Building Technology for Social Impact
Data System for Rural Tanzania Education & Development
Overview
Created a remote-friendly data collection system for Africa Bridge to gather information from villagers in rural Tanzania and transmit it to offices in Portland. This enabled grant funding acquisition for programs creating cow, chicken, and avocado co-ops to promote sustainable business growth and provide education for children in the region.
The Challenge
Africa Bridge needed a way to collect and manage data from remote villages in rural Tanzania to support their grant applications for sustainable development programs. Traditional data collection methods were inefficient and made it difficult to demonstrate program impact to funders in Portland.
The Approach
- 1
Designed a remote-friendly data collection system that worked with limited internet connectivity
- 2
Created simple, intuitive interfaces for field workers to gather villager information
- 3
Built reliable data transmission from rural Tanzania to Portland offices
- 4
Ensured system could document impact of co-op programs (cow, chicken, avocado)
- 5
Structured data to align with grant funding requirements and reporting needs
- 6
Provided training and documentation for non-technical staff
- 7
Volunteered time and expertise to support meaningful social impact work
The Results
Successfully deployed data collection system in rural Tanzania
Enabled consistent, reliable data flow from villages to Portland headquarters
Provided quantifiable metrics for grant applications and program evaluation
Supported funding acquisition for sustainable business co-ops
Helped document educational outcomes for children in the program
Created scalable system that could grow with program expansion
Demonstrated how technology can enable international development work
The Impact
This project exemplifies technology's potential for social good. By creating infrastructure that worked within real-world constraints of rural Tanzania, the system enabled Africa Bridge to secure funding that directly improved lives through sustainable economic development and education. Sometimes the most meaningful code isn't the most technically complex.