The creation of Ushahidi – a interpreted in Swahili as “testimony” or “witness” – was spurred by the bloody political crisis that engulfed Kenya after the general elections in 2008. Ushahidi is the latest effort to “crowd-source” news gathering on unfolding crises in remote areas via e-mail and mobile phones”, writes Forbes magazine, the latest mainstream media to profile the African-designed, award-winning software that has now gone open-source.
Ushahidi, an impressive display of African ingenuity, is a collaborative venture started by four Africans – three bloggers and one web developer. “For us to be featured in Forbes magazine is a big deal for many reasons – it speaks to our entrepreneurial approach to social problems, it speaks to the incredible talent we have in Africa that often doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves in the international media, and it says to me that we are on to something.” – Ory, Ushahidi co-founders. Ushahidi has been used in Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa.
http://www.ushahidi.com/