For Metta Thippawong, a Job With DDD Has Made All the Difference

In the past my whole life was very dependent on my parents. My family was worried about my future. My disability made me feel like I was a helpless person, a burden for my family as well as for society. Life was really meaningless for me. After I finished the vocational school for disabled people, I was not sure where my life was heading to and what my future would look like.

DDD has significantly changed my whole life. My DDD job changed me into a more confident person in the sense that not only can I help myself, but also help others. I have learned to speak up for myself. I feel more like a person. Now my family does not worry about me and my future anymore. I know that DDD can and will help me to realize my dream. I have learned a lot from DDD and am growing each day. I have improved my computer skills, my English skills, and also other skills like organizational management. I have become more mature in the way I think and behave and most importantly, I have found my life purpose.

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DDD Receives $115,000 Contract to Manage Historical Voting Records Digitization Project

DDD was recently selected by the American Antiquarian Society to be the project manager for the digitization of over 10,000 pages of US voting records. These records - compiled over 40 years from original sources as Phil Lamphi’s personal research project - have only been available in hard copy at the AAS office in Worchester, MA to date.

Working together with Tufts Digital Archives, a long-standing DDD client and partner, DDD will oversee the database and XML design, data entry and front-end design. The records will be available to the general public, with a primary focus on academics and secondary and elementary school teachers for research and teaching purposes.

Cambodians are helping preserve America’s history; it’s yet one more way DDD is doing well by doing good. Stay tuned for a web site where you can find information about elections going back to the founding of the United States.

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Digital Divide Data Opens in Vientiane, Laos: A Personal Account

My name is Mai Siriphongphanh, I am the General Manager of Digital Divide Data Laos. As my team and I approach the 1st year anniversary of the opening of DDD operations in Laos I would like to share some of our progress, challenges, and goals with you. It is hard to believe that it was almost exactly a year ago that I was interviewed to confirm that my training and operations skills were a fit for DDD. I will never forget the pride I felt when I received the DDD offer and invitation to participate in the three month management training in Phnom Penh. Needless to say a lot has happened between now and then.

Digital Divide Data Laos (DDDL) is on track to achieve its primary first year goal: to employ between 40 to 50 individuals by the end of December 2004. As of September, DDDL has a workforce of 22 employees excluding managers and it is ready to recruit 14 more operators in October. We will add another 14 by mid December 2004 enabling DDDL to achieve its recruitment goal.

The first group of DDDL employees came with average typing speeds of less than 20 words per minute (wpm). After just 3 week they could type over 30 wpm with 95% accuracy. Building on this kind of improvement, we believe we will be able to achieve 98% accuracy in single key data entry. Currently senior operators do single key entry at 97.5% accuracy and achieve 99.9% accuracy with double entry.

In order for DDDL to become profitable, the operator data entry performance and productivity numbers must continue to improve. Contributing to this challenge is the very low initial skill level of the disadvantaged populations that DDDL recruits as operators. There are only a few organizations that provide training in English and computer skills to disadvantaged groups in Laos and some do not have the right incentives to help the disadvantaged individuals they work with get a job with DDD.

That said, the DDDL team is confident that we will succeed. We are applying and adapting the training, partnership, operational, and financial strategies from the Cambodian team which has overcome similar challenges. For example, significant credit for DDDL’s successful opening and ongoing growth is due to the cultivation of strong local partnerships. DDDL’s first and most active partner is the Participatory Development Training Center (PADETC). As exposure to DDDL’s social mission and operational effectiveness increases, many local organizations have become interested in exploring how they can work with DDDL.

DDDL strives to create a culture of opportunity and accountability. After a few months at DDDL, employees usually come to appreciate our unique training, opportunities for upward mobility, their influence in decision making, and the greater mission they are a part of. This translates into an increased commitment of time and focus. Recently a visitor described DDDL employees as: “focused, committed to learning new skills, energetic, hard working and very determined to overcome their own weaknesses.” DDDL employees can often be found at the office during their free time in order to participate in capacity building programs or for tutoring from more experienced operators.

Finally, the most tangible example of our progress was our recent successful completion of two complex client projects, including one for the International Finance Corporation. We are proud to deliver quality work that brings new revenue to DDD. However, our most valuable asset and the greatest reason for DDDL’s continued success does not show up on the balance sheet: they are the people I have the honor to work with in Vientiane. I am proud to be working with such an outstanding team, and thanks to their commitment, I am confident that we will be able to overcome the external risks and barriers and achieve DDDL’s goals.

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Building a Foundation for DDD’s Future with Two Additions to our Board

As a growing multinational business with operations in 3 countries, dozens of clients and more than 170 staff depend on DDD every day. To secure their trust, and ensure that DDD is able to continue its remarkable success, we’ve taken steps over the past year to clarify our governance structure and strengthen our board. DDD is now legally three separate but related organizations: a 501(c)3 non-profit in the US, a non-governmental organization in Cambodia, and a for-profit business in Laos. We incorporated as a business in Laos, as there is currently no legal framework there to become a local nonprofit.


The US-based DDD organization has adopted formal bylaws and incorporated in California. Our board meets three times each year, including at least once in Asia. Our original board of five, including Michael Chertok, Jeremy Hockenstein, Nhev Sithsophary Jaeson Rosenfeld and Mai Siriphongpanh, has now grown to include two new members. DDD is very fortunate to welcome two individuals who bring significant new depth of experience to our team: Dorothy Hamachi Berry and Howard Neff.

Dorothy Berry is Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, for the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. From March 1996 to January 1999, she was Vice President, Human Resources, for the World Bank, where she led the human resource policy reform, approved by the board of directors in March 1998, the most significant change in personnel policies in the Bank’s history. Ms. Berry has extensive experience in managing significant change in complex organizational environments, both in the public and private sectors. Immediately before joining the World Bank Group, she was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management at the U.S. Department of Education, where she was responsible for a broad range of management functions, including human resources, information technology, labor relations, and business process reengineering. Ms. Berry was born and raised in Kamakura, Japan. She holds a Bachelors degree from Cornell University and a Master’s degree in public administration from New York University. She is married to Andrew Clark Berry and has a 12-year old son, Andy.

Howard Neff, now retired, spent most of his career at Applied Materials, where he served as Group Vice President of Global Product Operations, among other roles. Applied develops, manufactures, markets and services integrated circuit fabrication equipment for the worldwide semiconductor industry. Howard played a significant role in growing Applied’s international operations in Asia, helping the company grow to become an industry leader with $5 billion revenue. Previously, he worked with Johnson & Johnson and Consolidated Aluminum. Howard was born and raised on a farm in Indiana. He has an AB in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Seton Hall. Howard is married to Cheryl (Sheri) Bartholomew Neff and has two married daughters.

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