This document discusses the challenges that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profits face in integrating information and communication technologies (ICTs). It notes that NGOs/non-profits have limited resources, staff time, and ICT training which makes adopting new technologies difficult. The document proposes that developing an information literacy strategic plan in four phases can help NGOs/non-profits better manage ICTs and leverage their benefits. The four phases include developing a vision statement, conducting environmental and internal scans, establishing a strategic posture, and defining action steps with goals and objectives. Adopting an information literacy approach could strengthen organizations and help promote economic self-sufficiency.
Gender equality and empowerment of women through ICT Dr Lendy Spires
Gender equality and empowerment of women through ICT “The so-called digital divide is actually several gaps in one. There is a technological divide great gaps in infrastructure. There is a content divide. A lot of web-based information is simply not relevant to the real needs of people. And nearly 70 per cent of the world’s websites are in English, at times crowding out local voices and views.
There is a gender divide, with women and girls enjoying less access to information technology Introduction ICT and development The role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a tool for development has attracted the sustained attention of the United Nations over recent years. Strategic partnerships have been developed with donors, the private sector and civil society, and working groups and task forces have been established to enhance inter-agency collaboration throughout the United Nations system. In 2000, the Economic and Social Council adopted a Ministerial Declaration on the role of information technology in the context of a knowledge-based economy.
In 2001, the Secretary-General established a high-level Information and Communication Technologies Task Force to provide overall leadership to the United Nations on the formulation of strategies to put ICT at the service of development.2 The Millennium Declaration adopted in 2000 underscored the urgency of ensuring that the benefits of new technologies, especially ICT, are made available to all. To achieve this goal, a United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was planned in two phases. The first phase, the Geneva Summit in December 2003, aimed to develop political will and to establish the foundations for an Information Society for all.
In total, 175 Governments endorsed the Declaration of Principles3 and Plan of Action at the first phase.4 The second phase of WSIS is planned for November 2005 in Tunis. Information and Communication Technologies comprise a complex and heterogeneous set of goods, applications and services used to produce, process, distribute and transform information.
Gender equality and empowerment of women through ICT Dr Lendy Spires
Gender equality and empowerment of women through ICT “The so-called digital divide is actually several gaps in one. There is a technological divide great gaps in infrastructure. There is a content divide. A lot of web-based information is simply not relevant to the real needs of people. And nearly 70 per cent of the world’s websites are in English, at times crowding out local voices and views.
There is a gender divide, with women and girls enjoying less access to information technology Introduction ICT and development The role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a tool for development has attracted the sustained attention of the United Nations over recent years. Strategic partnerships have been developed with donors, the private sector and civil society, and working groups and task forces have been established to enhance inter-agency collaboration throughout the United Nations system. In 2000, the Economic and Social Council adopted a Ministerial Declaration on the role of information technology in the context of a knowledge-based economy.
In 2001, the Secretary-General established a high-level Information and Communication Technologies Task Force to provide overall leadership to the United Nations on the formulation of strategies to put ICT at the service of development.2 The Millennium Declaration adopted in 2000 underscored the urgency of ensuring that the benefits of new technologies, especially ICT, are made available to all. To achieve this goal, a United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was planned in two phases. The first phase, the Geneva Summit in December 2003, aimed to develop political will and to establish the foundations for an Information Society for all.
In total, 175 Governments endorsed the Declaration of Principles3 and Plan of Action at the first phase.4 The second phase of WSIS is planned for November 2005 in Tunis. Information and Communication Technologies comprise a complex and heterogeneous set of goods, applications and services used to produce, process, distribute and transform information.
Development as Freedom in a Digital Age Soren Gigler
Under what conditions can new technologies enhance the well-being of poor communities? The study designs an alternative evaluation framework (AEF) that applies Amartya Sen’s capability approach to the study of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in order to place people’s well-being, rather than technology, at the center of the study. The AEF develops an impact chain that examines the mechanisms by which access to, and meaningful use of, ICTs can enhance people’s “informational capabilities” and improve people’s human and social capabilities. This approach thus uses people’s individual and collective capabilities, rather than measures of access or use, as its principal evaluative space. Based on empirical evidence from indigenous communities’ use of new technologies in rural Bolivia, the study concludes that enhancing poor people’s informational capabilities is the most critical factor determining the impact of ICTs on their well-being. Improved informational capabilities, like literacy, do enhance the human capabilities of poor and marginalized peoples to make strategic life choices and achieve the lifestyle they value. Evaluating the impact of ICTs in terms of capabilities thus reveals no direct relationship between improved access to, and use of, ICTs and enhanced well-being; ICTs lead to improvements in people’s lives only when informational capabilities are transformed into expanded human and social capabilities in the economic, political, social, organizational, and cultural dimensions of their lives. The study concludes that intermediaries are bound to play a central, even fundamental, role in this process. They help poor communities to enact and appropriate ICTs to their local socio-cultural context so that their use becomes meaningful for people’s daily lives, enhances their informational capabilities, and ultimately improves their human and social capabilities.
This is expanded content related to the 2013 Webinar: Systematic Civic Stewardship: An Organizing Model for Leading Change in the Social Sector | Monday, June 3, 2013
This is the Sep 2012 edition of the BDPA Washington DC chapter newsletter - 'BDPAToday'. The September 2012 edition of features new Mobile Device updates from industry, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) introduction, Cybersecurity legislative update, and 2013 Internship Forecasts for college bound students.
Tapping into the social Web:
The social web has redefined the entire
media ecosystem and has fundamentally
changed consumer behaviour. Today,
large numbers of consumers are
members of social sites, and they are
spending increasing amounts of time
there.
From the ideal to the real: Top 20 lessons learned from scaling up innovation...Soren Gigler
Top 20 lessons learned on scaling up innovations from the Open Data Initiative at the World Bank. The Open Data Initiative has transformed the way the World Bank shares and publishes its data enabling users to have free, open and easy access to data instead of a previously mostly proprietary data policy.
How did such a radical change come about? How was it possible that our early very modest endeavors to implement innovations in governance could be scaled up and be replicated across so many different areas at the Bank? How could a vibrant community of innovators from within and outside the Bank come together share experiences, learn from each other and, most important, help to make an important institutional change -- launch an Open Data initiative and empower citizens to provide direct feedback on development programs?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere, promising self-driving cars, medical breakthroughs, and new ways of working. But how do you separate hype from reality? How can your company apply AI to solve real business problems?
Here’s what AI learnings your business should keep in mind for 2017.
Study: The Future of VR, AR and Self-Driving CarsLinkedIn
We asked LinkedIn members worldwide about their levels of interest in the latest wave of technology: whether they’re using wearables, and whether they intend to buy self-driving cars and VR headsets as they become available. We asked them too about their attitudes to technology and to the growing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the devices that they use. The answers were fascinating – and in many cases, surprising.
This SlideShare explores the full results of this study, including detailed market-by-market breakdowns of intention levels for each technology – and how attitudes change with age, location and seniority level. If you’re marketing a tech brand – or planning to use VR and wearables to reach a professional audience – then these are insights you won’t want to miss.
Development as Freedom in a Digital Age Soren Gigler
Under what conditions can new technologies enhance the well-being of poor communities? The study designs an alternative evaluation framework (AEF) that applies Amartya Sen’s capability approach to the study of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in order to place people’s well-being, rather than technology, at the center of the study. The AEF develops an impact chain that examines the mechanisms by which access to, and meaningful use of, ICTs can enhance people’s “informational capabilities” and improve people’s human and social capabilities. This approach thus uses people’s individual and collective capabilities, rather than measures of access or use, as its principal evaluative space. Based on empirical evidence from indigenous communities’ use of new technologies in rural Bolivia, the study concludes that enhancing poor people’s informational capabilities is the most critical factor determining the impact of ICTs on their well-being. Improved informational capabilities, like literacy, do enhance the human capabilities of poor and marginalized peoples to make strategic life choices and achieve the lifestyle they value. Evaluating the impact of ICTs in terms of capabilities thus reveals no direct relationship between improved access to, and use of, ICTs and enhanced well-being; ICTs lead to improvements in people’s lives only when informational capabilities are transformed into expanded human and social capabilities in the economic, political, social, organizational, and cultural dimensions of their lives. The study concludes that intermediaries are bound to play a central, even fundamental, role in this process. They help poor communities to enact and appropriate ICTs to their local socio-cultural context so that their use becomes meaningful for people’s daily lives, enhances their informational capabilities, and ultimately improves their human and social capabilities.
This is expanded content related to the 2013 Webinar: Systematic Civic Stewardship: An Organizing Model for Leading Change in the Social Sector | Monday, June 3, 2013
This is the Sep 2012 edition of the BDPA Washington DC chapter newsletter - 'BDPAToday'. The September 2012 edition of features new Mobile Device updates from industry, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) introduction, Cybersecurity legislative update, and 2013 Internship Forecasts for college bound students.
Tapping into the social Web:
The social web has redefined the entire
media ecosystem and has fundamentally
changed consumer behaviour. Today,
large numbers of consumers are
members of social sites, and they are
spending increasing amounts of time
there.
From the ideal to the real: Top 20 lessons learned from scaling up innovation...Soren Gigler
Top 20 lessons learned on scaling up innovations from the Open Data Initiative at the World Bank. The Open Data Initiative has transformed the way the World Bank shares and publishes its data enabling users to have free, open and easy access to data instead of a previously mostly proprietary data policy.
How did such a radical change come about? How was it possible that our early very modest endeavors to implement innovations in governance could be scaled up and be replicated across so many different areas at the Bank? How could a vibrant community of innovators from within and outside the Bank come together share experiences, learn from each other and, most important, help to make an important institutional change -- launch an Open Data initiative and empower citizens to provide direct feedback on development programs?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere, promising self-driving cars, medical breakthroughs, and new ways of working. But how do you separate hype from reality? How can your company apply AI to solve real business problems?
Here’s what AI learnings your business should keep in mind for 2017.
Study: The Future of VR, AR and Self-Driving CarsLinkedIn
We asked LinkedIn members worldwide about their levels of interest in the latest wave of technology: whether they’re using wearables, and whether they intend to buy self-driving cars and VR headsets as they become available. We asked them too about their attitudes to technology and to the growing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the devices that they use. The answers were fascinating – and in many cases, surprising.
This SlideShare explores the full results of this study, including detailed market-by-market breakdowns of intention levels for each technology – and how attitudes change with age, location and seniority level. If you’re marketing a tech brand – or planning to use VR and wearables to reach a professional audience – then these are insights you won’t want to miss.
UN Survey: Full findings of the 2010 United Nations E-Government Survey have now been published, including chapters on citizen empowerment, the role of e-government in financial regulation, electronic service delivery, and methods of measuring e-government.
A Really Simple Guide to Digital Inclusion clarewhite
Created to share ideas from the National Digital Conference 09 in London and to start discussions on digital inclusion in organisations and networks.
Thanks for useful feedback at http://net.digitalengagement.org/profiles/blogs/sharing-the-digital-inclusion
Presentation by Sam Chimbuya and Rahel Otieno from Khanya-African Institute for Community Driven Development, at the Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches seminar on 26th January 2011 at the Institute of Development Studies, Brighton
Abstract:
Public Relations have been an integral part of human communications, since time immoral. It developed as an art and science in the 20th century. Today, there is no sector, whether it be Government, Private or NGOs, who do edgy in their operations. The ever escalating cost of advertising too has contributed to the significant growth of this industry.
While Public Relations, known by other sophisticated names such as advocacy, spin doctor, spin in-spin out etc, has immensely contributed towards highlighting socio-cultural issues, development affairs, exploring the innovative inventions, maintaining and harnessing the organization goodwill in the market. As far as grassroots innovators are concerns they do have knowledge abundance, and some want to use this knowledge to try things out. Public Relations is the tool to promote and explore those knowledge abundance across the human being.
“We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to m...Amouzou Bedi
KFDWB’s mission is to provide worldwide Development Aid Support to development agencies, organizations, local governments, NGOs public and private institutions by helping local communities know and understand which human development challenges and/or frustrations they are facing each day, and make these information and knowledge universally accessible via a central database and useful to development organizations and local and national responsible bodies in order to highlight and alleviate the problems at a community level to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in each corner of the globe.
21st century skills for 21st century jobs usbPatty Ball
Many programs and students don’t yet have a good sense of all the technology skills that are coming into play in the workplaces students plan to enter. The ways we live, learn, work and interact online are changing. Do your students have the skills necessary for successful navigation of the increasingly blurred boundaries between online and offline social and professional activities. Do they know the risks and how to protect themselves when using these tools?
This is the first of a two part workshop series.
In order for the internet to play a greater role as an instrument for social and personal empowerment, we need to understand what the everyday life of an individual belonging to a minority or marginalized community encompasses. Such an approach calls for closer examination of the practices, system of relations and context of particular minority and marginalized users in order to figure out what is meaningful to them and how they use (or do not use) different forms of the internet for meeting their objectives. There is a need to acknowledge the multiple conceptualizations and forms of internet use as disadvantaged users apply these differently for meeting specific agendas.
This article presented three projects working with minority and marginalized users. In the context of future research on internet use, three broad sets of variables are closely connected and require careful attention:
• The type of marginalized group;
• The goals, expectations and identification of what particular marginalized users consider to be meaningful in their everyday life; and
• The selected method of research.
2. given the complex issues involving trust,
Introduction
access and infrastructure--as well as the
“Information is the lifeblood of nonprofit political, social, economic, and cultural
work.”1 ramifications, including that of literacy. The
systemic and cultural impact of illiteracy
Around the world, civil society’s agents for
within the service delivery areas of many
social change--nongovernmental
NGOs and nonprofits intensify an already
organizations (NGOs) and nonprofits--are
critical situation, the Digital Divide.
wrestling with the challenges of integrating
information and communication Excluding libraries, educational systems
technologies (ICTs) within their and/or information science organizations,
organizational most
infrastructures NGOs/nonp
and service rofits are
delivery unfamiliar
systems. The with the
economic and concept
social gains and
from practices of
globalization information
have not been literacy. As
equitably a result,
distributed, in with
effect, limited
negatively staff and
impacting the funding
sustainability resources/o
and capacity ptions,
building NGOs and
efforts of most NGOs/nonprofits in many nonprofits are finding the strain of
countries today. managing day-to-day operations
increasingly overwhelming. Trying to keep
In addition, the struggles of NGOs and
pace with ICT developments, its requisite
nonprofits providing services to poor people
training demands, while concurrently
in developing nations are even more acute
managing daily operations is becoming an
1
even more daunting task for the NGOs/non-
Blau, A. 2001. More Than Bit Players: How profit community at large. Whereas English
Information Technology Will Change the Ways
Nonprofits and Foundations Work and Thrive in is the official language of international
the Information Age. New York, Surdna business activity, information literacy must
Foundation, p. 1.
2
3. become the official worldwide language of In addition, an NGO/nonprofit orientation
incorporating information literacy principles
the ICT universe and for those who interact
and practices could also:
within it.
• Strengthen human and social capital.
ICT Culture Benefits • Enhance organizational integrity.
For the NGO/nonprofit community around • Promote economic self-sufficiency, and
the world, communication and access to optimize a community’s choices for greater
success.
current information is essential and
necessary for engagement in the ICT culture
of the 21st century and, more importantly,
for promoting economic self-sufficiency.
Integrating the philosophy of information
literacy within NGO operating cultures could
provide the benefits as given in the diagram
3
4. Day To Day Challenges
Most large and small NGO/nonprofits around the world share a similar set of global concerns.
On a more micro level, smaller human service NGO/nonprofits are also experiencing severe
knowledge management challenges.
The following list of challenges directly impact the ability to cope with the introduction
and/or modest expansion of ICTs within NGO’s operational environments:
•Limited use of ICTs due to lack of time, training, and funding.
•Traditional ways of communication, face-to-face, still preferable.
•Limited staff time for innovative programming.
•Minimal replicability of effective programs.
• A need for “lessons learned” from both successful and unsuccessful organizational
experiences.
•Day to day reality of running and sustaining a community based organization.
•Lack of trust in varying degrees between providers, government representatives, funders,
and constituents.
•Collection of data and the measurement of outcomes required by funding sources.
•The economic climate of local communities
•The absence of organizational information literacy capabilities.
development. The creation of a vision for
any organization, urban or rural, is critical in
NGO/Non-profit information literacy
setting the foundation for an improved
strategic planning
standard of living while responding to ever-
First Phase - Develop a Vision Statement: A
changing community needs. It is essential to
vision statement articulates a glimpse of the
focus on the future in order to continue to
future for an organization. A shared vision,
meet the needs of an expanded consumer
shared responsibility, and building
base.
community are the
Second Phase –
precursors to and Senge’s Learning Organization Principles
Environmental &
set the tone for an
1. Systems Thinking Internal Scan
information
2. Personal Mastery
Analysis:
literacy strategic
planning process. Environmental Scan:
3. Mental Models
Smaller Planning in today’s
NGOs/nonprofits 4. Shared Vision dynamically charged
spend little time 5. Team Learning global marketplace,
on this aspect small NGOs/non
http://websites.quincy.edu/~chasemi/learn.htm
organizational profits need to
4
5. maintain a vigilance concerning and/or community group. It is broad in scope
environmental influences and the impact of and offers an outline of what the organization
those influences on their day-to-day will do, whom it will serve and how it will
operations such as the rapidly changing ICTs manage change using culturally appropriate
arena. Conducting internal/external formats.
environmental scans allow NGOs
Goals and Objectives-Short/interim/long
/nonprofits to evaluate:
term: Goals and objectives should be defined
•Macro environmental analysis that looks at in outcome terms rather than action
the technological, political, social, statements. They must be measurable. They
educational, and economic forces. must be realistic, yet challenging. They must
be communicated and, most importantly,
•The specific nature of the NGO/non-profit
replica. The following five areas must be
industry growth and the dynamics of
included in Goals and Objectives: Marketing,
competition.
Operations, Human Resources, Sustainability,
•Specific competitors, funding sources,
and Finances.
labour force, and community ambiance.
Internal Scan: Many small NGO/non profits
have totally inaccurate perceptions of the
state of their internal affairs. This analysis also
informs the organization whether it has the
capacity to respond to the needs of the
community and/or engage prevailing
opportunities. It is through this deliberate,
methodical approach that a meaningful
organizational profile can be attained.
Third Phase - Strategic Posture: Developing a
strategic posture determines the
organization/community overall plan of
action. Developing a mission statement an
SWOT analysis results, both environmental
scans, and the establishment of an
implementation and review process.
Fourth Phase - Action Steps :
• Develop Mission Statement: The mission
statement offers a clear word description of
the nature and service of the organization
5
6. This document was created by SAMARTHYA.
For more information about the ICT and its usage in social sector visit www.samarthya.org
About SAMARTHYA
SAMARTHYA delivers the solutions IT needs to increase the effectiveness of organizations working in the social sector.
Empowerment as "Samarthya" means in Hindi is not merely a CSR initiative; instead SAMARTHYA is a movement to empower
organizations working in social sector. We believe that NGO's need to utilize the power of technology and broaden their reach. We
believe that by using ICT, NGO's can convey their mission, their efforts to larger audience. Internet can be utilized to make people
aware of the kind of work NGO's are doing and the difference that they are making in people's life.
Samarthya is focused on creating a technology environment for NGO's so as to improve their organizational capabilities and help
them in reaching out to masses. We offer web solutions, collaboration tools, and other IT related help to NGO's.
SAMARTHYA
19/6 Main Mathura Road,
Faridabad 121006
Haryana, India
(91) 9560273728 www.samarthya.org
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