News: ICT for development
Spectrum use in Latin America: relevant aspects, conclusions and recommendations
APC’s “open spectrum” initiative aims to provide an understanding of spectrum regulation by examining the situation in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In this synthesis, the project’s consultant Carlos Afonso brings together the most important aspects of the studies in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
Rural realities, real solutions: ICT4D conference in Johannesburg
The 7th edition of APC member SANGONeT’s ICT4RD 2011 confronts the realities of rural development and explores the innovative use of ICTs to catalyse the growth of ICT4RD solutions for scale from November 1-3.
Out of the shadows: Filipino youth survivors of violence transform the personal into the digital
The narrator of The Shape of My Youth recalls how two years previously, a relative sold her for US$ 23. She was just 12. But this and other digital stories produced by a group of young Filipinos are not just stories of betrayal – they are also stories of hope.
GenARDIS grantee wins Africa Rural Connect contest
In 2008-2009, Ugandan organisation Toro Development Network (ToroDev) was awarded a small grant through the APC’s Gender and agriculture and rural development in the information society (GenARIDS) project. No more than a year later, the grass roots organisation has been awarded $12, 000 through the Africa Rural Connect contest, to continue its work in helping small-scale rural farmers – many of which are women – learn to use technologies such as mobile phones, radios and computers.
New report asks, how environmentally-friendly is technology?
Computers are creating massive e-waste. The paper industry has had to double to meet printer demand. But smart technologies are bringing huge savings in energy consumption. As the UN conference on climate change starts in Cancun, the new Global Information Society Watch from APC and Hivos looks at ICTs and environmental sustainability in 53 countries, six regions and through ten expert thematic reports. What is the state of the industry in your country? Find out.
Small tech grants, big differences for rural women
Women in rural areas play a central role in the agricultural economy of their region, which means that they often work long hours, leaving little time for learning how to use new technologies. Yet, access to new technologies affect both men and women in remote areas. In a new publication, GenARDIS 2002 – 2010: Small grants that made big changes for women in agriculture Jenny Radloff explores how seed grants that were disbursed to innovative initiatives counter these barriers and contribute to gender-aware ICT policy advocacy. Photo by Mekelle University
Gender, agriculture and ICTs: What you can do with 7000 euros
In Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo, women’s cassava root crops were being destroyed by pests but thanks to some internet training, they increased their healthy crop production and agricultural knowledge. In the Dominican Republic, women from an agro-processing cooperative learned to better manage their production thanks to an ICT training -many of them were 50 years old or more, which is “old” and “good for nothing” by rural Dominican standards. Find out more about what GenARDIS projects were able to achieve with small grants of about 7000 euros. Photo by Fundación Taïguey
Seven policy tips to ensure rural women equal access to ICTs
Illiteracy, lack of electricity and poor infrastructure are just some of the challenges that are preventing rural women from benefiting from ICTs. But these gender-related challenges are often overlooked by policy makers, and policies that are developed that don’t consider the specific context of rural men and women are more likely to fail, as they will not meet the needs of everyone equally. This is why the inclusion of gender must be considered in the policy process. What exactly can local and national policy makers do in order to address some of these issues? Policy analyst Sonia Jorge gives some insights. Photo by ARDA
Progressive techies declare their rights - and responsibilities
At the United States Social Forum on June 24 fifty politically progressive technologists came together for the first US Progressive Techie Congress. The Congress emerged with a statement applauded by other socially-responsible networks like the APC as “a great set of principles”.
Nobel Peace Prize for “the internet”?
Google has launched a world-wide campaign on how the internet can be used for peace in support of the worldwide network’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 on the basis that “the Internet is a powerful tool that promotes freedom of expression, while fostering the global spread of democracy”. Support the nomination by selecting your country and adding your name to the list of supporters, or take part on the debate as to whether the prestigious Nobel Prize should to go the internet and its users or not. APC is a campaign affiliate.
Producing social justice video in Asia? Take the EngageMedia strategic planning survey
EngageMedia has been working hard over the past five years to establish itself as “a leading distribution platform of social justice videos from the Asia-Pacific Region.” Come share with EngageMedia before 6 August what you think of their services and give suggestions on what you think they do best, what they should do more of, and help them create their strategic plan for the next few years.
Coming out of poverty: A model for traditional weavers in India
Not even a year after APC member Digital Empowerment Foundation set up a centre in the small town of Chanderi, where weavers could create new designs on computers, lives like those of young Mohammad Furqan have take an unexpected turn for the better. The town and initiative have become an inspiration to reproduce throughout the entire country.
Africa and MDGs: Have your say about Africa's development priorities
The United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals is coming up from 20-22 September in New York. APC member SANGONeT is holding an e-consultation open to all African citizens interest in reviewing progress made and setting priorities. David Barnard, executive director, talks about the African agenda and how your opinion is crucial.
The mBillionth award: Promoting excellence in mobile media in South Asia
South Asia is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing mobile markets, surpassing traditional media like television, radio, printed press and newer media like the internet. And mobile platforms are becoming the natural choice for extending digital services – SMS and basic voice to smart phones and enterprise workflow. Mobile is the choice for new content and services. APC member Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) and the Government of India launches a new award to recognise the best mobile applications in the region with awards in ten categories “Find out more about the mBillionth award”:http://mbillionth.in/.
Internet in the Andes: New APC research
In the 1990s, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela privatised their telecomms sectors and the policies were a dismal failure. Almost 20 years on the Andean region has some of the worst connectivity statistics of all Latin America. For example only 4 in 100 Bolivians have internet access. Of the four, two will have broadband connections but out-of-date telephone systems will force the other two to use dial-up so slow that viewing YouTube or interactive news sites will be virtually impossible. From 2008 APC has looked at what had gone wrong. Our detailed national reports produced with an eye on influencing the policy debate in Latin America are now collected along with summaries of main points to emerge from the research. Photo: “Velaia”:http://www.flickr.com/photos/velaia/3238166271/
Rural Nigeria: Radio and mobile phones change women's lives
In Nigeria, a small radio association is using theatre to teach rural populations practical skills like how to how to obtain small loans, and also discusses issues related to gender inequality. Thanks to a small grant by the Gender and Agriculture in the Information Society (GenARDIS) initiative, the project called Majalisar Mata Manoma has come a long way from being a simple radio programme. It is about meeting spaces for women farmers, connecting radio and mobile phones too.
Digital Empowerment Foundation: Ensuring rural India also has its place in the information society
Digital Empowerment Foundation of New Delhi has a wealth of experience in digital empowerment for women, children, and rural communities in India. The non-profit founded in 2003 by a former software company owner was created to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban India. Partnering with other organisations and government agencies, APC’s newest member has made a name for itself by making a big difference in small rural communities.
Dominican Republic guarantees women's equality in technology initiatives and policies across the country
The Dominican Republic is the first Latin American country to act on their commitments to involve women in the information society nationwide. This Caribbean island nation of ten million has promised to include a “gender perspective” in every information and communications technology initiative and policy developed by the government from now on. “This is great news for women’s equality in the Dominican Republic,” said APC’s Dafne Plou who trained government officials in November. “And it’s potentially a breakthrough for millions of other women in Latin America because the Dominican Republic is leading Latin American governments’ thinking around gender and technology as part of the regional eLAC2010 plan”. The tool the Dominicans have chosen to design and evaluate all the public policies is the APC gender evaluation methodology (GEM).
Do you have a right to online knowledge? Report shows open internet in danger
A new report that reveals how vulnerable the internet as we know it is, has just been published by two global civil society organisations. The annual report, called Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch), was released today by APC and Dutch funder Hivos. GISWatch 2009 is entitled “Access to online information and knowledge – advancing human rights and democracy”.
ICTs and women's equality: APC and the gender evaluation methodology (GEM)
“With GEM I began to appreciate why sometimes the women that are part of our community resist the empowerment process. I used to be annoyed but now I understand that this is the product of years of conditioning and it will take some effort to reverse the trend. GEM helps you see the situation for what it is, so you can optimise your resources where you can make the maximum impact in creating change,” John Dada has been a GEM user since 2007 in rural Nigeria. GEM is an evaluation tool for determining whether ICTs are really improving or worsening women’s lives and for promoting positive change. GEM has been developed from the ground up, and has involved the collaboration of hundreds of community-based organisations and individuals since its first design in 2002.
