- Posted by Jana Melpolder on October 20, 2017 in the categories: Events, News
On October 18, 2017 Inveneo had the honor of receiving the “Connecting the Unconnected” award from Engineering for Change and ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) at the recent Impact.Engineered event held in New York City. The IEEE – SA Global Affairs Program Director Moira Patterson presented Inveneo with the award, describing the incredible impact Inveneo has brought to many rural and previously unconnected communities around the world.
Co-Founder and Executive Director Robert Marsh received the award for Inveneo.
Co-Founder and current Executive Director Robert Marsh represented Inveneo and received the award for the team. As he was on stage he announced that, “when [I was] told about the event, I said I might not be there because I’ll be in Liberia connected the unconnected” which brought great laughter from the audience.
Inveneo proudly shares this category with two other winners who were World Possible and Google. The evening’s events also included the following awards and winners:
The award from ASME and Engineering for Change.
Hardware Trailblazer
D-REV
The ASME/Engineering for Change’s ISHOW Global Winner
Women Leading in Technology and Impact
Elaine Weidman, Ericsson
Mitchell Baker, Mozilla Foundation
Linda Raftree, Independent Consultant; Convener, Tech Salon NYC and MERL Tech
Corporate Philanthropy Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals
Siemens Stiftung
Impact.Engineered Honorary Engineer
John Hockenberry, WNYC Radio
The Inveneo team would like to congratulate all the winners at the event and say a special thank you to the ASME and Engineering for Change teams for the award. It was an exceptional evening and several past Inveneo employees were also present, including Wayan Vota and Mariela Machado, who continue to make incredible contributions in the ICT world!
- Posted by Inveneo on May 17, 2011 in the categories: Events, News
The International Telecommunications Union is marking the 146th anniversary of its establishment on 17 May this year by recognizing three eminent personalities who have contributed to the ongoing digital revolution, with the 2011 ITU World Telecommunication and Information Society Award in recognition of their dedication to promoting ICTs as a means of providing a better life for humanity, particularly in rural communities:
- President of Finland, Tarja Halonen,
- Telecommunication innovator, Sam Pitroda,
- CEO of Inveneo, Kristin Peterson
ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré lauded the work of the three eminent laureates:
“Information and communication technologies are constantly reshaping the way the world communicates while creating opportunities for a better life through long-term, sustainable development, not least among the most disadvantaged sections of our society,” Dr Touré said.
“As we focus on extending the reach of ICTs to the remotest rural communities in every corner of the world, it is my pleasure to honour those who have dedicated themselves to harnessing the full potential of ICTs so that we can all enjoy a more productive, peaceful and — in every way — a better life, particularly in rural areas.”
The Awards were presented on 17 May 2011 at a ceremony at ITU headquarters in Geneva on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD).
This year’s theme for WTISD, “Better Life in Rural Communities with ICTs” brings attention to those who reside in rural districts and far flung communities — half the global population, or nearly 3.5 billion people — representing the poorer, less educated, and more deprived cousins of the world’s urban citizens. Among them are as many as 1.4 billion of the world’s extremely poor people, who are also among the least connected to the benefits of ICTs.
In accepting the World Telecommunication and Information Society Award, Kristin Peterson noted that delivering technology to rural communities can present many challenges, including environmental factors such as heat, dust and humidity as well as lack of power.
“At Inveneo we have made it our mission to find the right technologies that can help organizations in these communities — schools, clinics, relief camps — successfully use ICTs to deliver better vital services,” said Peterson.
“So we’ve been building an eco-system of certified in-country ICT entrepreneurs that we partner with around the world. Together, with these partners, we are implementing projects that range from solar-powered computer labs going in to hundreds of schools in Uganda and Tanzania, to building a rural broadband network in rural Haiti.”
Kristin Peterson is the co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Inveneo, a non-profit social enterprise focusing on information and communication technologies in rural areas throughout the developing world. She has led Inveneo’s efforts to provide ICT to deliver education, health care, economic development and relief projects in Haiti and in 25 countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Inveneo has also worked in partnership with ITU in delivering training in low-cost rural wireless networking in developing countries, such as Kenya, Uganda and the Caribbean.
