Hacking for Nepali Earthquake Relief

Nepali computer programmers coding for disaster relief efforts

September 27, 2011- In response to a 6.9 earthquake that hit Nepal last week, local Nepali programmers came together for a “hackathon” this past Sunday at CHAA’s Oakland office. For people that may not know, Wikipedia defines a hackathon as "a hacker neologism,  an event when programmers meet to do collaborative computer programming. The spirit of a hackathon is to collaboratively build programs and applications. Hackathons are typically between several days and a week in length. A hackathon refers not simply to one time hacks, but to a specific time when many people come together to hack on what they want to, how they want”.

This particular hackathon addressed the issues of how to centralize information so people in situations involving natural disasters are not in a panic due to lack of information and access to resources. Bijay, a computer programmer who was giving up hours of his computer expertise to the hackathon spoke about what participants were hoping to accomplish that day. Bijay spoke of efforts to open a Google portal, to figure out a web domain name for their disaster relief project and pointed to a Google app called “Google disaster” that the Google company set up in response to the recent tsunami in Japan.  This disaster app includes setting up a section called “People Find” where anyone can upload notices and photos of people who are missing during national disasters ,  as well as setting up pictures of people who have been ‘found’.  The app enables people on the ground to immediately use SMS to take photos or relay information through text messages, even before official relief efforts from agencies or government entities may occur.

Nisha Thapa (second from right)  setting up a conference call with experts

Outside of addressing post disaster efforts, these apps also assist in disaster preparedness efforts in a place like Nepal, a country that lies directly on a fault line.  Preventative efforts such as utilizing crowdsourcing  (outsourcing tasks to crowds or the public instead of to groups of experts) to identify local buildings that appear to be in danger of collapse if a quake were to occur and sending pictures of the buildings to a website,where collections of pictures could be sent to governments in efforts to retrofit unsafe buildings are one the ways that people on the ground can work together to bring about changes that may save many lives.

The CHAA office was buzzing with typing, debates and discussions.

Nepali programmers were working to create an interactive map of Nepal, an online donation box, a newsfeed as well as integrating twitter into the site.

After observing the hackers working away on their program, a conference call began in the main CHAA conference room, where medical experts weighed in with their ideas on disaster preparedness.

Hackers or computer programmers are usually not seen as human rights activists, but they can often be one and the same. There are quite a few collections of hackers  online who use their technological skills in the name of human rights. People may not be familiar with Hackathons, but this kind of event may very well be an effort that can save dozens, hundreds and perhaps even thousands of lives one day, as technology and communication surge forward throughout the world.

Click here to see photos of the Hackathon

Photographs by S. Nadia Hussain

Posted by S. Nadia Hussain

            

Video Workshop for Himalayan Youth

Himalayan youth presenting their ideas regarding media

Saturday, September 24, 2011 -  At the Ninth Street Independent Film Center, the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), TILT, and Sahayeta held a youth media literacy and video production workshop for approximately 19 Himalayan Youth. The Himalayan community is a lesser-known minority group in the US, but the workshop is working to change this by increasing the visibility of Himalayan peoples via media access and training.

Himalayan youth filled a room with black curtains and black walls, reminiscent of the set of “Inside the

Actors Studio”.  They had come in early on a grey Saturday morning, a feat onto itself, to attend the opening day of the workshop.

Kar Yin Tham from CAAM leading discussion

With Kar Yin Tham from CAAM facilitating, the workshop began with representatives from different organizations, including CHAA, speaking to participants about the importance of media, culture and self–expression. Long time community leader, Thepo Tulku, spoke of the importance of maintaining culture and being able to show their unique cultural views to others. He mentioned the spiritual aspects of peace in Himalayan cultures and how concepts of peace could be expressed through these young people in media to create a positive impact on the world.

After the presentations, the students were asked to participate as they broke out into smaller groups to discuss what issues they
faced as Himalayan youth in

Participant presenting his group ideas

America. As groups made their presentations on butcher paper, there were humorous anecdotes about getting lost in US classrooms and disagreements with parents about miniskirts. The background of these individual discussions were serious, however, as youth participants spoke out eagerly about their experiences and their ideas on ways to express themselves more freely. Communication with parents was a topic of focus as many participants (and some parents in the audience) thought of ways to connect the younger generation, who are often interested in integrating into their new culture and have the desire to explore new things such as diverse career paths, and the older generation, who often try to hold on strongly to valued cultural norms from their homelands.  Youth participants made it clear that they wanted to hold onto their cultural roots, but also wanted to create the space to explore new paths when it came to creativity, expression and future career goals.

The Himalayan Youth Video Workshop will run until December 3^rd.  Participants will have the opportunity to make group films in the workshop that will later be shown at CAAM’s Asian American Film Festival in San Francisco.  It is an exciting opportunity for young people to get media training and use their skills and ideas to exhibit their ideas to their own communities and beyond.


To see more photos of the Himalayan youth workshops go to here and here.

Photographs by S. Nadia Hussain

Posted by S. Nadia Hussain