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Report: The Invisibles Project Bangladesh trip

Summary

From May 7th to 12th, Internetbar.org Institute (IBO)[1] and Truu.id[2] went to Bangladesh to discuss with potential partners the implementation of the Invisibles project pilot. As the result, they agreed to start a pilot in November issuing medical and educational credentials in partnership with Gonoshasthaya Kendra, health center/hospital, and JAAGO Foundation, educational NGO.

A pilot is a step towards a larger goal of reconstructing digital identities for the refugees to start drafting digital identity standards and prove the technology. Digital Identity is an infrastructure/global public utility, that we need to get right in terms of privacy, trust, portability and interoperability, in order to empower individuals globally and reestablish trust among increasing number of digital relationships.

Schedule

May 8th:  met with Manzur Kadir Ahmed, Coordinator of Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK)

May 9th:  met Korvi Rakshand, Executive Director of JAAGO Foundation

May 10th: met Istiak, doctor, and Minhaz, paramedic, from GK to understand their current

operation model to help us prepare for the pilot

May 11th: met Faisal Siddiqui, Deputy Manager, and Afrin Sultana Chowdhury, Advisor of

JAAGO Foundation to discuss further the pilot based on current operation model

of JAAGO.

Findings

Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK)

There is a need in this health center/hospital to verify if doctors are correctly qualified to work in Bangladesh, too. Currently, there are no means to do so apart from check the validity of a medical license, but even that is failing, since there are cases when fake doctors take the license number of a qualified doctor that is published online to practice. GK provides medical service in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, enabling the reconstruction of digital identity for the refugees in the future. They were also very interested in enabling telemedicine by being able to verify a doctor on the other side of a monitor.

JAAGO Foundation

Ecosystem of this NGO that offers free education to underprivileged children all over Bangladesh mainly consists of local teachers, volunteers from all over the world, and students. There is a need for a proposed digital identity solution to 1) verify volunteers when on-boarding them and keep track of their progress throughout the journey with JAAGO, 2) issue certificates of completion to alumni volunteers for their job application, next volunteer opportunity registration, and 3) issue certificates to teachers. There is also an opportunity to combine medical credentials since children receive medical check-ups one a month.

Next Steps

Truu will map out the process and build a first MVP within the next three months, than it will continue modifying it based on input from local stakeholders.

IBO will put together a first draft of standards based on a process map and MVP, and will discuss it with involved stakeholders, while continuing to engage for more partners who would benefit from these newly issued medical/educational credentials.

Organizations involved

Internetbar.org Institute (IBO)

A legal community organization for the Internet, with a mission is to build a Justice Layer of the Internet through the projects implemented together with Trusted Online Communities (TOC). Digital identities as crucial to building trust among TOC participants by being able to identify and keep each other accountable. IBO is leading the creation of functioning and enforceable standards for digital identity to 1) facilitate its scaling globally; 2) set norms in a space where nation states and other stakeholders alone has failed.

Truu

A start-up modernizing the way hospitals and other medical services verify doctors are correctly qualified to work. Rather than presenting reams of paperwork many times a year, doctors will be able to digitally prove their identity, qualifications and credentials instantly and securely. This will save millions and enable doctors to spend more time caring for patients. Truu plans to extend this capability to other medical professionals and then into other sectors. Truus is a first UK steward of a Sovrin Foundation, a global public utility for digital identity.


[1] Kristina Yasuda, Director of Digital identity programs at Internetbar.org

[2] Manreet Niijar, Co-founder/CEO of Truu.id