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Shining the (screen) light on two innovative smartphone apps that were developed right here in sunny South Africa, for South Africans.
Kwanele App – AI technology to empower SA’s women
In line with the theme for this year’s International
Women’s Day, which was celebrated on 8 March (“DigitALL:
Innovation and technology for gender equality”), Kwanele, a local tech-based NPO, has launched a first-of-its-kind mobile app designed to empower women in South Africa.
The Kwanele App is free to download and free to use.
The range of functions includes:
• find help near me,
• a vault to store evidence,
• and integration with armed response.
This makes it a game changer for women in communities plagued by Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Kwanele is at the forefront of innovative technology for social change in South Africa. In a tech-driven world of AI and chatbots, operators typically represent the affluent and elite of South African society. However, Kwanele’s chat bot challenges this, by working to make AI technology accessible to everyone.
The Kwanele App uses no data costs and explores ways to use technology to increase reporting rates for GBV, to help enhance gender equality in the pursuit of justice.
The latest addition to the app, is the Kwanele chatbot.
The chatbot takes legislation associated with GBV and breaks it down into easy-to-use language. With the help of young people in Gugulethu and Oscar Mpetha High School in Nyanga, Kwanele picks apart the law and looks at the specific language young people as well as women
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use when trying get help. This language is then built into the chatbot and the answers are broken down similarly. The bot is retrained to ensure its solutions resonate with the users. By doing this Kwanele aims to humanise the technology and minimise the occurrences or algorithmic bias.
“All technology, especially AI technology, is built for a certain audience, making it inaccessible to many of the most vulnerable of society – who, if built correctly, it could serve. With the Kwanele App we look to rectify this harm and represent that voice in our technology,” said Leonora Tima, founder of the tech-based NPO.
Ivan Webb from JVK attorneys believes simplifying the legal language is a must.
“’Legalese’ is not an actual language, but merely a fancy term coined to boastfully describe how nearly incomprehensible lawyers and law-makers have made the law. It is not a matter of should the law be understandable to everyone, but especially in areas of GBV, it has been for a long time an absolute need for such victims. These are victims who have not been able to spend years learning the complex language of legalese and may not have any time at all moving forward,” said Webb.
The Kwanele chatbot will also include a live chat option, connecting survivors of GBV instantly with a support system.
The trained chat operators are not only experienced in trauma containment but also around judicial processes.
Survivors can be linked with the National Shelter Movement, the Thuthuzela Centers or Kwanele’s pro bono legal support team.
Many women live in areas where they can access support services, and through technology now, they can get the support they need.
Rape and domestic violence are some of the most under- reported crimes worldwide, and in a country with some of the highest rape statistics internationally it makes sense that such technology be developed here. The App is available on Android and iOS. For more information about Kwanele visit www.kwanelesouthafrica.org.
OriginsCentreAR App – learning with Augmented Reality (AR)
You can now bring the past to life using the Origins Centre Augmented Reality (AR) App – a virtual extension of the Origins Centre museum in the Cradle of Humankind outside of Johannesburg.
Download the OriginsCentreAR (for Android) or the WitsOriginsCentreAr (for iOS) app for free. Choose your experience: bring the engraved animals, South African dinosaurs or hominid skulls to life!
Try this at home or at the Origins Centre itself – the white icons can be explored from anywhere, the orange icons are linked to images in the museum.
Once you engage the white icons – hold over a surface – orange dots will appear – touch the dots and place a skull or dinosaur in your own space. Take a screenshot and share on social media. Make sure to use the hashtag #OriginsCentreAR. Different sections of the app were funded by GENUS and NIHSS.
Apart from the app, you can also get a taste of the awesome Origins Centre experience by having a look at the Origins Centre’s virtual exhibitions on Google Arts
& Culture: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/
origins-centre. Go on narrated tours of the exhibits, scroll through the collections and experience the museum in 360-degree virtual tours.
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Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
ASSAf Research Repository http://research.assaf.org.za/
A. Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) Publications D. Quest: Science for South Africa
