This document summarises findings of an
overview written as part of a research programme into Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) sustainability factors.
Funded by the Department of International Development, the research
programme identified development activities that sought to benefit the poor and
with an emphasis on programmes run by NGOs.
In particular it considered the work of organisations where ICTs had
enhanced ongoing development activities, the ICT activity could be replicated
without sizeable investment, and there was a measure of sustainability.
Drawing from lessons learned in other development sectors, sustainability
involves a combination of factors including among others, clear objectives,
institutional frameworks, local capacity and development benefits. While perhaps not fulfilling all the features of a strong
sustainable activity, each of the case studies was felt to hold points of
interest for the wider global development community.
A general description of the case studies is presented in
Table 1. The cases have been
presented as 4 page summaries, and a 6 to 12 page full study is available for
each case.
|
Organisation
|
Objectives
|
Description
|
|
ACISAM
|
To
enable members of a community to acknowledge their human capacity and
address common mental health problems in order to improve their social,
economic, cultural and ecological environment.
|
Community use audio and video to capture their local mental
health problems and feed the outputs back to the community via
loudspeakers, radio, cable television.
|
|
KUMINFO
|
To
make data available and accessible to stakeholders involved in natural
resource management.
|
This is an GIS information gathering activity on a province
wide scale.
|
|
MIGIS
|
To
make a significant contribution to the quality and effectiveness of
participatory planning; by introducing the use of GIS and advanced graphic
techniques into the PRA process; using
the images produced to enhance the presentation and therefore the
authority and impact of information collected in and provided by
communities in which development intervention was planned.
|
The project uses computer GIS systems and enhanced graphics
to validate and present information gathered participatorily from
illiterate and semi literate communities.
|
|
FOOD (commerce)
|
To
explore whether E-commerce can be a source of income for women
co-operatives and non-profits working in rural areas.
|
The project has explored using “e-marketers” to set up
a mechanism for ecommerce of handicrafts.
To see if they can train educated unemployed youth to function as
E-marketers to promote products online and obtain a sustainable source of
income for themselves
|
|
DENIVA
|
To
make use of new technologies to facilitate vertical and horizontal
integration of members. Focus
on information management, gender mainstreaming, environment,
decentralised information exchange etc.
|
This case study concerns an NGO network which is using
modern ICT media for communication.
|
|
Gyandoot (egovernance)
|
To
improve the efficiency, effectiveness, accountability and transparency of
local government through increasing access to services, information and
policy documentation by the public.
To
enhance the livelihoods of the public by providing better access to
agricultural information, commerce, education and training facilities.
|
After a consultation on information needs, this project has
set up a network of financially self standing kiosks which offer various
services including gateways into local government
|
|
MANAGE (microcredit and extension)
|
To
help increase rural farmers access to information services.
|
As an experiment in information extension, MANAGE has also
set up a network of information kiosks, with an agricultural extension
emphasis.
|
|
Global Voices
|
1.Globally:
to inform Oxfam in its strategic review process so that it could be more
effective in alleviating poverty;
2.
Locally: to give people a tool that would give them a voice so they
could be heard expressing their concerns and possible solutions on issues
that affect them
|
Born from a strategic review process in Oxfam, this is a
case of communities using video to increase awareness among government and
their fellow community of the community needs.
|
|
CARDIN
|
To
strengthen the capacity within the Caribbean community, for the collection
indexing, dissemination and use of disaster related information serving as
a sub-regional disaster information centre.
|
This is a network of institutions across the Caribbean
using ICT to archive and retrieve data which is vital to their disaster
preparedness planning.
|
|
UDS
|
To
help the poorest uplift themselves, in consultation with them, by
providing appropriate information to facilitate development; communication
technology to receive and distribute information; and training
people in its practical applications.
|
A small NGO has facilitated the setting up of centres which
offers access to ICT and training services for small business
|
|
Revistazo
|
To
provide an alternative communication media source to inform the public
about issues surrounding corruption and social injustice in order to
promote Good Governance within Honduras.
|
Using a web site, Revistazo is an online magazine that
tackles sensitive political issues.
|
|
Digital Village
|
To provide training in and access to information and
communication technology to previously disadvantaged communities.
|
Digital Village is an “original” Telecentre.
It was set up to be a resource for the a poor community to enable
access to computers for training, information gathering and communication.
|
The sustainability framework discussed in Section 3 was
used as the basis for preliminary investigations into over 20 potential case
studies. 12 of these were then
identified for further investigation, primarily on the basis that they best met
the criteria for the research - enhanced ongoing development activities,
possibility for replication, and some measure of sustainability.
The case studies have been compiled from information
gathered during field visits to the areas in which projects are operating.
This information is based on a mixture of factual data provided by case
study projects, and information and opinion gleaned from a range of stakeholders
in order to ensure that complete and balanced views of projects were obtained.
Four categories of stakeholders were identified:
those directly involved with the
project e.g.:
