Offering the technology needed to the last mile

TECHNOLOGIES

by THE OLBIOS TEAM

The co-founders of the Kopernik group Toshi Nakamura and Ewa Wojkowska, saw that affordable technologies existed, but they weren’t reaching “the last mile”. They wanted to bridge the gap. They left a decade of service with the United Nations to launch Kopernik in 2010. The organization balances a philanthropic and business approach to distributing technology. The donors fund the upfront costs of introducing technologies and creating micro-business opportunities in remote communities. The money raised from product sales is reinvested in more technology for the last mile. Kopernik sources the best technology designed for the developing world. Last mile communities discover technology through their website, catalogue and technology fairs, and submit proposals for what they need the most. They conduct due diligence, and publish projects on the Kopernik website to raise funds. When projects are fully funded, they ship the technology to their local partners. People can buy the technology at a locally affordable price through these partners, paying in full or in installments. The partners then repay the money from technology sales to Kopernik, and we reinvest it in more technology. Kopernik_homepage Web site: http://www.kopernik.ngo/ Is caring powerful?

 

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