Open Source Software Assists Pakistan Relief Work

South African relief agency, Gift of the Givers, is using open source software solutions to power its humanitarian relief efforts in earthquake-stricken Pakistan. IT manager, Yusuf Rajah, says open source technology has had a “tremendous effect” on its ability to contact specialists and respond in time to disasters. “The reason why we support OSS is not because it is free, but because it’s adaptable and practical,” says Rajah. “All desktops, including the server that we use, run on Linux,” The organisation also uses an LDAP service with a PHP Web interface to manage a vast array of contacts, from funders, to volunteers, to those receiving aid.