Kathryn Born/Courtesy photo
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE ROTARY CLUB OF LOS ALAMOS
Rotarylosalamos.org
At our lunch meeting this week, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos hosted Kathryn Born, co-founder of the Dusoma Foundationfor a lunch presentation on the intersection of artificial intelligence and human compassion. The conference, titled “AI for Humanity,” highlighted the Foundation’s mission to leverage technology to help the world’s most vulnerable populations, particularly refugees in East Africa.
Born introduced the Dusoma Foundation (not currently board co-chair Shalom Kansiime), a hybrid b-corp and non-profit that works alongside Dusoma Limited and its technology arm, Marla AI. The presentation detailed the Foundation’s primary focus on using AI as a tool for humanitarian efforts, with a guiding motto: “only humans can fix broken systems.”
A key initiative highlighted was the use of AI for refugee case management, which the Foundation says can enable case managers to support up to 10 times more refugees than is traditionally possible.
Born also discussed the development of a “rescue phone,” a hardware product designed as a free phone with free internet for refugees. This AI-powered device would provide localized critical information (like how to obtain water or food) and include features for immediate and secure documentation of conditions, helping to ensure transparency and accountability for international aid agencies.
The Dusoma Foundation is also working on a revolutionary funding model that aims to pay individuals – such as refugees who share photos from inside camps with social and traditional media – for their data, thereby promoting data ownership and dignity.
Additionally, Born shared his long-term vision for the foundation, including a “Clean Water is Healthcare” initiative focused on preventing neglected tropical diseases by improving water infrastructure, which is significantly more cost-effective than treating the resulting illnesses.
Born concluded by mentioning an ongoing year-end fundraising campaign, which includes the creation of a 3D printed piece with Creators of Los Alamosan artisanal piece of gold made in Los Alamos, with the long-term goal of funding the world’s first non-profit, ethically sourced, humanitarian gold mine.
Our meetings are open to the public and feature uplifting camaraderie, community service opportunities, and engaging talks by local and global community leaders. See https://rotarylosalamos.org/calendar for upcoming events.
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