Description:

Sometimes we forget the ability we coders have to build useful products which other people can only dream of coming up with. This is made even easier for us by languages such as Ruby and frameworks such as Rails and Sinatra. There are plenty of people in the world for whom simple and effective technical solutions are very difficult to achieve, especially those doing charitable work in developing countries. That's where us coders come in: with some really simple solutions and a bit of time we can be a lot of help.

In this talk you will hear about how we've been using Ruby and Rails to help a children's charity in Cambodia. We'll talk about the unique challenges you face working with a charity, and over such a long distance. We'll talk more about how you can help and what other opportunities exist for coders to use their skills to make a real difference.