When you think of global development aid, what comes to mind? Usually it’s images of disaster relief, food programs and building hospitals, homes or fresh water wells but we might be overlooking something even more important.

Technology has always been at the forefront of human development. It took human civilization from hunter-gatherer to agricultural, developed modern society through the Renaissance and lead the Industrial Revolution.

If you don't live in the top ten or twenty percent of the world's population, electronics technology has almost no impact on your life. Simple conveniences like running water or electricity are unheard-of luxuries. Video is not even a concept. You and your family likely live on less than a dollar a day and your way of life is probably not that different from your ancestors’ who lived a few hundred years ago.

One of the most important things we can articulate to potential partners is the effectiveness of video in behavior change. If they don’t believe our intervention will make a difference, what reason do they have to work with us?

We’ve done a lot this year! illuminAid staff Matt, Kristin, Robin and Laurie share some of the highlights from our projects in Mali, Burkina Faso and Malawi.

The holidays are on us, the year is coming to a close and it's time to reflect back on what OMPT has accomplished over 2018.

Today, December 5th, is International Volunteer Day, a day when non-profits across the globe celebrate the incredible work volunteers do on behalf of our missions. OMPT relies on its amazing network of volunteers for so much, from small but important things like preparing our equipment kits for a workshop to editing videos and even, in the case of our Videomakers Without Borders, helping us host entire workshops--your continued support means the world to us.

The first Giving Tuesday was the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, November 27th, 2012. An international day of giving, Giving Tuesday serves as a counterpoint to the excessive consumerism that immediately follows Thanksgiving. For several years, OMPT has been participating in this global coming together and we thought it might be time to look back at the history of Giving Tuesday and what the future might bring.

For several years OMPT has been supplying our partners with the same projector—the reliable, affordable and eminently transportable Philips PicoPix Pocket Projector. Today, we are sad to announce that the PicoPix is no longer available in the United States.