A Quick Look at the Rising Voices Microgrant Proposals

From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Rising Voices received 1175 proposals from 124 countries from around the globe. This welcome increase in the number of applications as compared to last year demonstrates the ongoing interest and need in bringing citizen media to local underrepresented communities. While we are reading over these project proposals, we thought our readers might be interested in some of the initial demographical results from this open call for proposals.

The East African nations of Uganda and Kenya led the way in the countries with the most number of applications. For a closer look at what other countries were represented among the applications, please take a look at the word cloud created by the site Wordle. The size of the country name corresponds with the number of applications received from that country.

Countries Represented Word Cloud – Click for a larger image.

Ninety-five percent of applicants submitted a proposal for the first time, meaning that the remaining five percent participated in past Rising Voices microgrant competitions beginning in 2007. We also asked applicants to best describe the focus area of their project, and Education, Women and Gender, Indigenous Communities, and Development were the categories mentioned the most.

It was also interesting to input the text from the project descriptions from all of the proposals. Again using a word cloud, one can see which terms and concepts were used most often.

Project Term Word Cloud – Click to see a larger image

These are just some quick demographical details gathered from an initial look at the 1175 proposals. In the near future, we will be developing a map that will help visualize the specific locations from which the proposals came. We will also help show places around the world that share similar interests based on the topic of their citizen media outreach projects. Only those projects which gave permission to Rising Voices to publicly share that information will be included in the map.

19 comments

  • Olanike

    Wow! We learn every day. I just learnt about the site Wordle for the first time. Online information is just inexhaustible, what with such ingenuous innovations!

  • I like the campaign, more as a channel to teach Africans alternative approaches to working, and registering progress. In all our communication inciting conventions, we need to guide the direction, by providing alternative approaches, and solutions. Just as you squeeze tooth paste, you need to release the cap to allow flow through the outlet or else it will burst, in many directions. Many blog trainers need to learn this and I hope some initiation will be done online for the forth coming projects. Please Appreciate and support Rising Voices initiatives, whether your project is selected or not.

  • Great Innovation that communities can now be able to share their plight with the world using citizen media. This campaign is tremendous and we are looking forward to being close partners with Rising Voices.

  • FREDRICK ODHAIMBO OWUOR

    I salute you for pioneering new innovations. Kuddos!

  • Sunny Olukoya

    Thanks for creating the platform for the voiceless to voice their views. Keep blazing the trail.
    Sunny Olukoya
    Project Assistant
    ERA, Nigeria.

  • This is a great review of the applications made. Interesting to know that my country Kenya is among the top countries as far as the applications are concerned.

    I definitely appreciate this initiative!! All the best to all applicants!

    • Olanike

      Hello Patience Nyange, it is exciting to know that more women are joining the Web train by the click of time. My name is Olanike Olugboji, a Nigerian. I am the Founder/Program Coordinator of the women Initiative for Sustainable Environment (WISE), a non-profit organization that empowers grassroots women to become agents of sustainable development. In the course of my work, I have had the opportunity to visit your country twice. I still have a number of friends over there. I would like to know more about you and what you do. Please permit me also to introduce you to an online community that empowers women to use Social and new media tools. You are also welcome to peruse my blog on the site. You are also welcome to join me on Facebook.
      You know what, the success of any female applicant, is a success for women globally. Just as you wish the best for all applicants, I wish you success too.

      • Olanike Olugboji

        Dear Patience Nyange, may be I just couldn’t wait, as I found my way to you blog on word press. Great blog!
        All the same, I’ll still expect a personal response from you.
        Thanks

      • Olanike Olugboji

        I have no iota of doubt about the exceptional quality of applications that Rising Voices received this year. By the click of seconds, more people are becoming aware on the need to break the barriers of isolation, invisibility and voicelessness; by exploring the power of social and new media tools. We all must just keep up, in order to ensure that no one is left out in our communities.

  • The global voice campaign is timely in our present generation. Thanks Rising Vioces for this great initiative. Youths and young people should appreciate this gesture and move in a roburst way to take advantage of this opportunity.

  • A very big opportunity to take advantage of. Youths and young persons the world over should draw closer to Rising Voices to make make their voices heard through the social networking. Bravo Rising Voices!!!

  • Hey Yo its real nice to know you are looking at our proposals and hopefully we will be joining the list of beneficiaries of the microgrant looking forward to it!

  • Rising Voices, We from Kitgum Women’ Development Association are happy to be among those who applied for the micro grant. If we win it will be unique opportunity for voices of the ordinary women in our area to be heard.

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