Meet the Visionary Ashoka + Kind City Changemakers Transforming Our World
Meet the Ashoka + Kind City changemakers. To bring Lenovo’s crowd-sourced vision of the Kind City to life and empower community-led innovation, Lenovo partnered with Ashoka, the global network of social entrepreneurs. To accelerate Ashoka’s transformative efforts, Lenovo sponsored initiatives in four cities across the Southern Hemisphere: Guadalajara, Mexico; Puerto Princesa, Philippines; Salta, Argentina; and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Watch the videos below and learn more about technology-powered innovation and the Ashoka + Kind City changemakers at www.kindcity.com.
Marine Conservation and Protecting Sea Turtles in the Philippines
Jessica Labaja, co-founder and executive director of the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE), engages her local community in Puerto Princesa and beyond to understand, protect, and heal ecosystems.
“Without technology we wouldn’t be able to do our jobs,” Labaja said. “Scientific research and development is advanced by technology, right? We can monitor our study species through satellite tags and we see their movement in real-time from our mobile phones with an app.”
“I would like to see a more inclusive society and a more empathic society. If voices are being heard from all walks of life, I think we can make our cities kinder.”
Empowering Families and Transforming Policy in Mexico
Cristina Martinez Pinto, founder and CEO of the Public Interest Technology (PIT) Policy Lab helps guide the latest technology to fight against inequality in Guadalajara, Mexico and create new opportunities for families to thrive and navigate often-complex procedures.
“How can we change these processes and thus create systemic change?” Pinto asks of programs with implicit bias or that fail to consider everyone.
“Our vision of a kind city is one that has empathy, that recognizes diversity, where services work, and where technology is a tool to put people at the center.”
Building the Next Generation of Technology Leaders in South Africa
Thembiso Magajana, founder of Social Coding South Africa, works with rural communities in and around Johannesburg to provide digital literacy and technology training to encourage the next generation of innovators.
“It’s less about building these great start-ups and more about giving people the tools that they can use to change their lives,” Magajana said. “Every young person should have the skills that they need to choose their own future.”
“Our future lies in ensuring that our culture is one that empowers people to be kinder to one another.”
Reimagining Cook Stoves for Entrepreneurship in Argentina
Pierre-Yves Herrouet, founder of Solar Inti, brings modular, cleaner cook stove technology to the rural, indigenous, or impoverished communities around Salta to create entrepreneur opportunities, accelerate cooking, and improve health.
“With just one kitchen, we can transform the lives of these families,” Herrouet said.
“The changemaker acts from empathy toward other human beings, toward their problems, their emotions. It’s when a profound sense of helping another person is born in you.”
Learn more about technology-powered innovation and kinder, more inclusive cities by exploring the founding principles and interactive podcast experience at www.kindcity.com.
Learn more about Ashoka, their global network of changemakers, and powerful initiatives to transform the world.
