Benetech :: About Benetech :: President's Update Archives

Jim Fruchterman
Benetech President and CEO

March 2003

International efforts have taken center stage in the last few months at Benetech. I wanted to share our latest developments:

The launch of the Martus Human Rights Bulletin System has led to many new opportunities for cooperation with the social justice sector.
The opportunity to participate in and speak at the World Economic Forum at Davos was incredible. It was a rare opportunity to share the Benetech philosophy with business, government, nonprofit, academic and religious leaders from around the globe.
Our landmine detector project has received financial support and we're actively working on market research, development of a full business plan and engaging wider support.
Our Bookshare.org library of accessible books for people with disabilities is receiving increased recognition and expanding internationally, with permissions to distribute important technical books worldwide for the disabled. We are also exploring delivering ebooks to economically disadvantaged communities around the globe, starting in Africa.

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The Martus Human Rights Bulletin System

Martus went open source in December and formally launched in January (press release). We received extensive support in the launch process from The Asia Foundation (TAF), who has also been a key partner in distributing and testing Martus. In collaboration with TAF, Marc Levine, our Martus Senior Product Manager, is traveling to Thailand and the Philippines to install a server in Manila and train more than a hundred human rights activists on the use of Martus. The launch announcements have led to numerous press interviews and inquiries from human rights organizations around the globe. We're dedicated to spreading Martus rapidly this year.

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The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland

Participating and speaking at the WEF was an incredible privilege. I was impressed by the accessibility of the attendees and the interest in grappling with global issues of trust and responsibility. The depth of anti-war feeling inside the conference surprised many American attendees. I spoke at a session entitled When Markets Fail, Who Responds? This was a great opportunity to describe how Benetech uses business methodologies and technology to provide tools for the improvement of society. The interest at the Forum in corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship in general, and Benetech in particular, was amazing. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship honored us greatly by underwriting my participation in this year's event (and next year's as well).

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Landmine Detector Project

As some of you know, we have had discussions with the Department of Defense and Department of State about Benetech bringing some of the military's latest explosives detection technology to bear on the humanitarian demining field. Benetech's social enterprise approach overcomes the main barrier to transferring this technology, which is that humanitarian efforts to remove mines are a poor market for military contractors. Thanks to a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, we have initial funding for this project and have begun the first phase of field market research and feasibility work.

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More Awards and International Expansion for Bookshare.org

Bookshare.org continues to garner additional recognition. The American Foundation for the Blind just honored us with one of their 2003 Access Awards. We have been chosen as finalists in the Yale/Goldman Sachs Nonprofit Business Plan competition and Bookshare.org recently won a cash prize at the Earned Income Showcase of the Social Enterprise Alliance.

Our initial focus has been the domestic market. However, there is strong demand for the service from people outside the United States. This month, we'll kick off international Bookshare.org thanks to support from O'Reilly and Associates, one of the premier book publishers for computer users and professionals. O'Reilly has provided permission to us to distribute their books in accessible electronic form to people with disabilities the world over. Another Benetech partner, the Canadian developer VisuAide, will supply the talking book software to support this expansion.

In addition, our vision of expanding literacy and book access doesn't stop with people with disabilities. We think that electronic books are critical for disadvantaged groups such as students around the world, and are actively proposing expansions of Bookshare.org to meet the needs of university students in Angola, among many other places. I recently authored a white paper that describes a world where a 20,000-volume library can be delivered to a small village for a several hundred dollars.

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Conclusion

In these challenging times, people are searching for examples of optimism and innovation. Benetech showcases the best side of the technology industry: innovative tools that benefit society and serve humanity. We can't do it alone: we need your support and counsel to make an impact. Thanks for all you've done so far!

Jim Fruchterman
President and CEO, The Benetech Initiative
Email: [email protected]