MobileActive08, jointly organized by MobileActive.org and the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT), is taking place from 13-15 October 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The theme of the event is "Unlocking the Potential of Mobile Technology for Social Impact”.

The three-day event will convene key stakeholders interested in the use and application of mobile technology in support of social action. Participants will include NGO/nonprofit practitioners using mobile phones in innovative and creative ways; mobile technologists; researchers studying the use of mobile phones; government officials; donors, and representatives from the telecommunications industry. 

At MobileActive08 participants will explore how mobile phones are used to advance civil society work, assess the current state of knowledge in the use and effectiveness of mobile technology to advance social action, and investigate trends, needs and investment opportunities.

The conference is intentionally designed to be cross-disciplinary as learnings and experiences span various disciplines in this emerging field. However, specific attention will be given to the role of mobile technology in health, human rights, economic development, advocacy, education, citizen journalism and democratic participation.

This will be the largest international civil society event to date focusing on this topic. Both MobileActive.org and SANGONeT have extensive experience in responding to the technology challenges facing NGOs, including convening events aimed at exposing NGOs to new technology strategy and applications for their core activities.

_{[ Photo credit: Tapan Parikh ]}