Global Entrepreneurship, a Multinational non- governmental organisation, has reiterated on the need to generate new ideas and develop entrepreneurship solutions to address challenges of unemployment and poverty which have become serious issues in

Soccer stars Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo of France and Brazil respectively have played an all-star friendly match to fight poverty in Morocco on Monday. However, hundreds of youngsters were left outside the stadium as they could not afford the seats, Reuters news agency reported.

Around half the stadium in Fez was left empty as crowds of fans waited…

The global downturn could scupper plans for a landmark "son of Kyoto" deal to combat climate change, green campaigners have warned.

It’s MTO’s 2^nd annual Blog Action Day post! If you’re not familiar with Blog Action Day, it’s (1) a uniting of bloggers worldwide, (2) taking action on their blogs, (3) by voicing thoughts, opinions, concerns, etc. on an important issue affecting us all. Last year, the environment was the issue at hand. Click here to read MTO’s 1^st Annual Blog Action Day post on recycling.

This year, Blog Action Day asks us to take a closer look at poverty and how we can help those in need. It’s especially hard to understand poverty if you don’t see it in your own backyard. But, the current economic crisis is making all of us reassess our spending and savings. So if we’re hurting in one way or another, imagine how much more affected the impoverished will become if we stop giving our time and resources.

You may feel strapped which may make you feel less powerful to help. But there are plenty of ways you can reach out using tools and items on hand. So don’t let this economic crisis get you down…get inspired by a need and get motivated to provide what’s needed.

The holidays are approaching so finding ways to reach out are usually apparent. You can easily get involved or be the organizer for your local food drive, blood drive, coat drive, or tech drive. Yes, I said tech drive. Not everyone can afford the latest and greatest technology. Some of us may have been rapid fire upgraders, I know I’m guilty. But our older technology may actually be quite new to others. Let’s face it, computers are no longer a luxury, they are a way of life.

So, don’t wait until Spring to start cleaning out old devices and computers from your garage. Do it now! Gather other passionate tech-heads, reformat old systems and donate them to schools, community centers, and shelters, etc.

Make rallying donations offline a bit easier by choosing a school or recycling center as your donation hub. Then get the word out using the social media tools that already distract you at work and keep you up late at night.

Use Meetup to organize your offline collaboration and Facebook to rally your online network around a Fan Page or Group.  Be sure to select images or photos that can tell a related story or how to help. Upload and tag them on Flickr.  Post event updates on your blog and create an event badge (ex: Tech Drive Donations) others can put on their blog. Tweet your posts and updates on Twitter. And use Twitter Search, Twitter Local and Twinkle to find others in your area or with interest in the same cause.

You already use the tools, so it’s just about finding your passion and direction for fighting poverty. We were strong before social media took off. Think how much more effective, resourceful, and ultimately powerful your efforts can be now!

Other posts you may enjoy:

• Want Free Online Meetings For A Year? Then Read This!
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Your Real Estate Technology
• Real Estate Bloggers: Increase Your RSS Subscribers with Facebook
• Real Estate Bloggers Participate In Blog Action Day
• MyTechOpinion is heading to the New York Connect

The Social Equity Venture Fund (SEVEN), just launched a competition to develop new indicators and models for investment in emerging market small and medium-sized enterprises. The competition is open to everyone, and is offering $50,000 in funds awarded for the best ideas. Entrepreneurs in developing markets often cite a lack of financial capital as the biggest barrier to growing their business. This competition, and its results, are one concrete step in demonstrating the power of entrepreneurship, and business, as a sustainable solution to world poverty.

To participate, contributors may submit their ideas until November 15. Here is a link to the submission site. The second phase of wiki-based collaboration takes place between November 16 and December 15. The online VINE community will select finalists and a jury of experts will award the grand prize.

This competition was funded through a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Here is a link to get additional information about the S.E.VEN Fund.

TrackBack (0) | Comments (1)

Comments on this Entry:

(pooja on Jul 24, 2008 5:50 AM) Hi , This is Ayesha Lakhani, great to see you taking this initative. I am also serving a similar cause on Endpoverty by 2015 in India. I am voluntarily working with the United Nations on its Millennium Development Goals. Join this and check the latest discussion on Poverty Line........ http://www.orkut.co.in/Community.aspx?cmm=47234928 thanks.