Envaya

As a first project, Envaya developed envaya.org, an easy-to-use website builder tailored for the needs of small CSOs who may not have the technical capacity or budgets to build their own sites. Using Envaya's builder, CSOs can create and update their own simple websites, enabling them to write about their projects and share resources and ideas with other organisations around the world.

To help organisations using the web tool get more publicity, Envaya chooses a new organisation twice a month to include in its "Featured Organisations" section. In order to be considered as a Featured Organisation, their website must meet certain criteria. For example, it should have been updated in the last month, have at least two photos or images, at least two of the three main pages (history, projects, team) written, and at least two pieces of contact information. In addition to featuring specific organisations, the website includes a search function that allows web users to search for CSOs thematically. Envaya also includes an interactive map showing where the CSOs are operating with the option to search organisations according to field of work, eg. health, human rights, agriculture.

According to organisers, Envaya soon plans to enable CSOs to update their websites using their mobile phones. A toll-free SMS shortcode would allow Envaya users who have difficulty accessing the internet to publish news and photos. Envaya is also planning to launch an online project reporting system in partnership with The Foundation for Civil Society (FCS). FCS grantee organisations will be able to submit project reports electronically and publish their reports on their Envaya websites. Fully accessible and visible to outside visitors, organisers say this system will improve transparency in international development. In the near future, organisers also plan to expand to other countries in East Africa and elsewhere.