By Mignonne Fowlis, Senior Manager, Product & Programs, DataKind

When floods or heatwaves strike, local health workers on the frontlines often lack timely and contextually relevant data and information to help inform response. Climate change is reshaping the health landscape, yet many health systems have limited visibility to plan for its impacts. A new report from DataKind explores these gaps and outlines key opportunities to strengthen health system resilience.

Between 2030 and 2050, an estimated 250,000 additional deaths are projected from climate-sensitive diseases such as asthma, heatstroke, cholera, and malaria. Many of these deaths could be prevented with faster, more localized response. The hardest-hit communities are often those already facing socioeconomic disparities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where health systems are stretched to serve millions.

The disconnect is clear: while 74% of weather agencies share climate data with health departments, only 23% of health ministries actually report using it in their planning. This means decision-makers often lack the visibility to anticipate outbreaks before they occur, whether it’s a dengue outbreak after heavy rains or heat stroke during extreme heat.

To understand why this gap remains and how to address it, DataKind conducted a global landscape study exploring how climate and health data could be better connected to strengthen health systems resilience. The resulting report, launching at the Global Digital Health Forum this month, is based on interviews with 19 experts across four continents, including frontline health organizations, researchers, and funders. It outlines the main barriers behind the climate-health data gap and offers practical solutions to address them.

Five Challenges Limiting Climate-Health Data Integration

Our research identifies five interconnected barriers that prevent health decision-makers from accessing and using climate data effectively:

1. Limited local data: Most climate data in LMICs often isn’t available at the local scale needed for health planning. Without localized, real-time climate data, health workers are unable to anticipate outbreaks or prepare targeted interventions for their communities.

2. Missing local perspectives in data design: National data collection systems often prioritize globally aligned agendas, underrepresenting rural, Indigenous, and marginalized communities, leading to data and interventions that are misaligned with community needs.

3. Incompatible data systems: Climate and health data are often organized in different ways, using different geographies, data formats, and standards. Without shared definitions of climate-related health risks climate and health datasets remain siloed.

4. Capacity gaps across levels: From data literacy for frontline health workers to advanced analytics expertise for disease modeling, capacity constraints hinder the effective use of climate-health data. Health practitioners often lack guidance on which climate variables are relevant to specific health conditions, while the advanced technical capabilities needed for forecasting disease outbreaks are often limited in low resource contexts.

5. Fragmented governance and short-term funding: Collaboration between health, meteorology, and environment sectors is often ad-hoc. Limited funding and unclear data-sharing practices can often hinder the long-term partnerships needed to build integrated climate and health data systems.

Promising Innovations: Demonstrating What’s Possible

Despite these challenges, innovative solutions emerging across LMICs show that barriers are addressable when interventions center local needs and integrate with existing workflows:

Kenya’s community-driven flood response: Lwala Community Alliance integrated a flood response module into the Kenya Electronic Community Health Information System, enabling rapid mapping of affected regions and monitoring cholera outbreaks.
Malawi’s integrated health and climate surveillance: Through the National Agriculture Management Information System (NAMIS), Malawi’s Ministries of Health, Agriculture, and Climate share data from local health assistants, satellite imagery, and weather stations, creating forecasts and risk alerts that inform both farmers and health responders.
Nigeria’s innovative temperature monitoring: eHealth Africa repurposed cold-chain monitoring devices to collect ambient climate data in clinics, building hyper-local environmental baselines on existing infrastructure investments.
Mozambique and India’s predictive modelling: AI-driven systems combine climate and disease surveillance data to forecast outbreaks of Malaria in Mozambique and Dengue in India, allowing for earlier interventions and smarter allocation of resources.

These examples prove a critical insight: effective solutions can build on existing infrastructure and empower local actors rather than introducing entirely new systems. They also demonstrate the growing role that emerging technologies can play in overcoming data barriers.

The Transformative Potential of AI and Data Science

Emerging AI technologies, including large language models, are transforming climate-health data integration. Tasks like cleaning data, converting file formats, and adjusting for geographic differences can now be automated, helping frontline workers access actionable insights faster.

AI-powered tools can guide frontline health workers through complex analytics, answer questions about data patterns, and translate between the distinct technical languages used by climate and health stakeholders.

Advanced technologies can accelerate progress but their success depends on the enabling environment behind them. Collaboration between subject matter experts and technology builders is essential to ensure that AI solutions address real-world needs and are grounded in local contexts. Equally important is investing in the foundational capacity that enables AI to work effectively and equitably, through strengthening data systems, developing local technical literacy, and embedding local ownership before moving toward advanced implementation.

With these foundations in place, responsible innovation can be effectively pursued. The report identifies key actions to guide future investments and collaboration across the climate-health data landscape.

Six Strategic Recommendations for Action

Based on insights from experts and case studies, the report lays out six strategic actions for governments, donors, and technology partners to bridge the climate-health data gap.

1. Enhance access to localized, timely, and granular data: Prioritize community-level data collection, validation, and sharing to ensure relevance and equity.

2. Promote interoperability and data standardization: Develop shared data standards and templates for climate-sensitive health conditions and strengthen cross-sectoral coordination mechanisms.

3. Build capacity for climate-health data use: Provide practical training and peer-learning opportunities, from frontline literacy to advanced analytics and forecasting.

4. Design inclusive and user-centered tools: Build tools for low-connectivity settings with multilingual interfaces and AI features that make data easier to interpret, integrated with existing national health information systems.

5. Strengthen cross-sector and multi-level governance: Establish interministerial working groups, clarify data-sharing mandates, and engage communities as partners in decision-making.

6. Mobilize sustainable, locally anchored financing: Shift from short-term projects to long-term investment in locally led platforms and data ecosystems aligned with national health strategies.

The Path Forward

Closing the climate-health data gap requires more than technical solutions. It requires investing in the people and organizations closest to the work, building governance systems that listen to community priorities, and providing sustained funding that lasts beyond individual projects.

The report demonstrates that while AI and data science can significantly reduce barriers to analysis and improve how stakeholders forecast and respond to climate-related health risks, their effectiveness relies on human interpretation, clear governance frameworks, and institutional trust.

The innovations and successful models across contexts have shown what’s possible. Working together, governments, donors, technology partners, and community organizations can transform how health systems anticipate and respond to climate threats, ultimately protecting the communities most vulnerable to climate change.

Discover how climate and health data can transform health systems. Read the full report here, join us at the Global Digital Health Forum (Dec. 3-5, 2025) to explore these solutions in action, or write to us at partners@datakind.org.

At TechChange, the trust of our community is the foundation of everything we do. It is in that spirit of transparency that we are sharing details about a recent security incident.

On July 21, 2025, we discovered that a single TechChange employee’s email account had been compromised by a malicious actor. We took immediate action to secure the account and launch a full investigation to understand the nature and scope of the incident.

What Happened?

Our investigation found that an attacker gained unauthorized access to the account on July 14 using a compromised password and successfully completed two-factor authentication. On July 21, the attacker used this access to take two malicious actions:

They exported the employee’s contact list, which contained the names and email addresses of our partners, clients, and community members.
They sent a malicious phishing email with the subject line “#Katie Penland Request For Proposal (RFP)#” to the contacts on that list.

Our Immediate Response

Within minutes of discovering the activity, our team permanently locked the attacker out of the account, secured it against further access, and began a thorough investigation. We have confirmed that the unauthorized access was limited to this single email account and did not affect any other TechChange systems.

What This Means For You

If you received an email from katie.penland@techchange.org on or around July 21, 2025, with the subject “#Katie Penland Request For Proposal (RFP)#”, please do not click on any links, open attachments, or reply to the message. It was not a legitimate communication from TechChange. Please delete it immediately.
The data that was accessed was limited to contact information (names and email addresses). Our investigation has confirmed that no other sensitive information, such as financial data or passwords, was accessed or compromised.

How to Protect Yourself from Phishing Attacks

This incident is a reminder that phishing attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Here are a few key things to look for to help you spot a malicious email:

Check the Sender’s Address: Look for slight misspellings or unusual domains in the sender’s email address.
Look for a Sense of Urgency: Attackers often try to create panic, demanding you take immediate action to avoid a negative consequence, like your account being closed.
Beware of Generic Greetings: Phishing emails often use generic greetings like “Dear Customer” instead of your name.
Hover Before You Click: Before clicking on any link, hover your mouse over it to see the actual destination URL. If the destination looks suspicious or doesn’t match the link’s text, don’t click it.
Don’t Open Unexpected Attachments: Be wary of any unsolicited attachments, especially from people you don’t know or that seem out of character for the sender.

Our Commitment to Security

The security of our community is our highest priority. To prevent incidents like this from happening again, we are taking the following steps:

We are accelerating the deployment of enhanced, phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA) across our organization, including the use of physical security keys.
We are conducting a full review of our security protocols and providing updated security awareness training for all of our staff.
We are notifying individuals directly and have reported this incident to the relevant authorities.

We are deeply sorry for this incident and any concern it may have caused. The trust you place in us is something we work to earn every day, and we are committed to learning from this incident and strengthening our defenses to protect our community.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at

security [at] techchange.org.

By Alyssa Cawley Gonzalez, TechChange Digital Health Program Lead

I’ve facilitated many deliveries of the Digital Health: Planning National Systems (DH:PNS) course since its creation in 2020, from fully synchronous to blended, from Chile to Egypt. But up until last month, I’d never had the privilege of seeing DH:PNS alumni connect in-person to share their digital health experiences.

GDHF 2024 featured first-ever in-person DH:PNS Alumni Event

The Global Digital Health Forum is the world’s largest and most inclusive digital health event, a major relationship- and skill-building opportunity for implementers, vendors, donors, researchers and more. This hybrid conference is planned and delivered every year by TechChange in partnership with the Global Digital Health Network and a plethora of supportive sponsors. Among those is the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), who also sponsors our DH:PNS course and the virtual Community of Practice (CoP) that keeps alumni connected long after they’ve completed their coursework.

So it only made sense to utilize GDHF to convene our DH:PNS alumni and give them the chance to connect in real life. With USAID’s generous sponsorship, TechChange planned the first-ever in-person DH:PNS Alumni Event.

Alumni found common ground and shared experiences through game-based play

After reaching out through the CoP, TechChange convened a group of alumni who were attending the conference in a special side event to conclude the second day of GDHF. The event was designed to offer alumni and trainers the chance to network and share knowledge in an informal setting with tea, snacks, and round tables.

The event kicked off with a digital health icebreaker, where participants introduced themselves and discussed their work. Alongside the TechChange team, Merrick Schaefer, Director of USAID’s Center for Innovation and Impact (CII) in the Global Health Bureau at USAID and the funder of this initiative, gave brief opening remarks to welcome attendees.

Next, attendees split into two groups to play the Architects of Digital Health board game, discussing lessons learned from the game and their own country contexts. It was incredible to see people in person that I had gotten to know through months of online learning, and to watch them organically share their experiences dealing with concepts covered by the game in real life– crucial concepts like interoperability, the enterprise planning approach, and addressing health system challenges.dealing with shocks, and enterprise planning.

Both teams “won” in about 40 minutes, offering valuable insights on digital health initiatives.

Throughout the session, attendees also contributed ideas for future CoP activities on an “Asks and Offers” board. Common requests included live sessions for new modules and a contextualized version of the game. TechChange offered to share new modules and explore more networking opportunities in the future, given that attendees were so excited to see each other in person and build their relationships further.

For participants, the Alumni Event crystallized concepts and relationships

But don’t just take it from me that the Alumni Event was helpful and inspiring–I’m a bit biased! Our alumni took to social media to share their delight and learning experiences from connecting with their fellow alumni at GDHF.

Dr. Beatrice (Wangechi) Kariuki, an Associate Director of Data Analytics from Palladium, reflected on LinkedIn that understanding interoperability in the digital health space has stuck with her thanks to the boardgame. She shared that when she reflected on her experiences at GDHF three weeks later, the top of mind take-away for her was what it means and takes to implement interoperability in the digital health space, specifically noting “the power of games as a tool for experiential learning, [that allow] us to visualize things that are usually invisible… in a safe space where players can change their mind and strategy without impact.”

Shakira Irfaan from the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka said that “the networking opportunity was just as valuable as the learning experience. It was a pleasure to reconnect with global experts, meet old friends, and make new connections.” PityFaith Nyokabi, an Operations Manager from Kenya added that while GDHF as a whole left a lasting impact on her digital health professional journey, it was even more special since she got “to connect in person with my fellow Digital Health: Planning National Systems course alumni and trainers…and play a more advanced version of the board game Architects of Digital Health.”

Staying connected in the future

The robust and vibrant alumni network of DH:PNS is one of the most special aspects of the course. More than 1000 people from over 90 countries have completed the course, and they work as national planners, funders, implementers and more. They are practitioners and providers, all of whom share a common passion: harnessing the power of digital health to improve health systems and health outcomes for people all over the world.

And it was amazing to see just a small group of them in-person. Our digital health team is eagerly exploring new ways to convene and connect this vibrant community in the future.

Interested in joining a future cohort or learning more about the course? Check out digitalhealthtraining.org to join the movement.

group of smiling people sitting together with board game in front of them

By Lara Henneman, TechChange Special Projects and Communications

What are the implications of the USAID Digital Policy for implementing partners? Can the newly refreshed Digital Principles offer guidance? How can implementing partners engage with these frameworks in meaningful ways?

Long-time TechChange partner Chemonics hosted a hybrid event focused on these questions, Doing Development Digitally: The Next Decade of USAID’s Digital Policy, featuring USAID’s Chief Digital Development Officer, Chris Burns, USAID’s Senior Director of Policy for the Digital Impact Alliance, Kay McGowan, and Chemonics’ digital practice lead, Manisha Aryal, as moderator.

New Digital Policy provides vision for the future

Building on the 2020 Digital Strategy– the Agency’s first– the new Digital Policy is intended to set the course for the next ten years of investment towards what USAID calls “a future where digital technology promotes inclusive growth, fosters resilient and democratic societies, advances human rights, and empowers all, including the most vulnerable.” The policy outlines goals for this period, guiding principles, and a learning agenda to build the evidence base.

(Don’t have time to read the entire Policy document? PRO TIP: Check out this one page cheatsheet for a primer on the three goals of the new policy: Build, Transform, and Protect.)

From ‘digital development’ to ‘doing development in a digital world’

At the event, Chief Digital Development Officer Burns emphasized: “We are in a new era, a digital age…[but] What has stayed the same? The need to invest in the foundational components of a country’s digital ecosystem, the foundational rails on which digital technologies thrive.”

He pointed to the growth of agency expertise in support of this objective, including Digital Development Advisors who are posted to various Missions and inform the programming on-site, in partnership with host governments, along with the Country Digital Ecosystem Assessments that have been done.

Kay McGowan emphasized how the Digital Principles have changed to reflect updated priorities of doing development in a digital world: do no harm, strive for radical inclusion, and focus on the complex risks and opportunities stemming from the use of personal digital data. She expanded: “When the principles were first released, they were responding to a different moment. ‘Design with the user’ is really obvious now, but it wasn’t always. Ten years in, the world is now much more digital, with a much richer understanding of the opportunities but also the risks that technologies represent.”

But can we look the other way when ‘digital darlings’ commit abuses?

While the speakers shared their viewpoints, the audience honed in on an underlying point of controversy: the very countries often celebrated for digital development advances, such as India and Kenya, are often the same ones who inflict digital abuses on their populations through selective shut-downs and other repressive measures.

McGowan responded that “frameworks and strategies are not going to stop a sovereign state government from shutting down the internet. With migration and stresses, there is a greater risk of leaving so many people excluded, digital haves and have-nots, especially when you look at youth bulges in certain countries, people have to be more connected. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be fighting for more protections, but on balance we have to proceed with including more people.”

Despite political changes, still we persist

In the wake of an American election that means a transfer of power from one party to another, the question was raised about what this political change means for digital development at USAID. Chris Burns noted that “this is an area that’s continued to have bipartisan support. The work that we’ve been doing will continue into the [new] administration. When we look ten years down the road– the timeline for this policy–we acknowledge that this is a shared responsibility that every part of the sector has to embrace.

When asked about how this conversation would look different in five years, moderator Manisha Aryal shared that she hoped that the knowledge sharing and community building that is happening now at events like the TechChange-hosted Global Digital Development Forum, means that there will be more widespread integration of best practices and collaboration among the sectors.

TechChange CEO Nick Martin, also in attendance, agreed, adding, “Digital development is how we reach people, no matter who’s in power. Collaboration and connection is how we continue to share our experiences, build our effectiveness, and reach out intentionally to those who need it most.”

By Lara Henneman, TechChange Special Projects and Storytelling

Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and changes in disease patterns are all consequences of global warming with grave impacts on human health. To meet these rapidly worsening challenges, health professionals urgently need data-driven insights and modern digital tools. This year’s Global Digital Health Forum (GDHF), December 4-6 in Nairobi, Kenya and worldwide online, will feature a specialized track sponsored by Digital Square at PATH, Wellcome, and The Rockefeller Foundation on this vital and timely intersectional topic, focusing on immediate action and pathways for countries and organizations to strengthen resilience and sustainability through integrated climate and health data.

The Climate-Informed Data Services for Health Track

PATH is a global NGO that works to advance health equity through innovation and partnerships, including their support of the TechChange-led Digital Health: Planning National Systems course. With extensive experience working alongside communities and health systems worldwide, PATH understands the unique challenges faced by those most vulnerable to health and economic inequities–especially as climate threats intensify. By sponsoring the Climate-Informed Data Services for Health track at the world’s largest conference for digital health implementers, PATH aims to spotlight how digital tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) and localized climate indicators can be used to address health concerns exacerbated by climate and extreme weather events, from rising malaria mortality rates to mental health challenges.

Bringing together digital health, climate science, and public health experts, the GDHF Climate-Informed Data Services for Health track will feature presentations, workshops and discussions that explore the role of digital public goods (DPGs) and infrastructure in addressing climate-related health risks.

From the Plenary Stage to Action-Oriented Workshops

The plenary session featured in this track, “Building Climate Health Resilience through Coordinated Investment in Digital Public Goods,” will welcome experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), the WHO and World Meteorological Organization Joint Office for Climate and Health, Kenya’s Ministry of Health, Wellcome, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Digital Square at PATH. The plenary will be a crucial moment to discuss advancements in climate-informed data systems, including how digital public infrastructure (DPI) is a foundational element from which climate can be addressed. The session will also highlight ongoing efforts by the host country of Kenya to improve climate resilience.

Complementing the plenary discussion are interactive workshops such as “The DHIS2 Climate Data App: Leveraging the DHIS2 Platform for Climate-Informed Health Programming.” The DHIS2 Climate Data App enables users to integrate, track and analyze the relationships between climate data and health outcomes, supporting more climate-resilient health systems and more effective responses and interventions. Sound complicated? This workshop, led by Omiel Patrick Okecho, Regional DHIS2 Implementer, will make it anything but. This session will enable participants to download, configure, install, and use the DHIS2 Climate Data App in their DHIS2 systems, kick-starting their journey toward climate-informed health systems and more effective intervention and response.

For an even deeper exploration, the Climate & Health subgroup of the Digital Health & Interoperability Working Group will host a workshop that enables digital health providers to better understand and respond to climate-related health needs. The workshop will guide climate experts, health technologists, and implementers in accessing and integrating climate data to identify and measure its impact on health outcomes and to apply these insights in digital health solutions.

Conference Agenda Includes Emphasis on the Most Vulnerable

Climate change has serious impacts on the sexual and reproductive health, rights, and autonomy of women and girls, often disrupting healthcare services, limiting access to contraception, and increasing gender-based violence during climate disasters and migration. As a part of this PATH-sponsored track, Theodora Gibbs, the Climate Director at YLabs will lead a workshop showcasing how digital tools are addressing challenges at the nexus of climate, gender, and health.

In “Digital Breakthroughs for Ensuring Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in the Face of a Changing Climate,” participants will hear about how new machine learning technologies can unpack the impacts of climate change on SRHR, while advanced tools such as sensors, GPS and forecasting can illustrate and quantify the future risks of climate change to women’s health. The session will also demonstrate how disasters need not stop sexual and reproductive health services, showcasing the innovative use of drones, unmanned systems, and telemedicine platforms that enable remote consultations and medical support when physical access to healthcare facilities is compromised.

Register today to participate in GDHF in-person or virtually

In addition to this amazing climate-focused track, the GDHF agenda features a wealth of knowledge-building and networking opportunities for technology vendors, donors, researchers, government representatives, and implementing organizations working in low- and middle-income countries. This year we are proud to offer a three-day hybrid experience, including virtual and in-person programming that will make the conference an inclusive, accessible, and vital opportunity for growth and connection in a changing world.

Hybrid events– where there are both in-person and virtual elements– are the new standard for inclusive, engaging conference experiences. This is doubly true for international development and social impact events, where participation of diverse voices is essential to realizing the mission and purpose of convening. Hosting a hybrid event opens doors to participation and leverages technology to bring the community you care about together.

But how? TechChange has a new resource to help you understand and take full advantage of the hybrid evolution. Our Events team has created a new, free guide to help you plan your next event: the “what,” the “why,” and the “how” of hybrid events.

What’s Inside

Whether you’re a full-time or no-time event planner (see what we did there? :)) with years of experience organizing international conferences or if this is literally your first rodeo, this guide is full of information and inspiration to help you plan your next amazing and impactful hybrid event.

This guide includes the following, all in our signature easy-to-digest visual style:

What a best in-class hybrid event looks like, including a sample “Day in the Life” itinerary to walk you through the experience;
How to understand your attendees’ motivations, pain-points, and goals– and cater to them with diverse session types;
Venue and technology considerations to make it all work;
Common hybrid challenges, and how to overcome them;

And more. And we’re making it totally free to read! That’s how much we believe in this stuff.

Download the guide today and let us know how we can help you make your event awesome.

By: Ariel Frankel (Director of Public Health), and Alex Paone (Program Manager, Public Health)

Just in time for the upcoming Global Digital Health Forum on December 5-7, TechChange added several new videos to our Global Goods video series, developed in partnership with USAID and PATH/ Digital Square, that explain the basics of several digital health public goods. As TechChange’s Director of Public Health, I’m excited that these short, dynamic videos will help promote the benefits of using global goods software to digital health stakeholders, from NGO practitioners to national health officials.

What are Global Goods anyway?

Global goods are software systems with multiple funding sources that are used across different countries to address a wide variety of challenges. Importantly, they have free and open-source software and documentation to make customization simple. Moreover, they are built to be interoperable with other digital health software systems. Learn more here.

What problems do these Global Goods videos help solve?

My background with digital health interventions in the informal settlements of Nairobi and at a refugee clinic in Tel Aviv, showed me the importance of using tools that are widely supported and built for interoperability, rather than “reinventing the wheel” each time and perpetuating fragmentation in the digital health ecosystem. Each Global Goods video uses a common set of concepts and visuals such as animations from user perspectives, ministry official interviews, and software demos that allow viewers to understand each global good independently, as well as how they can fit together and support interoperability. This is a complex and important topic– but at TechChange, we pride ourselves on making easy to understand guides to complicated materials and concepts.

Global Goods Video Series is for all Digital Health Practitioners

These videos on OpenSRP, RapidPro, and iHRIS will join the line-up of course materials in our Digital Health: Planning National Systems course, which has taught more than 250 ministry officials and digital health stakeholders from Chile to the Philippines to design and implement interventions to address national health systems challenges . As one of the course facilitators, I can attest that the material has helped participants advocate for adoption of these software systems within their own national governments. But the Global Goods videos aren’t just for our own students – they are available on YouTube for public use in training and capacity building.

Let’s take a look.

Better Data Through OpenSRP

In the OpenSRP video, which was supported by Ona, we see perspectives from frontline health workers and policy makers on how the open source mobile health platform helps with data tracking and decision making. This tool allows continuity of care at the community and facility level.

OpenSRP provides decision support to health workers to guide them through health encounters, allowing for rapid data entry and follow-ups based on the patient’s specific care plan. The software can be used as an off-the-shelf integrated health system in places transitioning from paper to digital or in the process of replacing stand-alone, single-focus applications. As we see in the video, the adoption of this global good system can lead to faster launches of digital systems including health service applications and dashboards.

Leverage and Track Mobile Services with RapidPro

In the second video, which was supported by UNICEF, we see how RapidPro workflow logic software helps organizations and systems run mobile-based services. From managing mobile users’ contacts, to analyzing data from multiple communication channels, RapidPro provides a mobile or web-based platform that public health workers can use to send or track a wide variety of information.

TechChange videos always include real-life applications of any new tool, so that practitioners can immediately see how it might be applied. In this video, we see how health worker Wendy uses RapidPro to help manage her vaccine resources and roll-out. She inputs her data, which national decision makers can then use to help track roll-out across locations and fill in gaps. The adoption of RapidPro can help health workers and leaders respond in real-time to specific public health needs and threats.

Managing a Health Workforce through iHRIS

The third new video, supported by IntraHealth International, details the basics of iHRIS, an open-source human resources platform to track and manage a country’s health workforce. Users can make evidence-based, effective plans for deploying human resources where they’re needed most.

To fast track understanding of a tool, it’s important to show features and use- cases, such as iHRIS’s user-friendly interface and powerful data dashboards. By using iHRIS, decision-makers can understand the current status of their health workforce including which healthcare workers are currently employed, those who are qualified but not employed, and those who are in training. Centralized data can help leaders predict specific population needs and proactively solve workforce constraints.

These three videos are the tip of the iceberg on learning about global goods. You can watch all nine global goods videos in the Global Goods Series playlist (including the first three that we’ve translated to French) here.

We hope that these educational videos are useful to you and your teams. Feel free to share widely – just be sure to attribute and link to TechChange, USAID and PATH/ Digital Square. Thanks for watching!

By: Emma Sakson

Do emerging technologies such as crypto and AI have a place in international development? How do we balance the risks of untested tools with their potential rewards, and impact?

Throughout my time working in ICT4D, I’ve tended to be a skeptic when it comes to the promise that frontier technology can improve development outcomes and, most importantly, people’s lives. Rather than fixate on the newest technology on the scene, I’ve tended to focus on basic tools deployed in ethical and effective ways. At the intersection of technology and development, there are no “magic bullets,” but new tools can unlock exciting ways for people to connect and collaborate with one another.

TechChange believes deeply in that power. To put our values into action, we convened the first-ever hybrid Frontiers of Digital Development Forum (FDDF) to bring technologists, development practitioners, and thought leaders from all over the world together for exciting, tough, and necessary conversations about the role of emerging technology within development.

We used our innovative approach to hybrid events to ensure that these debates, conversations and demonstrations were accessible, inclusive, and dynamic. Compared to a traditional DC event, the hybrid nature of the Frontiers of Digital Development Forum allowed for critical voices from outside of Washington D.C. to be heard. Overall, over 600 people across 55 countries participated in the forum either in-person, virtually, or both.

FDDF Day 1

For Day 1 of the conference, 190 people representing more than 60 organizations convened in DC’s historic Capitol Turnaround hall to discuss topics such as the role of technology in humanitarian response, digital transaction of carbon credits, and how crypto can democratize development.

As a new TechChange employee, I was thrilled that FDDF did not shy away from polarizing topics, and I was struck by how fresh and inclusive this event felt compared to many conferences I’ve participated in the past. In addition to select virtual-only sessions, all of the in-person sessions were live-streamed to virtual participants, who could also engage with discussion boards, Pop-up Studio interviews, and virtual networking experiences.

Our amazing FDDF ambassadors led local watch parties and conversations in Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Jordan. It was exciting to be a part of a new model for convening in this globalized, digital age, and engage with ICT4D practitioners all over the world.

*TechChange CEO Nick Martin engages with Nairobi watch party organized by FDDF Ambassador Peter Omondi*

FDDF Day 2

Day 2 of the conference utilized the TechChange platform for an entirely virtual experience. As one virtual participant from Kenya said, “FDDF2022 was one of the greatest events I have attended. The quality of discussion, unique topics, great panelists exchanging ideas, insightful audience– this was an eye opener.”

*One of the most-watched sessions featured Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation*

The user-friendly features of our platform provided not only unfettered access to content but multiple ways to engage with speakers and other attendees. The platform recorded over 32 hours of content featuring 97 speakers, and participants were buzzing with energy– over 1,000 in-session chat messages were sent throughout the forum.

That’s our favorite thing about hybrid conferences- there’s something for everyone. And when gathering together to discuss emerging technology, isn’t it appropriate that we should use an innovative approach that leverages the best of conference tech to ensure a diverse collection of voices are at the table?

At TechChange, virtual participation isn’t just an afterthought, it’s an integral part of how we make connections and build community. We’re looking forward to applying the lessons we’ve learned to our hybrid events in the future to make them even more engaging and inclusive. This is emerging technology I can get behind.

Q: So, tell us more about yourself. How did you end up working in education?

My grandparents immigrated to the United States from India and they always emphasized the importance of education to my brother and me. I also have a few teachers in my family, so when I decided to pursue a degree in International Relations, I was interested in the intersection of development and education.

In my first job I worked with international students seeking attendance at U.S. universities. I enjoyed being able to help others achieve their educational goals! In my next position, I continued with that theme in mind while working on a virtual exchange program that connected ESL teachers globally to professional development courses and webinars. Being able to work with and learn from English educators all over the world has been a highlight of my career so far.

Q: How did you first hear about TechChange?

I actually found TechChange while researching instructional design fellowships. I am so glad that I did because I was excited to find a company committed to the power of online education and events! This intersection matched perfectly to the work I’ve done in the past working in online learning and professional development.

Q: What are some of your favorite parts of working at TechChange so far?

My favorite part of working at TechChange so far is how technology is openly embraced and utilized. That may seem like an obvious answer however, I had the opportunity of working with online courses before and after the pandemic started. Seeing virtual learning and gathering change from an “option” to a “necessity” due to the pandemic was powerful. I’ve seen first hand that technology can make courses and events more accessible and inclusive. I’m so excited to be a part of that at TechChange.

Q: What excites you about this role?

I’m excited about the opportunity to see events from so many different and important topic areas come to life. I am also excited about the great co-workers I have met during my onboarding process. It has been very enriching to be surrounded by others passionate about the power of virtual learning and events.

Q: Anything you look forward to working on or learning at TechChange in the next year?

I’m looking forward to learning more about hybrid event execution. I’ve seen in my past experience how powerful it is to offer a seat at the table to those who cannot physically be in the room whether it is due to accessibility or travel expenses. The idea of a hybrid option excites me because it marries the power of in person interaction with the inclusiveness of virtual events. I’m very interested in seeing how events will operate as the world starts to open up.

Q: Lastly, what’s something that not a lot of people know about you?

As much as connecting with people online fuels my work, I am a true introvert through and through! I really thrive when I have a good balance of connecting and unplugging. It is so important to me to have alone time to reset and recharge. When I’m spending time by myself I like to go on walks, knit, and take care of my plants.

By: Shenal Kotuwewatta

This January, I worked at TechChange as a micro-intern in the tech team. It was a wonderful experience, and I learned a lot from my work during the micro-internship. I also had a blast getting to know the amazing people who work at TechChange and learning about TechChange’s mission of driving social change. I was located in my home country Sri Lanka for the entirety of the This January, I kicked off a micro-internship with TechChange’s tech team, diving into a whirlwind of learning from Sri Lanka. The experience sharpened my skills in building tools for social good, which was as thrilling as it was eye-opening. One task had me digging into real-time data systems, where I stumbled across independent betting sites and their slick APIs, sparking ideas about how tech fuels dynamic platforms worldwide. That project really drove home the power of innovative tech for global impact. The TechChange crew, despite the time zone gap, kept me in the loop, making their mission of driving social change feel alive and collaborative.

True to its mission, I found TechChange to be a very human-centered company. This was apparent from my first interaction with TechChange when I underwent a unique interview process that focused less on memorizing technical details and more on looking at the big picture. As someone who has gone through many traditional algorithm-based tech interviews, I found this to be refreshing and was immediately drawn towards TechChange.

Once at TechChange, I was able to quickly ramp up on its tech stack and get started on my project, which was to implement a “message reaction” system (similar to those on Facebook/Slack) for TechChange’s chat application. The tech team members always helped me whenever I needed it, be it for diagnosing a bug or reviewing my code. I was able to get a lot of work done over the four weeks of the micro-internship. I also attended a company-wide sprint demo where I presented my design documentation for the project and received valuable, positive feedback from teams across the company.

Overall, I feel my time at TechChange was productive and educational, and I’m excited to see what TechChange has in stock for the future!