Using Technology to Fight Poverty
Last year, Molly Tschang took a trip that changed her life.
"I went to Ethiopia and Uganda as part of a delegation with Save the Children (STC), the purpose of which was empowering women and girls. We all raised money to build schools and help provide clean water supplies." According to Tschang, the experience was transforming.
"Much of my career has been spent integrating companies," she says. At Cisco, she'd served as director of Business Development Integration, integrating 50+ companies and working to ensure Cisco's culture endured through rapid change. "After the Africa delegation, I wanted to explore other ways to leverage my background and skills and create impact and make a difference in ways I found meaningful," she says.
Upon her return from Africa, the opportunity virtually dropped in her lap.
"When I got back, I learned that Dipak Basu, then executive director of NetHope was about to finish up his term as a Cisco Fellow, and the organization needed a new ED. Weeks later, all the stars aligned and I was enroute to my first full-time nonprofit experience."
Under her leadership, NetHope has continued to strengthen the cooperative relationship between the 17 international nongovernmental organization (NGO) agencies that make up the NetHope consortium, and facilitates their collaboration and knowledge sharing around connectivity in the developing parts of the world.
Tschang brings considerable business skills to her role as NetHope's executive director. A fundamental purpose of the organization is to help its members bridge the digital divide in their own agencies so that their field operations can communicate more effectively with each other, and with headquarters. "If you're out in the field and you can't get or send an e-mail attachment, that's a real problem," she explains. "In order to be effective, these organizations have to be able to communicate, not only internally, but with other NGOs as well."
It's been a rewarding relationship, both for NetHope and for Tschang. "I've always thought of myself as a change agent, but at some point, I asked myself, 'What others ways can I help to effect change?' Through my association with NetHope, I've learned and gained a great deal. One thing I've acquired is a much greater sense of humility, and a much more informed perspective on where we fit into the world, and how isolated our worlds really are. The idea that I have a responsibility and an opportunity to do what I can to help in a broad way has been incredibly valuable and empowering."
