About Us
SolvePoverty.com, GLOW & OrphanIT – Background
2000 - Launched education media company – Edmedia (See HyperStudy.com)
2000 - Simultaneously launched SolvePoverty.com fundraiser at Oxford University
2001 - Built 1st Pilot ICT ‘GLOW’ Telecentre school in Manila, PI. 4 groups trained
2002 - OrphanIT.com launched as youth powered web development service.
2003 - Partner with Global eInclusion Movement on SolvePoverty.com Click Fund.
2004 - 100+ small web development jobs completed in 12 countries - work ongoing.
2005 - OrphanIT begins programming on array of new open source software for telecentres
2006 - OrphanIT partners with Youth Social Entrepreneurship Initiative (YSEI)
2007 - OrphanIT launches mentor program and prepares for launch of Open Source software
Our Inspiration
The inspiration for our programs has come from the pioneering and highly successful micro enterprise development model of David and Carol Bussau and Microfinance organisation - Opportunity International Australia.
In 2000 we were fortunate to be able to engage with David, Denis Perry, Leigh Coleman and a number of their team on the deployment of a 3 year pilot telecentre program called GLOW Learning Centres. We also worked together to create SolvePoverty.com
This GLOW project created the Philippines first ICT Telecentre for disadvantaged youth in Ermita, Manila with CMED partners CCT.
Although we are no longer involved with Opportunity International we continue to be inspired by their work and methodology.
Opportunity International is a global leader of microfinance and enterprise development, and in 2006 they celebrated their 35th anniversary.
Our Founding Team
Simon Healy (Board) is a specialist in web development, online marketing and remote services, having worked with leading Australian and international corporations, aid organisations and educational institutions in the field since 1993. Simon is currently Managing Director of OutsourcingTo.uS, an Australian Web Staff company, specialising in supplying full-time web developers, online marketers, project managers, programmers, graphic designers and content writers with 150 full time staff based in Australia and the Philippines. Simon is the original founder of SolvePoverty.com, GLOW Telecentre (our 3 year pilot telecentre in PI) and OrphanIT
Dale Pillars - Dale is a multi-channel solutions consultant working for OrphanIT, dedicated to solving today's most challenging business problems. He began his career in 1993 in advertising and design, then by the mid-nineties was running a VA-ISP offering internet services. Since then he has worked in a range of IT businesses, culminating in the wireless space around 2000. At that time he was a developer of one of the first wireless marketing systems to be launched into the telcos. His industry experience includes interactive marketing, creative media design and application development for financial services, supply chain management, consumer marketing services, e-commerce, Internet services, travel services, education services and telecommunications. Dale is currently the Chief Technical Director of OutsourcingTo.uS,.
Peter Young - Peter is a social entrepreneur with more than 35 years of hands on local and international Project/General Management experience in a broad range of industry disciplines. He specializes in skills based mentor/training processes for young people, and his sole focus in recent years has been the creation of a number of successful programs that specifically mentor and empower the young leaders of our world to create effective and sustainable social enterprises, the latest being the XayanIT.com project in Bangladesh, one of ten YSEI Fellows (YSEI.org) which is being showcased at the Global Knowledge Partnership's GK3 World ICT4D Conference in Kuala Lumpur this coming December before more than 2,000 world leaders, philanthropists, practitioners and policy-makers in ICT4D from Government, Business and Civil Society.
Owen Matheson - Owen Matheson has over 12yrs experience in business development & strategic marketing consultancy. Working alongside construction industry visionary and mentor, Graham Taylor (former CEO Lend Lease), he helped grow a construction company from 5 to 60M turnover in 2 years. Following this success, Owen spearheaded a strategy to take a world leading irrigation system to the marketplace, facilitating all marketing development, publicity in leading print media and television programs & numerous successful landmark commercial installations. In early 2006 he co-founded Eco Manage, a market leading eco solutions company wholesaling, marketing and Installing water harvesting, conservation and treatment solutions. In early 2007, Owen successfully sold his shares in this company and is now a founding partner in online marketing and development solutions company. Owen is a member of the founding team of SolvePoverty.com and OrphanIT
Past Supporters of SolvePoverty, GLOW and OrphanIT...
