Brenda Burrell, Zimbabwe, is co‐founder and IT director at Kubatana.net, Zimbabwe’s civic and human rights information portal. She also directs Freedom Fone, a project of the Kubatana Trust of Zimbabwe that uses a voice‐based platform to allow mobile phone users to engage in civic debate, activism and mobilization through social media and communication technologies. The free and open‐source platform does not require Internet access and fosters greater civic engagement among people who are often marginalized due to poverty and low literacy. Brenda is also a widely respected pro‐democracy activist who works to generate greater equity and social justice.