Hi I’m Joy, Founder of Zamrize. As a technologist with a computer science degree from Georgia Tech, I have a unique opportunity as a Fulbright Fellow to spend seven months in Zambia to establish an Integrative Computational Experience (ICE) Lab to empower Zambian youth to become creators of technology.
In partnership with local organizations, Zamrize will provide support, training and hands-on expertise to help accelerate impact projects and promote social entrepreneurship.
I would like to extend a global invitation to help us launch this innovative pilot program.
Through Zamrize, your support of the ICE Lab will ensure diverse participation in the new technology economy by providing a curriculum and hands-on learning lab focused on three foundational elements: Exposure, Education & Entrepreneurship.
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WHY ZAMBIA?
The prolific adoption of mobile and communications technology across Africa spurred by economic growth on a continent that holds claim to half of the fastest 20 growing economies in the world (including Zambia) — has not been matched by a labor market equipped to participate in emerging knowledge based economies.
Zambia is ripe for an entrepreneurial awakening — with a growing population of talented, smart, resourceful innovators in need of additional resources & training.
YOUR SUPPORT ESTABLISHES ICE LAB
With your help we will implement the next phase of Zamrize targeting 20 students, who will learn web and mobile development skills along with entrepreneurial thinking through impact projects like WRAPP that address local challenges.
10K GOAL
Your support will provide equipment for the lab, including:
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Laptops
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Smartphones
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Tablets
along with:
- Transportation for Participants
Further funding will help support the integration of impact projects to promote the creation of accessible digital content for education, health and agriculture.
REWARDS
Zamrize Perks are about empowering YOU to turn your ideas into reality while supporting the establishment of the ICE Lab.
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WHY SUPPORT ZAMRIZE?
SHORT TERM IMPACT
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Replicable curriculum for teaching entrepreneurial thinking and web/mobile development
- Relevant applications/digital content available to Zambians.
LONG TERM IMPACT
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In country capacity to fulfill currently outsourced software development jobs from local companies
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Greater visibility of Africans in technology fields
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Increased female participation in technology fields
- Establishment of a robust digital distribution platform will deliver content relevant in language and context to growing number of plugged in Zambians
IMPACT PROJECT: WRAPP
As the first impact outcome of the ICE Lab Method from March - April 2013, Zamrize facilitated the creation of WRAPP — Zambia's groundbreaking Women's Rights Application.
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Mobile web version of the application is available here: http://zamrize.org/wrapp
"Fantastic App, Eye Opening, Empowering" - Merrick Furst
IMPACT PROJECTS PIPELINE
The Zamrize ICE Lab focuses on motivating learning with impact projects that create value for the local community.
Current Pipeline
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iSchool: Educational Content
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iHealth: Essential well-being and medical information
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iFarm: Local horticulture and animal husbandry methods
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Tourism: Promoting culture, incredible landscapes, and wildlife for economic growth
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iSchool is revolutionizing education in Zambia by:
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digitizing the entire Zambia school curriculum grades 1-7 in 8 languages
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providing necessary teacher training
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leveraging lessons learned from a 2.5 year pilot with 2,500 students
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pioneering the zedupad tablet to deliver content
The digitization of lessons is currently being done overseas given a lack of local capacity. iSchool is willing to use local developers if reliable capacity can be established in country and is partnering with Zamrize to use ICE Lab to do a feaibility test. iSchool Integration will build on lessons learned from the WRAPP experience and has been identified as a partner that could also provide a physical home for the Zamrize ICE Lab in a new teacher training facility being planned. www.ischool.zm
With your help, Zamrize can be an impact platform for social change through the ICE Lab and community impact projects!
Be a founding supporter and join us — together we rise!
MEDIA
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About Joy Buolamwini
Joy Buolamwini is a Rhodes Scholar, a Fulbright Fellow, a Stamps Scholar, a two-year recipient of the Astronaut Scholarship, a Google Anita Borg Scholar, and a Carter Center technical consultant recognized as a distinguished volunteer. At the Carter Center, she created an android-based mobile surveying solution that was used to survey nearly 40,000 people in Ethiopia to help eliminate blinding Trachoma for over 17 million people. She has presented the work internationally and the tools are now used worldwide to combat other neglected tropical diseases. At Georgia Tech she conducted research on health informatics as well as social robotics and autism graduating with highest honors with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. As a Fulbright Fellow in Zambia, she is working with local organizations and computer science education experts as well as practitioners to empower Zambian youth to become creators of technology as the Executive Director of the Zamrize initiative. To this role she brings 8 years of software development experience in web and mobile platforms.
She was recently appointed to the Georgia Tech OMS CS Board as Ambassador to Africa in order to help increase the number of computer science professionals worldwide.
After starting a freelance development company in high school, Joy has gone on to establish businesses spanning augmented reality and educational technology (founding Chief Technology Officer of Excelegrade). She recently graduated from Flashpoint, a start-up accelerator program, as a cofounder of Techturized INC, a hair care technology company, that has launched the Madame You platform. A former pole-vaulter and Pepsi Scholar Athlete of the year for the Mid-south region, Joy enjoys playing guitar, drawing, writing and working-out. Joy’s mission is to show compassion through computation and encourage underrepresented groups in computer science to become full participants in the creation of the future.
Contact: joy@zamrize.org
