Community Systems Foundation

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Community Systems Foundation CSF is a not-for-profit corporation registered in the USA in 1963, providing innovative technology so

Community Systems Foundation is a non-profit technology group that provides communities, organizations, and governments with innovative digital platforms to improve their impact. The heart of CSF’s work is designing data management and visualisation tools to improve decision-making, such as the Global DevInfo Initiative – the database system endorsed by the United Nations Development Group to monitor the Millennium Development Goals. The CSF team is comprised of technologists and designers, as well as experts in international development, data analysis, public health, human rights, and urban planning based in New York City, Washington D.C., New Delhi and Singapore.

I'm pleased to be speaking at the 11th Annual EdTech Asia Summit 2026, taking place in Tokyo, Japan, on 22–23 October.Un...
10/16/2026

I'm pleased to be speaking at the 11th Annual EdTech Asia Summit 2026, taking place in Tokyo, Japan, on 22–23 October.

Under the theme “Human Capability Transformation in the Age of AI,” the Summit brings together global leaders to explore the evolving relationship between learning, technology, business, and the future of human capability.

I'm looking forward to exchanging perspectives, engaging in meaningful discussions, and connecting with leaders shaping the future of learning and work.



Photo by Marek Okon on Unsplash

Eradicating poverty requires sustained investment in people and in the public systems that serve them.On 17 October, the...
10/15/2026

Eradicating poverty requires sustained investment in people and in the public systems that serve them.

On 17 October, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Community Systems Foundation will reaffirm our commitment to helping governments turn national development priorities into better outcomes for all.

The theme “United for Peace and Human Rights” and this year’s focus, “Safe Homes for All,” remind us that dignity depends on connected foundations: adequate housing, education, essential services and opportunities to shape the decisions that affect our lives.

Through Data For All, CSF supports nationally owned planning, monitoring and reporting systems that help governments connect development plans with evidence, identify inequalities and track progress against commitments.

Through OpenEMIS, we support stronger education systems, helping governments identify children at risk of exclusion, understand barriers to participation and direct support where it is needed. Ultimately, we believe that inclusive, quality education is essential to breaking cycles of poverty across generations.

Across this work, our purpose is clear: help institutions use data to guide action and strengthen accountability to the people they serve. Meaningful progress must be shaped by the voices and experiences of people living in poverty.

Learn more about our work and join us in our joint efforts to end poverty everywhere.
www.communitysystemsfoundation.org
www.dataforall.org
www.openemis.org

“We measure what we treasure and we treasure what we measure.”On World Teachers’ Day, CSF celebrates the teachers whose ...
10/06/2026

“We measure what we treasure and we treasure what we measure.”

On World Teachers’ Day, CSF celebrates the teachers whose dedication, creativity and care make learning possible every day.

Through the global public good software provided by the OpenEMIS Initiative, Community Systems Foundation helps countries collect and use education data to better support the teachers we treasure.

If we treasure teachers, our education data systems should help us understand and respond to their needs. Where are more teachers needed? Who has access to professional development? Do teachers have the resources and support to help every learner succeed?

Through the OpenEMIS Initiative, Community Systems Foundation works to ensure stronger education data systems can inform practical decisions, fairer resource allocation and sustained investment in teachers and the learners they serve.

The value of better data lies in what we do with it. Today and everyday this should include support to the people at the heart of education.

To teachers everywhere: thank you.

www.openemis.org
www.communitysystemsfoundation.org



Photos in today's post were provided by Kimberly Flowers, USAID, Kelley Lynch, GPE, and the City of Seattle.

The EQUIST workshop in Dakar, Senegal concluded on Friday, 2 October. Participants highlighted its value for understandi...
10/05/2026

The EQUIST workshop in Dakar, Senegal concluded on Friday, 2 October. Participants highlighted its value for understanding resource allocation, strengthening health planning and connecting analysis to practical decisions.

An excerpt of feedback from our participants:

“EQUIST is a very good tool for planning and decision-making.”

“I particularly appreciated the coherence between the modules: each step feeds into the next, resulting in a quantified scenario that can be compared with others.”

“A very useful and interesting tool that helped me better understand resource allocation.”

Thank you again to our hosts from Université Assane Seck de Ziguinchor (UASZ), our UNICEF partners and everyone involved for a week of shared learning and thoughtful feedback!


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L’atelier EQUIST à Dakar, au Sénégal, s’est achevé le vendredi 2 octobre. Les participants ont souligné son utilité pour mieux comprendre l’allocation des ressources, renforcer la planification sanitaire et relier l’analyse aux décisions concrètes.

Quelques témoignages de nos participants :

« EQUIST est un très bon outil de planification et d’aide à la décision. »

« J’ai particulièrement apprécié la cohérence entre les modules : chaque étape alimente la suivante et aboutit à un scénario chiffré et comparable. »

« Un outil très utile et intéressant, il m’a permis de mieux comprendre l’allocation des ressources. »

Merci encore à nos hôtes de l’Université Assane Seck de Ziguinchor (UASZ), à nos partenaires de l’UNICEF et à toutes les personnes impliquées pour cette semaine d’apprentissage collectif et ces précieux retours !

Meanwhile in Anguilla... school principals and vice-principals are being trained on the use of OpenEMIS to better manage...
10/02/2026

Meanwhile in Anguilla... school principals and vice-principals are being trained on the use of OpenEMIS to better manage schools, turning everyday data into informed decisions that help every learner receive the support they need.

Learning happens in many forms. In our experience at CSF, it is most effective when people have the opportunity to put i...
10/02/2026

Learning happens in many forms. In our experience at CSF, it is most effective when people have the opportunity to put ideas into practice, with guidance and real-world problems to work through.

As the EQUIST training in Dakar wraps up today, I’m pleased to share a few more moments from the week.

Hands-on practice gives participants time to ask questions, test their understanding and learn from one another. It also helps connect the use of a tool with the decisions it is intended to support: understanding gaps in health services and identifying where action could make the greatest difference.

For us, that is the purpose of training: helping people build the confidence and skills to apply what they have learned in their own work.

Thank you to our hosts from Université Assane Seck de Ziguinchor (UASZ), UNICEF, the participants, facilitators and partners for what has been a week of shared learning.

Yesterday marked Saurabh Aggarwal’s final official working day, closing a two decade chapter in a long and valued associ...
10/01/2026

Yesterday marked Saurabh Aggarwal’s final official working day, closing a two decade chapter in a long and valued association with Community Systems Foundation.

Saurabh’s contribution to CSF has reached across our programme and projects around the world. Nearly all of our counterparts know him as a key administrative officer. However, his work extended into delivery of many of our projects - adding his expertise, especially in delivering Excel and spreadsheet wizardry wherever needed. In all he has done, he brought care and commitment to our teams and the countries and communities we serve.

For me personally, Saurabh has been a close and trusted colleague. I have deeply appreciated our collaboration, his advice and the reassurance of knowing I could turn to him for support. He holds a special place in CSF’s story, even as he moves on to new opportunities.

Please join me in thanks to Saurabh, for his service, friendship and the many ways he has supported CSF.

Preparations are underway for next week’s EQUIST training in Dakar, Senegal, with 25 places confirmed for participants f...
09/25/2026

Preparations are underway for next week’s EQUIST training in Dakar, Senegal, with 25 places confirmed for participants from government, academia, public health and technology organizations.

From 28 September to 2 October, CSF and UNICEF will join to lead practical sessions to help government focal points, analysts and researchers use evidence to advance equitable health planning.

Participating institutions include Senegal’s Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, UNICEF Senegal, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, its Institut de Santé et Développement, Université Alioune Diop de Bambey, CESAG, the Association Sénégalaise des Professionnels de la Santé Publique and Spark Numérik.

Looking for tangible examples of the SDG pledge to 'leave no one behind'? This is it. EQUIST provides scenarios to reach the furthest behind first, while tackling the root causes of child mortality.

The training will equip participants to:
- Conduct equity-focused bottleneck analyses across immunization, maternal and newborn care, HIV and prevention of mother-to-child transmission, severe acute malnutrition, and infant and young child feeding.
- Model the potential reductions in under-five, newborn and maternal deaths, and malnutrition cases, through targeted interventions.
- Generate cost-effectiveness evidence to guide investment cases and national health strategies.
- Build lasting in-country expertise to conduct equity assessments independently.

Bringing these institutions together offers an opportunity to connect research, training and government planning, with a shared focus on communities facing the greatest barriers to care.

Community Systems Foundation is proud to support this work and recognizes UNICEF’s continued contribution of EQUIST to the global development community. We look forward to a productive week of learning and exchange.

Today, Community Systems Foundation joins UN Women, the Gender Affairs Division and national stakeholders to launch cons...
09/22/2026

Today, Community Systems Foundation joins UN Women, the Gender Affairs Division and national stakeholders to launch consultations on a digital referral pathway for gender-based violence response in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Together, we will design and develop a system to strengthen referrals, coordination and follow-up across the sectors supporting survivors.

Our starting point is listening: understanding how referrals work, where challenges arise and what service providers need. These insights will guide the design, with safeguarding, confidentiality and consent central throughout.

We are grateful for the trust of our partners and the expertise of everyone contributing to this work. Technology has a meaningful role when it supports the people and institutions responsible for care.



Photo: Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, by giggel / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 3.0: https://buff.ly/6jEWNsX

A new school year in Anguilla, and continued progress with AXAEMIS!CSF’s senior advisor Stephanie Betancourt is embedded...
09/21/2026

A new school year in Anguilla, and continued progress with AXAEMIS!

CSF’s senior advisor Stephanie Betancourt is embedded with the Ministry of Social Development and Education, supporting the rollout of AXAEMIS alongside ministry colleagues and school teams.

From student registration and data quality to teacher and principal training, her support is helping schools prepare to use AXAEMIS for everyday needs, including attendance, timetables and report cards.

We’re pleased to support this shared effort to strengthen education data and its use across Anguilla. A few moments from the start-of-year registration activities below!

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Ann Arbor, MI
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