Ushahidi

For combining citizen journalism and maps to bring news to disenfranchised people and areas in crisis. Ushahidi, which means “witness” in Swahili, was founded in 2007 in Kenya after presidential election disputes turned violent. It’s since been used to monitor elections in Mexico and India, Japan after the tsunami, and more; the platform is used in 132 countries. Relying on mostly SMS and emails, the crowdsourced information keeps people aware during crises, in which regular news outlets are often to bulky or slow to act–and, in some cases, to keep people safe.