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Join Inveneo at eLearning Africa 2012
eLearning Africa is the Continent’s largest annual gathering of high-level policy makers, decision makers and practitioners from education, business and government. eLearning Africa 2012 is taking place from 23rd to 25th May in Cotonou, Benin.
Inveneo is proud to be attending eLearning Africa 2012. Wayan Vota, Senior Director, will be participating in three key sessions: He will be speaking at the pre-conference Ministerial Round Table on the opportunities to use technology to increase the financial sustainability of educational systems. He will be co-leading the eLearning Africa Fail Faire with Leonard Mware, Director ICWE Africa. Fail Faire is dedicated to the embrace and appraisal of failed eLearning experiences. We look forward to robust sharing of different viewpoints on how we understand failure and the lessons that can be drawn from them.
Wayan will also be a discussant at the eLearning Africa Debate. Each year, the eLearning Africa debate addresses important and sometimes controversial issues affecting the region. This year, the debate looks at the long-term effects of mobile technologies on educational systems in Africa and what impact this might have on the traditional classroom and the role of teacher. The motion will be as follows:
’This House believes that we have underestimated the disruption mobile technologies will cause to formal educational systems in Africa and is concerned that their increased use undermines the traditional classroom setting, making teachers redundant.’
Wayan will be on the side promoting teachers as still relevant, if not even more relevant in a quickly changing educational landscape. Be sure to join him in the debate - it is a highlight of eLearning Africa and this year's discussion will be as lively as ever.
Working Past Bees for Long-Distance WiFi Networking
Planning an installation in a remote area asks for a lot of careful thought: one doesn't want to be in the middle of nowhere missing a specific piece of equipment thus having to drive back several kilometers to complete the work. The unexpected being expected, even after several installations, you are never too cautious. But, what level of 'unexpectedness' can a tower full of wasp nest be?
Bees in general are not really harmful to humans. Living in a tropical country you have been stung enough by these insects to know if you are of the allergic type. At best if you have a cold or indigestion it may cure you. This level of risk falls into the category of negligible.
But talking of something and seeing it right in front of you are two different things. The colors, the noise, the menacing zigzags and of course old memories, all this being put together, you think twice before even starting to put on the climbing gears. And just when your courage is at a sufficient level to face the wasp, local superstitions shatter it in thousands of pieces.
I am Jeffrey Carre of Transversal and recently we had to verify an old installation at Pont-Sonde, a small town on the way to Gonaive, pass St Marc in Haiti. With no hills to climb, and the site being right in the middle of the town, it's not a difficult site.
Food and water are at hand ad you don't have to drive a long way to get to a passable road. The aiming is generally easy in such a flat land that these usually take half a day of work to setup everything and pass the acceptance test. But...
"They can give you a fever so unbearable that you may not have enough time to go to the hospital," the guardian says. Some time ago our townsfolk pride would have us walk past that statement with a "Let me show you how we do things," tone and maybe we would have shamefully been victim of that ego... But today that bee problem was taken seriously. The questions is how to get pass that problem:
- Bug spray is a real bad way the get rid of them - it kills some and infuriates the rest. They fall on the ground and fly back at you right away with their last remaining breath. And personally seeing all those creatures fall and die, you cannot help to think of yourself as an evil, heartless person (just a little).
- Smoke. Yes but you have to climb high enough to reach them and they are sometimes in unexpected places. You have to use it on your way up and also, less easy, on the way down. Every nest that is on your path must be submitted to smoke for long enough to drowse the wasps. We don't have that time.
- Gas/oil. We once used this to repel hornets from the lightning arrestors they were using to construct their mud nest. We didn't have enough with us and we couldn’t think of a good way to spread it.
- Fire, same almost as smoke but for clear reasons, not a good solution.
- Luck, hopefully you go up and don't put your hand right in the middle of a nest. We engineers prefer not to play with luck to much. We prefer quantifiable and measurable facts, but then again, sometimes it surprises you pleasantly.
The guardian happened to be a beekeeper and had in his possession a pair of protective suits and it would only take him 5 minutes to get them for us. No need to tell what a relief he was to us. Maybe he enjoyed being our hero but he continued to help us by reassuring us. We learned that:
- Bees, wasps, and hornets only attack when they sense danger. So if we calmly approach them they will stay away from us.
- They tend to build their nest at a specific height, not to high to avoid strong currents and not to low to avoid the heat and natural enemies. So as soon as we pass that “activity zone” there is no need to watch out for them.
- And the most beautiful part: bees are a sign of life and hope, and as we are spreading life and hope via our Internet installation they are doing the same with the flower pollen.
We put on the protective suits under the climbing gears and started to work. And as the day goes by, I couldn't help to think of the bees working as group, coordinating their movements, each taking care of a specific task.
This was at our 3rd site of the day and the sun was getting low on the sky. As we climbed down the tower and started to pack, nature was slowly falling asleep and even the bees were regaining the house. Their nests that were once very busy spots during the day were now calm - technology and nature in quiet harmony.
Inveneo is Hiring: Staff Accountant
Create excitement and impact like this with Inveneo
(download this job description in pdf form)
| Job Title: | Staff Accountant | Department: | Accounting & Finance | |
| Reply-to: | hr@inveneo.org | Start Date: | Immediate | |
| Salary: | Commensurate with experience |
About Inveneo:
Inveneo is a 501(c)(3) non-profit social enterprise whose mission is to connect and empower rural and underserved communities in the developing world with information and communications technologies (ICTs). We work with and serve organizations that deliver vital education, healthcare, economic development and relief services to some of the poorest communities in the world, enabling these organizations – NGOs, governments and others – to more effectively serve people in need through technology. We partner with local ICT entrepreneurs though our Inveneo Certified ICT Partner (ICIP) program, now active in 24 countries, to deliver and support these solutions locally.
Since 2006, Inveneo and our Inveneo Certified ICT Partners (ICIPs) have delivered innovative solutions reaching more than 1,500,000 people in over 500 communities in 25 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Haiti.
Position Summary:
Inveneo is seeking a Staff Accountant who, under the supervision of the Chief Operations Officer and working with our outside Controller, will be responsible for processing and maintaining Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll, and managing inventory accounting across all of our global programs. The Staff Accountant will be an integral member of the Inveneo Operations Team, helping manage our day-to-day finance and accounting needs as a nonprofit social enterprise with a mix of funding that spans public and private grants, government contracts, and private donors, and a platform of activities that includes ICT sales and distribution, partner development, capacity building and training, and both small and large-scale equipment installations and deployments across the developing world.
Major Responsibilities:
- Process Accounts Payables and Receivables and manage entries in the general ledger
- Process semi-monthly payroll, including benefits tracking, calculations, and reconciliations
- Process donations and in-kind gifts and ensure compliance with company, government, and fund accounting policies
- Prepare and analyze monthly balance sheet reconciliation and perform analytical review of monthly financial statements
- Prepare and distribute expense reporting at the project or program level and assist with grant/fund accounting
- Assist with preparation of 990 tax returns, quarterly sales tax payments, and audits
- Help maintain and update accounting polices and procedures and ensure compliance with company and government policies
- Work with Operations and Project Management to ensure proper management of inventories and related accounting
- Other accounting related duties as assigned
Required Job Skills and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in accounting or business with an accounting emphasis
- 5+ years of accounting experience; experience in not-for-profit and/or fee-for-service businesses
- Strong self-starter, able to manage many responsibilities with limited guidance in a fast-paced environment
- Knowledge of GAAP, nonprofit accounting requirements, and Quickbooks accounting software
- Experience with inventory accounting
- Strong multi-tasking and analytical/troubleshooting skills.
- Ability to work with people from a wide range of cultural, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds
Highly Desirable Job Skills and Experience:
- Knowledge of governmental cost accounting/reporting requirements
- Experience with Replicon time reporting software and/or Paychex payroll processing
- Experience with Salesforce.com and/or Glovia inventory management systems
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Experience traveling and working in developing regions desirable
- Proficiency in French or Spanish desirable
Additional Comments:
- Position is full-time, based in San Francisco
- Must play well with others
To Apply:
Please send a cover letter and resume to hr@inveneo.org No phone calls please. Applicants must be legally eligible for employment in the United States.
Inveneo Awarded the Internet Now! Project in Uganda
Inveneo has been selected for the Internet infrastructure segment of the newly launched Internet Now! Project in Uganda. Working with Oxfam Novib, Arid Lands Information Network, and Samasource, Inveneo will provide computer hardware and Internet connection to 100 planned ICT work centers, all of which are targeted for rural Northern Ugandan regions.
The Internet Now! project aims to implement 100 ICT work centers, that will offer outsourced ICT data services, wireless Internet access via a wireless café hotspot model, and services such as agricultural education and crop pricing information. All of this with the goal to generate increased income and employment in rural communities of northern Uganda.
The network of 100 ICT centers will cover a total population of 872,000 people in the districts of Adjumani, Amuru/Gulu and Moyo. Each center will have two fully equipped and renovated rooms with 10 PC workstations for visitors to use. All centers will be stand-alone solar powered, independent from a grid, and are staffed with a Field Officer and two Knowledge Facilitators, who will provide training and support to center visitors.
Inveneo in conjunction with CLS Ltd., an Inveneo Certified ICT Partner in Uganda, will deploy energy-efficient, high performance computers and reliable Internet connections at each center. In addition, Inveneo will lead the network backbone planning and negotiations with Ugandan ISP's and wireless carriers.
Inveneo is excited to be part of the Internet Now! project as it will bring Internet connectivity and employment opportunities to an area of Africa where such needs and potential benefits are great.
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