The Estlow Center at the University of Denver is proud to announce the recipient of the 2012 Anvil of Freedom award.

Ushahidi is a not-for-profit organization that allows individuals to report instances of violence and other crisis information via SMS messages. Ushahidi is google maps meets social media: they specialize in crowdsourced crisis mapping. They quickly aggregate social media data for humanitarian efforts, helping people to figure out what is going on in a crisis and how best to deliver support where it is needed.  Ushahidi began with the 2007/2008 electoral violence in Kenya and has since been deployed in crises in Haiti, Mumbai, Japan, Libya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The organization is a fascinating blend of journalistic sensibility, health and public safety, and digital media platform, and is a promising development for human rights organizations who increasingly rely on mobiles for connecting people and information in war-torn regions and unstable situations.

DU students, faculty and staff as well as the general public are invited to a lecture by Juliana Rotich, co-founder and executive director of Ushahidi, as she accepts the Anvil of Freedom Award on behalf of the organization.

Date: Thursday, January 12, 2012

Lecture:  2:00 - 3:50 p.m.

Speaking: Juliana Rotich, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Ushahidi

Location: University of Denver, Sturm Hall Davis Auditorium