Good data saves lives: Natalie’s road to Vera

Natalie Price, based in Mumbai, manages Vera’s Implementation Support Team. She has an MPH from Yale School of Public Health and brings more than five years of experience in the education, health, and technology sectors to the Vera team. This post is the latest in an ongoing series highlighting our team’s respective paths to Vera. […]

Working Towards a quadruple-win: Zak’s Road to Vera

Co-Founder and CEO Zak Kaufman reflects on his path to and with Vera. When he’s not immersed in new technology and data systems, you can find Zak hiking in the mountains, cross-country skiing, or lacing up on the Ultimate Frisbee field. The interview below is the latest post in an ongoing series highlighting our team’s […]

What to look for in a System Administrator

Athan Makansi, based in Mumbai, leads Vera’s work in Asia. A certified Force.com Developer, Booz Allen Hamilton alumnus, and former Kiva fellow, Athan brings more than seven years of experience in business operations and international development to the Vera team. In any organization, a data system’s success is heavily influenced by its administrator — a […]

Taking community development in Haiti from paper to the cloud

Hope on a String

By Rachel Forst More than six years after an earthquake devastated hundreds of thousands of families, community development organizations in Haiti continue to rebuild. In the wake of many shared challenges, one organization is providing a sense of hope through music and dance from the town of Arcahaie. Hope on a String (HOAS) is a grassroots […]

Global Goals for Sustainable Development: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Spark MicroGrants Global Goal 8

This September, UN member states met in New York to ratify the Global Goals, committing to 17 goals that will act as a blueprint for global development over the next 15 years. The ambitious agenda – which tackles poverty, climate change and inequality for all people in all countries – was confirmed by 193 countries. […]

Global Goals for Sustainable Development: Clean Water and Sanitation

Clean Water and Sanitation | Global Goal 6

This September, UN member states met in New York to ratify the Global Goals, committing to 17 goals that will act as a blueprint for global development over the next 15 years. The ambitious agenda – which tackles poverty, climate change and inequality for all people in all countries – was confirmed by 193 countries. […]

Pollinate: Powering Affordable Energy for The Last Mile

1.3 billion people globally lack access to modern energy services like electricity and clean cooking facilities. In India, the world’s third largest emitter of CO2, more than 300 million people depend on fossil fuels – like kerosene, which negatively impacts health and contributes to climate change – for light. Since 2012, Pollinate has been working […]

My Road to Vera: Vivaan

Vivaan Misra, a 2014 Fellow based in Mumbai, describes the experiences that led him to Vera. Vivaan grew up in New Delhi and graduated in 2012 from Carleton College, where he studied Economics and International Relations. Before joining Vera, he worked in public health in northern India and at a research firm in South Sudan. […]

A Chat with Katie: Vera Fellowship

Katie McCloskey, a 2014 Fellow based in Boston, shares her thoughts on her first six months at Vera. Born and raised in Northern California, Katie graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA in Human Geography. What about Vera first attracted you to the Fellowship? When I began my job search, I had […]

Getting Ready for a Vera Data System

Though Vera helps partner organizations increase efficiency and impact with customized data systems, many of the big questions we ask before implementing a Vera system don’t involve technology at all. In fact, they revolve much more around our partner organizations’ approaches, methods, and processes. Before diving into configuration and development, we want to know that […]