The South African government has launched a new website www.sa2010.gov.za to provide information on the country's preparations for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. The site focuses in particular on providing comprehensive information on government 2010-related programmes, including those related to economic opportunities.

It also acts as an entry point to other sources of information on the country - such as the South African Tourism and International Marketing Council portals, and provincial and host city websites.

Go to the website >>

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Escalation of the Darfur crisis is further evidence that no one really cares, but a new website from Amnesty International gives you a peek into the atrocities being committed.

The new website, www.eyesondarfur.org, posts images caught using high resolution satellite cameras watching over villages in Darfur Sudan and the hope is that this will bring awareness to the violence and plight of the terrorized citizens of the region.

To be quite frank, I don't think the Janjaweed (the people engaged in committing these brutalities) could give a damn. The fact that no one is doing anything has probably emboldened them to the point that I can imagine them posing for a photo from above - 'say cheeese!'

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For the last few years, the old media companies have belittled blogging - pretty much classifying it as writing for fun. Newspapers have long been the voice of truth and a credible source of information. Blogs on the other hand have been notorious for recycling news originally printed in the papers. Over the last few years there has been a major shift in the balance of power in professional journalism. Bloggers are now breaking news, and journalism is sovereign territory no more.

Reuters Africa is breaking new ground by meshing regular news articles with blog articles with the launch of their new website dedicated exclusively to the African continent. Journalism in Africa has been tricky, due to the fact that dissemination of information in past years could cost you your life. Blogging opens up unprecedented avenues of expression. I can't wait to see where this is headed.

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Here's the perfect example of how social networking via the internet can bring change. Tree-Nation is a project aiming to get 8 million trees planted in the shape of a heart in the Sahara - yes you heard that right. This sounds like a colossal process, but is inherently feasible… via the web of course. You can join and buy a tree for as little as 10 Euros. By planting your tree, you can help combat desertification and regenerate the productivity of the land. This in turn will have a major impact on the livelihoods of the poor in the region.

"When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and the seeds of hope"
Prof Wangari Maathai.

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Okay - before you get too excited, let me just point out that only a few of the supported countries are actually in Africa. All that aside, we can now get to the details. Here's how it works:

• You call a number in IOWA (712 number) - see below for details
• At the prompt, enter 011, the country code and the number you wish to call
• Enjoy!

At this point you're probably wondering if this is some kind of rip-off. Apparently not! A loophole in the law allows telecom companies in Iowa to exploit a fund the FCC set up to assist states in the US where telecom systems are considered weak. The companies are given a fee for every inbound call to Iowa, and that's how they can make a dime or so for every call they receive. At the end of the day, it looks like a win-win situation. I wonder how long this will last.

So where to from here?

• allFREECALLS.net
• FuturePhone.com

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The diamond industry PR machine has a new ally – the web. Their new web site desperately tries to educate the public and clean up an image tainted with blood. For years diamonds from Sierra Leone have been sold to buy weapons for mass slaughter of innocent victims while the diamond cartel, De Beers profits. DiamondFacts.org is really an effort to distance themselves from this carnage… but I doubt anyone is fooled.

I probably need to be focusing more on positive tech developments in Africa rather than pointing out some of the non-desirables, but I feel that all this is part and puzzle of progress.

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Ever dreamt of becoming a venture capitalist? Enter Kiva… a new web site that allows individuals to make small loans to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world. You’ll be surprised to find out what a $100 loan will do to empower the working poor. Here’s how it works:

1. Lenders pick a business and make a loan using their credit card
2. Kiva transfers funds to local partners. Partner disburses  loans to each business
3. Over time, partner collects  repayments  and provides business updates at Kiva.org
4. Funders are returned to lender. Kiva lender may withdraw or re-loan

This is not called a micro-credit concept for nothing. Micro finance payments typically accrue higher interest rates, and what this means is that you can put your money to work and help someone at the same time (have your cake and eat it). This is a very democratic way of helping people in the developing world – making sure the money lands in the right hands, instead of corrupt officials and greedy non-governmental organizations. Put your money to work!

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