ICT for development - Background
reading
Using electronic communication to strengthen HIV and AIDS work, by Sarah Lee for Healthlink Worldwide, November 2003
New information communication technologies (ICTs) are being developed every day and more and more people are gaining access to them.
Given the scale and pace of the spread of HIV – and the urgent need to ‘shorten the learning curve’ – electronic communication has a vital role to play in responses to the HIV and AIDS epidemic in both developed and developing countries.
Electronic communication comes in many different forms. These include:
- Websites These are accessed via the internet and are like electronic brochures, with the text divided into pages. They can be categorised in different ways, for example according to their audience (eg children or adults) or subject (eg the environment or sexual health). They usually provide summarised information that is either text-only or is accompanied by photographs, diagrams or video clips. They can be non-interactive (with the information just presented for the user to view) or interactive (enabling the user to communicate with the website and / or other users).
- E-mail This is accessed via the internet and provides an instant way to send and receive correspondence. It is like an electronic form of notes and letters, to which files and reports can be attached.
- Databases and on-line resource centres These are accessed via the internet or CD-ROMs and function like on-line libraries. They provide basic information about a variety of resources (such as articles, reports and manuals), including what subjects they cover and how they can be accessed.
- CD-ROMs These are compact discs onto which information is recorded. They have a variety of uses, including to promote an organisation or to share training materials. They can be distributed as actual discs or can be put onto websites. They enable huge amounts of information to be disseminated quickly and easily. They can be non-interactive (with the information just presented for the user to view) or interactive (enabling the user to communicate with the CD-ROM).
- VCDs These are like video ‘calling cards’ in the form of a compact disc. They can combine video footage with a voice-over, music, diagrams, etc. They have a variety of uses, including to promote an organisation or to document a project. They can be distributed as actual discs or be put onto websites.
- E-discussion groups These are like conference calls that are carried out over the internet. They facilitate the exchange of experiences and opinions between different individuals, sectors and countries and focus on specific subjects, events or regions. They can be open (to anyone who wants to participate) or closed (accessible to members-only). They are usually moderated by someone who acts as a neutral facilitator.
Electronic communication has a wide variety of uses. These include:
- Campaigning and advocacy For example, getting signatures on petitions, having letter-writing campaigns and building consensus on policy positions.
- Networking and information sharing For example, keeping in touch with similar organisations, sharing lessons and passing on information.
- Disseminating resources For example, distributing whole training manuals or making sections of guidelines easy to access in different formats.
- Facilitating discussions For example, enabling multi-sectoral discussions about specific subjects (eg orphans) or regions (eg Asia-Pacific).
- Doing administration For example, communicating (eg with donors, members and volunteers) and doing daily business (eg paying bills at the bank or ordering supplies from pharmacies).
- Raising your organisational profile For example, participating in national debates and publicising events.
- Fundraising For example, asking website visitors for donations and researching different donors and foundations.
Electronic communication has great potential to strengthen HIV and AIDS work. Indeed, many organisations – from grassroots community groups to international NGOs – have already used it to achieve concrete results. However, electronic communication is not a magic solution and it has disadvantages as well as advantages (see below). To be successful, it needs to be used strategically and planned carefully.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Can easily reach thousands, even millions of people | Doesn't reach the millions of people who still lack access to computers or have low technical ability |
| Can reach new audiences rather than just your ‘usual suspects | Risks setting up a two-tier system of information and disempowering grassroots community members |
| After initial technical costs, can be cheap to run | Can have hidden costs (eg telephone bills for using the internet and postage for mailing CD-ROMs) |
| Is very flexible (eg a website can be updated instantly, but a report would have to be re-printed) | Can take the ‘human touch’ away from communications work |
| Can bring local community groups into national and international arenas | Requires specific skills to develop and maintain the products |
| Enables people to access information and debate issues anonymously and confidentially | Can lead you to forget that ‘less is more’ and to dump vast amounts of information on CD-ROMs, VCDs, etc |
| Allows people to select exactly what information they want from you – which saves you money and work | Makes it difficult to control who uses your information and for what |
| Provides useful quantitative data for evaluation work, such as the number of website ‘hits’ | Provides little qualitative data for evaluation work, in terms of what difference it makes to people’s knowledge and actions |
Some golden rules for using electronic communication include:
- Keep it simple. Make sure that others can use it, for example by ensuring that it is easy to navigate and does not need high-capacity computers.
- Keep it sustainable. Don’t use a complicated and high-tech design that you yourselves don’t understand or won’t be able to maintain.
- Keep it strategic. Don’t choose a form of electronic communication just because it is attractive. Instead, think about whether it is what you really need.
- Be methodical. For example, identify a staff member to lead the work and make it part of their job description to update your website once a month.
- Build internal capacity, rather than being dependent on external expertise.
Before starting to use electronic communication there are some important things to consider. These include the advantages of using it and whether it would not be easier or more effective to use more conventional methods. It is also important to consider exactly what type of electronic communication is best and what it will involve in terms of time, money and capacity. In addition, it is crucial to identify which resources are needed to sustain electronic communication, such as the skills to maintain a website or the time to respond to requests for information.
Electronic communication presents fantastic opportunities. However, it is just one approach. Think strategically and plan carefully – so that it is used to best effect and complements other areas of communications work.
Resources
Essential AIDS information resources: Asia-Pacific edition
Includes practical information on searching the internet, using listserves
and evaluating websites and other digital resources. Cost: Free to groups
in developing countries; multiple copies for developed countries may
incur a charge. Available from: Health Action Information Network (HAIN).
Electronic mailing lists: Linking communities across time and
space
Step-by-step guide to setting up an electronic mailing list. Available
from: AIDS Action Asia-Pacific edition issue 50-51. Cost: Free.
SATELLIFE training modules
Training modules on subjects such as using e-mail, using CD-ROMs, participating
in e-discussion groups and using the world wide web. Available from:
SATELLIFE, Cost: Free.
www.healthnet.org/training.php
@Ease with e-mail
A handbook on using electronic mail for NGOs in developing countries. Explains
basic terms and concepts, offers advice and contacts and lists computer
communications networks and local e-mail service providers. Available
from: UN Nongovernmental Liaison Service (NGLS), Cost: Free.
E-mail tips and techniques
A 12-step guide to using e-mail, covering issues such as avoiding viruses,
sending attachments, using plain text and choosing a list host. Available
from: Planetfriendly, Cost: Free.
www.planetfriendly.net/directory.html#internet
Bridges.org toolkit
Focuses on how to put ICT to practical use. Contents include the free IT
guide (with information about how to get free computers, e-mail accounts
and software), resources for assessing a community or country's e-readiness,
e-literacy materials and a database of on-line resources. Cost: Free.
Readiness for the networked world: A guide for developing countries
An educational resource describing what makes a community ready for using
ICTs and a diagnostic tool to systematically examine those factors. Available
from: Information Technologies Group Center for International Development
at Harvard University, Cost: Free.
cyber.law.harvard.edu/itg/libpubs/libpubs.html
Oneworld.net guidelines
Guidelines and practical resources, including about content management
systems, index and catalogue functions, search engines and and intranet
platforms. Cost: Free.
Handbook for online volunteers
Handbook on areas such as using search engines, doing online research,
researching funding resources, preventing computer viruses, creating
databases and moderating e-discussion groups. Available from: The Virtual
Volunteering Project, Cost: Free.
www.serviceleader.org/new/virtual/index.php
KnowNet resources
A collection of freeware or shareware software and tools to enable communities,
NGOs and individuals to create interactive websites for free. Available
from: The KnowNet Initiative, Cost: Free.
Articles, reports and statements
Improving health, fighting poverty: the role of information and
communication technology (ICT) (2001)
Paper reviewing opinions on the use of ICTs for health communication and
arguing that 'communication' is often forgotten because practitioners and
policy-makers tend to focus on technology.
www.healthcomms.org/pdf/findings1.pdf
Healthcare training and internet connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa
(2002)
Report of a survey on the use of ICTs for healthcare communication in Africa.
By F Manji, R Drew and M Jensen for Fahamu.
A champion in our midst: Lessons learned from the impacts of NGOs’ use
of the internet (2000)
Paper on whether NGOs with internet access spread resources to their unconnected
partners. By S McConnell in the Electronic Journal on Information Systems
in Developing Countries.
www.is.cityu.edu.hk/research/ejisdc
How can ICTs better be used for rural development? (2002)
Paper on the potential role of ICTs in rural areas of the developing world.
By R Chapman and T Slaymaker for the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).
www.odi.org.uk
Women connect! The power of communications to improve women's lives
(2002)
Report of a survey of ICT use for healthcare communication in
Africa. Includes an extensive review of internet connectivity and case
studies for Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa countries. By Pacific Institute
for Women's Health / Pacific Institute for Women's Health for Fahamu.
Rowing upstream: snapshots of pioneers of the information age
in Africa (2002)
A review of experiences with ICT projects in Africa, including
a timeline of African internet connectivity and chapters on individual
projects. By L Levey and S Young for Project for Information Access and
Connectivity (PIAC).
Into or out of the digital divide? (2000)
Report providing a set of perspectives on ICTs and development in Southern
Africa, looking at key issues in the communication technology and development
debate through seven country-specific case studies. By D Lush and H Rushwaya
for Panos Southern Africa.
www.panos.org.uk
Role of ICT in curbing HIV/AIDS in Africa (26 November 2001)
Article on a UNESCO paper about how distance learning through
the use of ICT could reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people
in Africa. By Panafrican News Agency.
IT boosts AIDS campaign (26 September 2002)
Article on how Uganda is one of the few African countries to adopt the
online campaign against HIV/AIDS and has used it to produce substantial
results. By F Ahimbisibwe and N Kajoba for New Vision, Uganda.
www.aegis.com/news/nv/2002/NV020918.html
New media bridges communication gaps for activist groups (3 September
2002)
Article on how ICTs provide a powerful tool for various causes, including
AIDS awareness, according to participants at a conference to coincide with
the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. By J Hall
for Inter Press Service.
Statement from workshop on ICT policy and civil society in Africa
(November 2002)
Statement from a workshop in Addis Ababa to strengthen the role of civil
society in national, regional and global ICT fora, involving 82 civil society
organisations from 25 countries. By Association for Progressive Communication,
Economic Commission for Africa and Article 19.
Internet access for African countries (2002)
Article exploring the state of internet access in Ghana, Kenya and South
Africa and different approaches for hooking onto the internet. By F Kofi
de Heer-Menlah.
ICTs in Africa (March 2003)
Issue 187 of The Drum Beat, focusing on child and youth, environment, radio,
local access and health internet initiatives and information, as well
as electronic discussions, bulletins and journals. By The Communications
Initiative.