These 5 FOSS projects focus on helping people in need.
Humanitarian OpenStreetMap – After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the OpenStreetMap community joined together to build maps of Haiti from any pre-earthquake data they could find. After the crisis, the community stayed involved in the recovery process to help continually improve the map information.
Literacy Bridge – Founded by Cliff Schmidt from the Apache Project, literacy bridge is a talking book that helps people in sub-Saharan Africa learn and share information and stories.
Human Rights Data Analysis Group – This group performs statistical analyses on records after the fall of dictatorial regimes to help identify human rights violations.
Sahana – Started after the Sri Lanka tsunami in 2004, this is a group of technologists that explore ways to use software to help people in need.
FrontlineSMS – An application that allows people to send SMS messages in places that don’t have Internet, reliable electricity, or fixed telephone lines.
