Steve Jobs once said, "real artists ship." He meant that no matter how elegant or useful the computer code, the only way it has value is if it gets into the hands of users. We could say something similar about open source software for NGOs: real activists ship. No matter how important or beneficial the software, the only way it has value for the people who need it is if those people can use it. In fact, nothing is more depressing for a digitally-empowered activist than to stumble across a brilliant piece of software, only to find that the web page hasn't been updated in a year and the code itself remains both unusable and unavailable. And nothing is more exciting than finding that another solution is available.
Way back in August of 2004, Alex pointed us to the Microfinance Open Architecture Project, an open source effort to develop tools for NGOs trying to manage microcredit services in the developing world. The developers understood the needs of the users, and had the right philosophy around the value of open source. Potential users of the code may have grown more excited at its potential when the Grameen Technology Center adopted the code (PDF), renaming it Mifos -- the Microfinance Open Source project -- in January of 2005. Work progressed through September of last year... then stopped. There's no software yet available, only a quiet Sourceforge site.
Let me be clear: this is not a criticism of the Mifos project. Stuff happens, and all-volunteer efforts are often difficult to sustain for reasons that have nothing to do with dedication. Grameen clearly has not forgotten about Mifos, as they listed a job opening for a Software Development Manager for the project at the end of January 2006. But the fact remains that a project that seemed to have enormous potential a couple of years ago has yet to get into the hands of people who need it.
Fortunately, there's another option -- one that also happens to be open source. This one comes from a part of the world that has seen the value of microcredit: Tamil Nadu, India.
The interestingly-named Panacea Dreamweavers Software Private Limited group of Chennai, India, offers a mix of open source and commercially-available software. The two commercial applications provide administrative support for schools and NGOs, with a focus on organizational accounting; much of the free code provides basic Tamil language tools such as a web browser, word processor & fonts, and an address book. But smack in the middle of the list of open source tools is something called Sangam Pro.
Panacea describes Sangam Pro as "Self-Help Group Managing Software for NGOs (in English)," and the more detailed description shows that its focus is on microfinance:
Self-help groups have been the cornerstone of social change and women's empowerment in Tamil Nadu. Panacea's Sangam Pro is designed to help umbrella NGOs assess and evaluate the performance of the SHGs under them by providing single-click access to information and updates on loans, repayments, meeting schedules, deposits, training programmes and membership details.
That's the extent of the description; the link to the software on that page is to the (Windows) executable file itself. Even the link to the full source code has no separate documentation. A "tips" file gives some sense of the program's scope -- as does the fact that it could fit on a single floppy disk (ask your parents).
By all appearances, Sangam Pro is narrowly focused, allowing management of loan information but not much else. Mifos is intended to be a full-featured NGO tool, with modules for client management, general accounting and survey assessment, alongside the robust loan and finance code. But Sangam Pro is available, and Mifos remains a hope.
Real activists ship -- because that's how you make a difference.
