About
Background
In 2000, AIDS Relief Foundation (ARF) was born with the mission of using Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) to improve the way in which we address the AIDS pandemic in Africa. The central focus was on AIDS, the tragic results of which Joy Tang, ARF’s founder experienced first hand while traveling through Africa as a employee of Cisco Systems. Joy realized that one way to prevent the spread of the disease is through communication, knowledge and understanding. She looked at areas in which disease rates were high and noticed that these things were lacking. Therefore, it was determined that the organization’s actual focus was on leveraging information communication technologies (ICTs) to bring people and groups together to cross the ever-widening “digital divide.”
Later in 2003, it was determined that the organization’s actual focus was on leveraging information and communication technologies to bring people and groups of synergy together with the overarching belief that we are all one (that the people on this planet really are really part of one big “Global Village”). Hence, the name “oneVillage” as the appropriate replacement for ARF. In 2003, the AIDS Relief Foundation began doing business as the oneVillage Foundation.
Vision
Our vision includes the creation of global networks empowered by technology reaching higher levels of human capacity and achievement. While showcasing the technologies especially the role of Internet and computing in this process, the key ingredient is attitude, agility and perspective in creatively and innovatively adapting to new challenges. This includes a holistic approach called oneVillage Initiative (OVI) to bring together all the key aspects of community development under one roof. It is not the technologies that are limiting us right now but our capacity to integrate them as part of a comprehensive approach to human development and evolution towards a higher consciousness. The long term vision is to create a global network of centers focusing on developing human capacity through the creation of innovative and inspirational appropriate and sustainable technologies.
Mission
We see the challenge and opportunity of using Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to address World Urgent Issues, by providing a platform for an integrated approach to sustainable development. People have lost, or stopped practicing, the knowledge of sustainable living. Our mission is to connect art, science and education with proactive, hands on, community oriented actions on the ground that promote more sustainable ways of living in both developing and developed parts of the world. We are devoted to increasing collaboration and access to ICT in under-served communities, facilitating local content creation and dissemination, and building bridges among digital and physical communities globally.
Multi-purpose Unity Centers are vital to address World Urgent Issues and the overall basic needs of humanity such as stated in Millennium Development Goals. A more Holistic appear in the design of our built environments, organizational infrastructures and social networks is vital to our continued prosperity.
Goals:
Our long term vision & mission is to build a sustainable and socially just world by cultivating synergy in the following key areas:
- Multipurpose Unity Centers – Building on the open Digital Village Model create a global network of sustainability and healing centers that promotes and holistic and synergistic approach to solving problems
- oneVillage Initiative – Forwarding a process of thinking that is holistic and which leads to a community and regional design solution that encourages collective and multi-sectorial collaboration
- EcoLiving Solutions – Promotion of a model of living that can incorporate and also stimulate new technology and process development – human and ecologically centered development.
- Unity Drum – Promote a way of cultural interaction that is globally conscious and based on cultivating inner peace with the world.
