1.1 About Catalpa

Catalpa is a global development organisation creating change through human-centred design and technology.

Catalpa is an international development organisation known for its ability to combine human-centered design and technology to create social impact.

We work with partners around the world to design, implement and evaluate projects that create change. Our projects give people the tools to connect to each other, access information and make informed decisions – whether that’s when to visit a medical clinic, how to support rural teachers or where to direct aid funding.

Our projects apply technology to strengthen human connections, create agency and help people make the best possible decisions for themselves and their communities.

Our story

Our first project was in rural Timor- Leste in 2008. In 2012, in partnership with the Australian Government, we designed Timor-Leste’s first mobile phone-based maternal and child health program. More than 60,000 Timorese mothers have now used the program and the number of deliveries supported by skilled birth attendants has doubled.

Today our programs range from managing aid flows in Myanmar, detecting illegal logging in Papua New Guinea and developing career pathways for women in tech in Fiji and the Solomon Islands.

We start with great people

We bring together a diverse group of education specialists, engineers, public health researchers, international development practitioners, software engineers, interaction designers, communicators, and graphic artists.