New humanitarian / social games: "Joseph is a [Ugandan] character in a cutting-edge Alternate Reality Game launched by the Red Cross on Monday -- a 21st century cross between a role-playing game and a treasure hunt. The game called "Traces of Hope" (www.tracesofhope.com) is the first time a charity has used the interactive ARG format more commonly used to promote films and commercial products." (via Reuters)

News: According to a release from Kenya's ICT board, KenCall EPZ has won an Call Center Award. See the shortlist:

Non-European Call Centre of the Year

24/7 Customer, India
EMP - Emirates Marketing & Promotion, U.A.E.
-> KenCall EPZ Ltd, Kenya
Vodacom, South Africa

Palin's link with Kiambu,  Kenya 

A breakthrough in Kenya's M-Banking revolution - ... "withdrawals can be made from 110 PesaPoint ATMs in 46 towns around the country without the use of an ATM card"

Meanwhile, more Kenya mobile money news... A Kenyan sex worker is duped by fake mobile payoff; while banks get ready to cry foul  and finally, poor Zain, market share evaporating, bleeding money in a horrible re-branding, bravely says it's relauching its own money transfer service, Sokotele ...

Amazing Washington Post expose: er... the African Middle Class exists...

Thinking of buying a goat for a needy person in Africa? (as Kristof suggests in the New York Times). Before you do, read this bracing article in South Africa's Mail and Guardian.
Extract: "A few months ago, at the height of the Christmas shopping season, Oxfam encouraged us Britons to give "the gift of dung" to Africa. That's right: dung. Apparently poor African farmers like nothing better at Christmas time than to receive a bucket of shit with which they can fertilise their crops."

"typing keyboards with our pangas" - Kenya politics-blogging poem

Whispering in Swahili - good neighbours in the Rift Valley

Red Cross helicopter footage of clashes, burnings, road blocks in Kenya's Rift Valley

Photo of TV annoucement by Samuel Kivuitu of (contested) winner of Kenya Presidential elections December 2007

Difficult times ahead

Job: PR Manager, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (Geneva)

Job: Program Officer - IDRC Think Tank Initiative, Nairobi, Kenya

The Think Tank Initiative is a major new collaborative program of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and IDRC.  Its goal is to support independent policy research organizations in developing regions enabling them to provide objective, high-quality research that both informs and influences policy.  The Initiative will provide long-term core funding to select organizations, along with targeted capacity-building support. For more information about this Initiative, visit www.idrc.ca/thinktank.

 

Based in Nairobi, Kenya, the Program Officer, under the guidance of the Program Leader and the Regional Office Director, will manage Initiative activities in each region.  Specifically, responsibilities will include coordinating the grant application and selection process, monitoring awarded grants, managing organizational development funds, and mentoring and supporting grantees with respect to organizational development issues.

Celtel: Roaming "abolished" in Africa

More humanitarian games / social gaming