NOTE: the Finding a Voice project (2006-08) was a collaboration between Queensland University of Technology, University of Adelaide, Swinburne University, UNESCO and UNDP. This paper presents preliminary findings from a multi-sited qualitative study of poverty and information and communication technologies (ICTs) in India, Indonesia Sri Lanka and Nepal. It draws […]
2007 • collaboration • Finding a Voice • ICTs • poverty reduction • research • UNDP • UNESCOICT and Poverty: the Indisputable Link
Since the “information society” concept was introduced in the seventies, the correlation between access to information and poverty has been widely acknowledged. The main propositions given were as follows: information leads to resources; information leads to opportunities that generate resources; access to information leads to access to resources; and access […]
2001 • development • ICT4D • ICTs • poverty reductionICTs for Development: Empowerment or Exploitation?
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can empower people. They unlock a world of super-fast, globalised communications and decentralised information networks. Once people can access and use the technology, their lives will be improved. According to a recent study of ICT for development (ICT4D) projects in Africa, access to communications technologies […]
2004 • Africa • empower • exploitation • ICT4D • ICTs • poverty reductionIndigenous Knowledge for Development: Opportunities and Challenges
This paper introduces indigenous knowledge (IK) as a significant resource which could contribute to the increased efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of the development process. IK is defined as the basis for community-level decision making in areas pertaining to food security, human and animal health, education, natural resource management and other […]
2000 • challenges • development • indigenous / traditional knowledge • poverty reduction • World BankPoverty in Focus – Indigenising Development
Among the many social groups that have been historically excluded, indigenous peoples comprise one that offers great challenges to development. Although their assimilation has been a goal of the national societies that engulfed them, it is disputable whether indigenous peoples desire the type of social inclusion that development, in its […]
2009 • culture • development • indigenous communities • poverty reductionJane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world
Note: The comments that follow this video on its Youtube page number over 3,000 and clearly show that Ms. McGonigal’s ideas spur passionate (and often ridiculously vitriolic) debate. I include this item here because it offers a compelling starting point for discussing serious games and social change. Transcript I’m Jane […]
2010 • EVOKE • gamification • poverty reduction • serious games • social change • TED.com • World BankEmpowering the Poor: ICT for Governance & Poverty Reduction – A Study of Rural Development Projects in India
This publication systematically analyzes 18 projects in India that uses information and communications technology (ICT) for the benefit of poor people, and provides recommendations on how ICT can be applied to the massive, widespread and seemingly intractable problems of poverty. The publication also ranks the projects by their relevance, service […]
2006 • ICT4D • ICTs • India • poverty reduction • rural • UNDPCommunity memory and ICT in a developing economy
Abstract The implementation of ICT in Africa pales in comparison with developed economies. Data of the use of landline phones, cellular phones and internet connectivity indicates that the most equipped African countries, of which there are only a handful, are worse off than the poorly connected countries in developed regions […]
2006 • Africa • community informatics • community memory • development • digital divide • poverty reduction • telecenter • telecommunicationsMyths of Information Technology for International Development
The past decade has seen incredible interest in applying information and communication technologies for international development, an endeavor often abbreviated “ICT4D.” Can mobile phones be used to improve rural healthcare? How do you design user interfaces for an illiterate migrant worker? What value is technology to a farmer earning $1 […]
2011 • development • ICT4D • ICT4D@Penn • poverty reductionAIS Special Interest Group on ICT and Global Development
Special Interest Group of the Association for Information Systems Vision: Contribute to progress in the economically developing world through the appropriate use and diffusion of ICT and associated management practices. Challenge: Approximately three billion people exist on less than USD2 per day- a situation, which is untenable from a humanitarian […]
development • humanitarian • ICT4D • ICTs • poverty reductionBarefoot College
The Barefoot College began in 1972 with the conviction that solutions to rural problems lie within the community. The College addresses problems of drinking water, girl education, health & sanitation, rural unemployment, income generation, electricity and power, as well as social awareness and the conservation of ecological systems in rural […]
development • education • poverty reduction • social changeComputer Aid International
Computer Aid International exists to tackle the causes and effects of poverty through practical ICT solutions. We work with not-for-profit organisations in developing countries to provide equipment and support where it is most needed by poor communities in areas such as agriculture, health and education. Computer Aid International is the […]
ICT4D • ICTs • poverty reductionDepartment for International Development (DFID)
The UK government believes it is in all our interests to help poor people build a better life for themselves. So in 1997 it created a separate government department – the Department for International Development (DFID) – to meet the many challenges of tackling world poverty. It is DFID’s job […]
aid • development • DFID • poverty reductionDigital Empowerment Foundation (DEF)
Digital Empowerment Foundation, a Delhi based not-for-profit organization was registered on December 2002, under the “Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860″ to find solutions to bridge the digital divide. With no political affiliations, it was founded by Osama Manzar to uplift the downtrodden and to create economic and commercial viability […]
digital divide • empower • ICTs • India • poverty reductionOverseas Development Institute (ODI)
ODI is Britain’s leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. Our mission is to inspire and inform policy and practice which lead to the reduction of poverty, the alleviation of suffering and the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries. We do this by locking together high […]
development • humanitarian • policy • poverty reduction • research • sustainabilityA Dialogue on ICTs and Poverty: The Documentary
In September 2003, thirty experts from around the world gathered at Harvard University to discuss how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can help reduce poverty. At this “Harvard Forum,” academics, development specialists, and Nobel Prize-winning economists exchanged experiences and ideas on the present and future of ICTs in development. This […]
2003 • development • documentary • ICT4D • ICTs • IDRC • poverty reductionInnovation, Sustainability, Development: A New Manifesto
We live in a time of unprecedented advances in science and technology. The world is ever more globalised and interconnected. Yet poverty is deepening, the environment is in crisis and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals has stalled. Meeting the interlinked global challenges of poverty reduction, social justice and environmental […]
development • innovation • poverty reduction • social change • sustainabilityIDEO.org
IDEO has been working in the social sector for more than ten years. Recently, it became clear that launching a nonprofit organization focused solely on social innovation would allow IDEO to make an even bigger impact on global poverty. Enter, IDEO.org! Through Human-Centered Design projects, we’re bringing stability, hope, and […]
design • human-centered • IDEO • poverty reductionWorld Bank
The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Our mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships […]
capacity building • development • knowledge sharing / exchange • poverty reduction • World BankD-Lab at MIT
D-Lab is a program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that fosters the development of appropriate technologies and sustainable solutions within the framework of international development. D-Lab’s mission is to improve the quality of life of low-income households through the creation and implementation of low cost technologies. D-Lab’s portfolio […]
appropriate technology • development • poverty reduction • sustainabilityEldis Community
Eldis Communities has been developed by the Eldis team. Since 1995 we have been providing an online information service for the development community. Eldis Communities is an extension to our existing services and runs alongside the Eldis website. Through Eldis Communities development professionals can engage with each other and also […]
development • ICT4D • knowledge sharing / exchange • poverty reduction • sustainabilityiREACH: informatics for rural empowerment and community health
KITD, through its iREACH project, is a pioneer in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the empowerment process of poor rural communities in Cambodia. Through the use of ICTs, villagers are better able to improve their social, cultural and economic well being. This has been, and is […]
Cambodia • community informatics • development • ICT4D • ICTs • poverty reductionInternational Development Innovation Network (IDIN)
MIT’s D-Lab will lead the International Development Innovation Network (IDIN), a consortium of universities around the world to establish and nurture a global network of local innovators using technology to address issues facing people living in poverty. “One of our visions is actually to fundamentally change the way that development […]
development • evaluation • ICT4D • innovation • poverty reductionComprehensive Initiative for Technology Evaluation (CITE)
MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning will lead the CITE effort in developing a rigorous methodology for evaluating technological solutions to challenges in the developing world; this methodology will help donors and policy-makers identify and invest in the best of these solutions. “Right now there is no shortage of […]
design • development • evaluation • innovation • poverty reductionFinding a Voice
This site summarizes research from the Finding a Voice project (2006-08), a collaboration between Queensland University of Technology, University of Adelaide, Swinburne University, UNESCO and UNDP. Finding a Voice investigated creative engagement between underserved communities and information and communication technology (ICT) to empower poor people to communicate their ‘voices’ within […]
empower • Finding a Voice • ICTs • poverty reduction • social change • UNDP • UNESCO