Message from the President

The Internet has changed the way people learn, do business, share knowledge and communicate. It gives them unparalleled access to a global network of commercial and educational opportunity. But only 25 percent of the world’s population, concentrated in developed and affluent segments of developing countries, is now connected and has access to that opportunity. Affordable, reliable technology solutions and business models are urgently needed to accelerate digital inclusion and prevent a digital geo-divide that excludes billions of people in developing nations from participating in and benefiting from that global network of opportunity.

The 50x15 Foundation’s goal is to accelerate digital inclusion rates to 50 percent of the world’s population by 2015. It’s an aggressive goal that we can achieve by facilitating sustainable technology solutions in high-growth markets and training future entrepreneurs, educators and leaders. It’s a goal that can be achieved by employing corporate partners’ ingenuity for new and sometimes unconventional products and deployments in high-growth markets.  It’s a goal that will be achieved  community by community with sustainable infrastructure and business models.

Currently, 50x15 is focusing on connecting communities in Africa, a grossly underserved continent with 1 billion people, only 54 million of whom are connected to the Internet. In 2009, 50x15 and its partners created the means and the opportunity for thousands of children to cross the digital divide at the SIDAREC-Mukuru Kwa Njenga Center in Nairobi, Kenya. Nairobi youth will have direct access to the Internet, computer and technology training, health clinic services, early childhood development programs, and a community theater. They can now enjoy the “life services” accessible by the Internet and computing capabilities: access to healthcare information, financial services, job hunting, education, and global communication and commerce.

50x15 is designed to have a sustaining effect, to help enable economic opportunities and reinvestment in high-growth markets. We’ve already seen success, but we still have work to do. 50x15 and its partners have built — and continue to build — upon incentives and strategies that work. It’s not just goodwill. It’s good business.

Dan Shine

President

50x15 Foundation