Episode 86: Kavita Kapoor and HFOSS: Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software

Guest Kavita Kapoor Panelists Eric Berry | Eriol Fox | Alyssa
Wright | Richard Littauer Show Notes Hello and welcome to Sustain!
The podcast where we talk about sustaining open source for the long
haul. Our special guest today is Kavita Kapoor, Founding Member and
Strategy Director of the Federation of Humanitarian Technologists.
Kavita tells us all about the Federation of Humanitarian
Technologists, how things are going there since they started, and a
project they started. We learn from Kavita why she thinks it’s
important that children learn about technology, she gives
incredible advice on how a tech person can get involved with the
humanitarian efforts, and why it’s important to live your mission
and visions. She also tells us her perspective and shares a
personal story on the lack of gender diversity in tech jobs, as
well as not enough LGBTQ plus spaces for the tech community
especially in the UK. Kavita is amazing, so go ahead and download
this episode to hear more! [00:03:11] Kavita tells us all about her
herself, her involvement in the Shorinji Kempo martial art, and how
she met Mike Nolan, who is the other Founding Member of the
Federations of Humanitarian Technologists. [00:05:45] We learn all
about the Federation of Humanitarian Technologists. [00:07:45]
Kavita talks about how they hired their first Humanitarian Aid
Director and how everything is going there. [00:09:55] Eric wonders
where those lines cross in open source versus what Kavita is
working with humanitarian efforts. [00:13:00] Eriol asks Kavita if
open source software and the open source community offer more
opportunities for these Non-governmental organizations and
charities to build capacity around their technology. [00:15:24]
Find out why Kavita thinks it’s important that children learn about
technology, and whether open source can be part of that education
and how early should it be. [00:19:13] Richard wonders why Kavita
is so interested in the membership organizations such as OpenUK and
the Federation of Humanitarian Technologists. [00:21:33] Eric tells
Kavita she is a powerhouse and wonders how she has time to do the
things that she’s doing and also wonders if she has any other
passions. [00:22:30] From the technologist side, Kavita tells us
how a tech person can get involved with the humanitarian efforts
such as hers and do that in a sustainable way for them, emotionally
as well as financially. [00:26:43] Eriol asks to hear Kavita’s
perspective on things that she’s witnessed when people with tech
skills do get engaged with these kinds of projects, but the
barriers that she’s perceived and the ones that she’s tried to
knock down so they can participate. She talks about gender
diversity and not enough LQBTQ plus spaces for the technology
community, especially in the UK. [00:31:54] Find out where you can
follow Kavita online. Quotes [00:06:40] “And I think it’s what we
all realized when we work for organizations of different scales is
that it’s really difficult sometimes to scale up and have the
infrastructure, especially when you’re working on projects that are
all funded for the end goal, for the end impact.” [00:17:31] “So I
went off and became COO of the Micro:bit Educational Foundation and
we went around the world. We went to into sixty countries during my
tenure. We went from a million devices in the UK that was given
away free, four million devices around the world, and some of the
kids that we worked with were incredible.” [00:19:59] “But
actually, when I’ve been working for profit organizations, I’ve
never felt that I could have the impact that I wanted to have or
have the access to the power structures that I wanted to have so
that we could actually do more good.” [00:20:25] “But the bottom
line is always about where the money is.” [00:20:43] “You have to
live your mission and visions.” [00:23:41] “I find it crazy at the
moment that we’ve got so many people out of work who have tech
skills and so many open tech positions and I’m trying to figure out
what that gap is.” [00:24:44] “It is really where your starting
point is, but you can always do something, and you can always
negotiate with your teams at work to get some bandwidth.” Spotlight
[00:32:24] Eric’s spotlight is a new program that just launched
called FundOSS. [00:33:53] Eriol’s spotlight is a project called
Chayn. [00:34:42] Alyssa’s spotlight is being thankful that her
computer is working. [00:35:02] Richard’s** **spotlight is the
National LGTB Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). [00:35:58] Kavita’s
spotlight is Software Conservancy. Links SustainOSS
(https://sustainoss.org/) Kavita Kapoor Website
(https://kavitakapoor.org/) Kavita Kapoor Twitter
(https://twitter.com/kavitakapoor) Kavita Kapoor Linkedin
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/kavitakapoor/) OpenUK
(https://openuk.uk/) International Rescue Committee
(https://www.rescue.org/) Shorinji Kempo
(https://www.shorinjikempo.net/en/about-shorinji-kempo/what-is-shorinji-kempo/)
Federation of Humanitarian Technologists
(https://www.federationof.tech/) The Federation of Humanitarian
Technologists-GitHub (https://github.com/FederationOfTech/) BBC
Micro Games Archive (http://www.bbcmicro.co.uk/) Micro:bit
(https://microbit.org/) Project Implicit Harvard
(https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/) Project Implicit Test
(https://www.projectimplicit.net/) Lesbians Who Tech Pride Summit
2021 (https://lesbianswhotech.org/pridesummit2021/) FundOSS
(https://fundoss.org/) Chayn (https://chayn.co/) National LGBTQ
Chamber of Commerce (https://www.nglcc.org/) Software Freedom
Conservancy (https://sfconservancy.org/) Sustain Podcast-Episode
69-“Humanitarian Open Source” with Michael Nolan.
(https://podcast.sustainoss.org/69) Sustain Podcast-Episode
49-“What OpenUK Does” with Amanda Brock & Andrew Katz
(https://podcast.sustainoss.org/49) Sustain Podcast-Episode
68-“Introducing FundOSS.org: A new way of funding open source, by
Gitcoin x Sustain” with Kevin Owocki.
(https://podcast.sustainoss.org/68) Credits Produced by Richard
Littauer (https://www.burntfen.com/) Edited by Paul M. Bahr at
Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Show notes by
DeAnn Bahr at Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/)
Special Guest: Kavita Kapoor.