About The Ujima Project
The Ujima Project, a collection of databases, documents and other resources, aims to bring transparency to the workings of governments, multinational non-governmental organizations and business enterprises in developing countries.
The Ujima Project can be described as "reverse transparency." Although information on foreign aid, developmental contracts, weapon sales, lobbying, and other activities might be hard to come by in developing countries, it is publicly available from various government and international organizations in Europe and the United States. The Ujima project is a centralized repository of all such information.
The Ujima Project is an endeavor of The Center for Public Integrity, an internationally renowned non-profit organization dedicated to producing original, responsible investigative journalism on issues of public concern.
- Nadi Penjarla - Nadi Penjarla is the chief architect and designer of the Ujima Project. The Ujima Project (www.ujima-project.org) is a collection of databases, documents and other resources that aims to bring transparency to the workings of governments, multinational non-governmental organizations and business enterprises.
Nadi’s work demonstrates that data analysis provides unique insights into international and local political controversies and brings the facts of the world into sharper focus. He has spoken and conducted workshops on computer assisted reporting at international forums such as the ABRAJI Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the GLMC Investigative Journalism Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, and at the Annual Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) Conference.
Nadi possesses a strong background in data analysis and data mining, including work as an investment banker, and a strategy and business analytics consultant. Past projects include consulting for Fortune 500 companies on how to improve strategic decision-making, enhance operations, conduct complementary marketing and transform related business processes by properly analyzing data and its implications. In 2003 Nadi was the founding editor of Global Tryst, an online magazine focusing on international issues from a grassroots perspective.
Nadi holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, an M.S in Engineering and Computer Science, and a B.S. in Engineering. He can be reached at 202-531-9300 or at nadi.penjarla@gmail.com - Karina Stenquist - Karina keeps the Ujima engine running. She does everything from shooting videos to finding interesting data sets to analyze. Originally from California, Karina went to Madrid, Spain to travel, enjoy the food, and improve her Spanish after graduating from The University of California , Berkeley, where she’d studied political and social theory (preparing her perfectly for a job in….reading?). One year of adventure in Madrid turned into 6! She, taught English, wrote and presented a daily technology vlog (MobuzzTV.com), tended bar, interned with CNN, maintained a blog loosely focused on migration issues called The Guiri Dispatches, and many other things. After unsuccessful attempts to get legal residency, she came back to the States, to Washington D.C. where she completed her master's in Broadcast Journalism and Public Affairs at American University. She can be a bit of a politics junky, and her main interest (obviously influenced by six years as an undocumented resident in Spain) is immigration policy, expat issues and anything relating to being a stranger in a strange land.
- Kotaro Hara - Kotaro Hara builds web applications for the Ujima Project. He is a PhD student in the computer science department at University of Maryland, studying Human-Computer Interaction in particular. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Information Engineering at the Osaka University. He is a connoisseur of coffee, loves Japanese food, and is a master at making Takoyaki.
The Team
