LEARNING MIXED WITH FUN AT THIS YEAR’S AVNI SPRINT IN GOA

Beautiful beaches, food, and pleasant climate are what come to our mind when we think of Goa. Recently, I got a chance to visit this amazing tourist destination to attend a Tech Sprint hosted by Avni. This annual event brings together Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from across the country to discuss their work and how the Avni platform is utilized to resolve some of the most pressing social and environmental issues.

What is Avni?

Avni is an open-source platform for doing field surveys and data collection. It also acts as a Case management system for non-profit organizations. It provides facilities to work with different sectors – like health, water, education, and sanitation & hygiene.

Avni – Bringing new technology to Non-profits

The three-day event included a wide range of activities, such as NGO tech talks, panel discussions, and knowledge-sharing sessions. The first day began with a unique introduction session where all the participants got to know one another, and share delicacies brought from their respective states. This was followed by an NGO talks session, during which NGOs shared their experiences and highlighted the impetus provided by Avni to their social development work.

It was encouraging to see organizations working across sectors like health, water, education and social welfare using avni very efficiently for the betterment of the society. We at Shelter Associates, utilize the Avni platform and GIS technology to collect, organize and publish slum data.
One of the main topics for discussion at this year’s event was the Roadmap and Feature of Avni. Deep dive sessions were conducted on the Avni- Glific integration and how organizations could retrieve data from Avni.

My takeaway from the sprint
After a day loaded with tech discussions, we decided to unwind by taking in Goa’s stunning sunset at the beach. Totally refreshed and recharged by Goa’s breathtaking natural beauty, we cherished every bit of the break.
This tech conference was a huge success, providing a platform for all the attendees to learn and share the latest developments in technology. It was inspiring to learn how Non-profits across our country are using new technology to solve our society’s pressing problems. Though the conference is just over, I am already looking forward to the next Avni sprint!
 
Kuldeep Lodha,
Software Developer,
Shelter Associates