Both Handheld Human Rights and Project Einstein empower Burmese community groups and refugees and connect them with the international community.

Project Einstein, our digital pen pal program, was born from a photo training we conducted in Bangladesh in January 2008 thanks to support from What Kids Can Do. Partnering with MITʼs Center for Future Civic Media and high schools in Indianapolis, Indiana, we are now creating a platform and curriculum for resettled refugees and their peers in the U.S. to connect with refugees overseas. This trip, we will be launching Project Einstein with a partner school in a refugee camp in Thailand.

Through the expressive power of photography, Project Einstein provides an identity and face to the countless Burmese refugee living around Burma’s borders and throughout the globe.

During our time in S.E. Asia we amassed volumes of photographs taken by refugee  youth. These powerful images were organized and transformed into Project Einstein Bangladesh, an 80-page book of their photographs. Now published, Project Einstein Bangladesh is available for purchase by the public.

But the book is not only intended for the outside observers. We would also like to share the book with the original photographers, for whom the book represents their first family and self-portraits. To solicit your support, we are offering a special deal: purchase one Project Einstein Bangladesh for yourself and gift an additional copy for the refugee youth at a specially reduced rate.

With your support, we can take these beautiful books to the young photographers who made Project Einstein possible.

We have extended the deadline for purchase to August 15. We are asking supporters to take advantage of this special deal, and purchase a book for yourself and a book for one of the young photographers, at a reduced rate of $55 (includes all shipping costs).

Email info@digital-democracy.org to place an order.

If you can’t place an order by August 15, order your own copy of the book online at any time.

U Pinya Zawta of the All Burma Monks Alliance demonstrates using a FlipCamera hidden under a robe

D2′s co-founders Mark and Emily are representing Handheld Human Rights at N2Y4, NetSquared’s annual conference. It’s thrilling to be at a conference focused on supporting projects on the ground.

This past weekend, D2 spent time with exiled monk leaders of Burma’s September 2007 Saffron Revolution. U Pyinya Zawta, U Gawsita and U Agga were all involved in planning the September protests, and forced to flee the country. We just partnered with their organization, The All Burma Monks Alliance on the launch of their new website – check out allburmamonksalliance.org

We also interviewed them on the current needs of Burmese communities, particularly the monks inside the country. U Pyinya Zawta told us:

“In Burma, the military controls all communications technology. But technology is very important to change. The Burmese military is trying to hide human rights abuses inside (the country). To show human rights abuses we need technology. People who are doing bad deeds need to be afraid.”

D2 partners with groups like the All Burma Monks Alliance and other grassroots organizations to facilitate communication and collaboration among groups.

Handheld Human Rights uses mobile phones to securely connect human rights workers around the country. Mapping text messages, it helps groups quickly share critical information to coordinate their responses and save lives.

We need your help to make Handheld Human Rights a reality. We’re working with local partners on the ground to build an open source project. We’re seeking to match them up with designers, programmers and others. Whatever your skill set, you can help.

This is a mobile tool to make human rights data accessible and actionable. If you’re attending N2Y4, please vote for us, and put human rights response in the hands of local actors.