IT for Change (ITfC) is an NGO located in Bengaluru, India, that works for the innovative and effective use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to promote socio-economic change in the global South, from an equity, social justice and gender equality point of view. Current Information Society and ‘ICTs for development’ (ICTD) approaches predominantly represent Northern and patriarchal realities and perspectives, tending to favour market-fundamentalist thinking and valorising technology per se. They fail to integrate fundamental ethical cornerstones of development like participation, social justice and gender equality. Unfortunately, the development sector and, particularly, progressive groups, are mostly not equipped to deal with the challenge of influencing the direction of change being shaped by the emerging techno-social models and paradigms. We identify this as a major blind spot in the global struggle towards progressive ideals and addressing this is a task we have set for ourselves.
Posted to the Ethnos Project by Mark Oppenneer on August 1st, 2013