of avatars and simulated life experiences.Jane McGonigal is trying to use an online game to help people in Africa solve real-world problems. "Urgent Evoke" is an online game that seeks to cure real-world problems Players earn points by responding to weekly challenges The game begins on Wednesday; it focuses on Africa, but anyone can play The World Bank Institute spends $500K on the game as an educational tool (CNN) -- Some people think of online gamers and see gaunt loners huddled in dark rooms, the sad blue glow of the computer screen on their faces as their lives pass them by. Game designer Jane McGonigal sees "superheroes" with untapped potential that can be used to fix vexing real-world problems. "Gamers are willing to work hard all the time if they're given the right work," she said. She calls them "super-empowered, hopeful individuals," and includes herself among the bunch.
Online game seeks to empower Africa
@ BubbleF**kingBuddy : There's a problem however. There isn't too much history behind Africa besides ancient Egypt and Great Zimbabwe. Too many civil wars for no reason mark it as a stereotype for media (Splinter Cell Double Agent, Far Cry 2, Hotel Rwanda, but to be fair, the last one was based off of Rwandan genocide). If it's not wars it's tribes (Things Fall Apart, tribal stage in Spore), although they acted strangely similaraly to Native Americans.
Kotaku Evoke: The Game That Seeks to do Go
Wouldn’t it be great if, during times of crisis, there was a way to access a network of experts ready and able to help avert the crisis? Starting March 3rd, the Evoke Network goes live and available for all your crisis-averting needs! EVOKE was developed by the World Bank Institute , the educational branch of the World Bank Group, and directed by Jane McGonigal , the creative mind behind Superstruct and World Without Oil (among many others) and most recently an invited speaker at TED2010 . The alternate reality game’s mission is to help the world help itself, by empowering young people to tackle the world’s toughest problems. In the first episode, the year is 2020 and Japan is facing a nation-wide famine. The Governor of Tokyo sends an “EVOKE” to the mysterious Alchemy, who then activates the Evoke Network by contacting individuals with the necessary skills and ideas needed to help Tokyo avert her food crisis, and teach her people how to avoid it in the future.
ARGNet: Saving the World, One EVOKE at a Time
is a alternate-reality game created by game designer Jane McGonigal that launches March 3. It is a game designed to cause real social action in exchange for in-game benefits, with the top players being granted mentorships, internships, start-up money and scholarships. The game is designed specifically to empower people living in Africa (though anyone is allowed to play), where innovation and entrepreneurial action is trailing when compared to Western countries. The game, which is funded by World Bank, will last for 10 weeks. Every Wednesday, a new challenge is presented within the in-game universe such as a water shortage or famine, and a message is sent out to players who do things in real life to help solve these issues.