Ushahidi proves that innovation and passion go beyond money

When Juliana Rotich, Erik Hersman, Ory Okolloh and David Kobia decided to give Kenyans a chance to share their testimonies, they did not have capital.

“We had zero money,” said Ory Okolloh.

Ushahidi, which is Swahili for testimony, recently won the NetSquared challenge and a grant from Humanity United, which will help further the Ushahidi dream worldwide. Ushahidi is a crowd sourcing tool that has won accolades from various quarters.

Its ability to use SMS (Short Message Service) makes it more inclusive to many people who may not access the Internet.

Ushahidi beats the argument by many techies that the only reason they do not develop innovative products is because of lack of capital. It demonstrates that innovation can start, and money follows.

I think now techies can learn that if an idea is truly good and important, the society will recognize and reward it appropriately.