Capacity Development Initiatives for Marginal Communities

Capacity development initiatives for marginal communities with information and knowledge under the contemporary global scenario perhaps could be one of the effective instruments to make a meaningful change towards sustainable human development in developing countries. Information networking can play a key role in the initiatives toward enhancing opportunities for improved livelihood, health for all, food security, disaster management, and sustainable development. Best practices are already known in this regard such as e-commerce for better livelihood and employment, telemedicine for health, tele-food for food security, early warning for disaster preparedness, and sustainable development network as a comprehensive treatment for the sustainable development. This chapter focuses on how capacity development initiatives for marginal communities work with reference toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in developing countries. It approaches the issues and concerns related with the empowerment of the marginal communities, problems, and apprehensions in human and social capacity development in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. A lot more effort is required from governments, NGOs, and other multilateral agencies in order to bring about a sustainable mechanism of ICT planning, implementations, and development in developing countries. This chapter aims at highlighting the importance of ICT development, and the issues and concerns that are related for its expansion in the developing world for securing sustainable development.

Building Virtual Communities Through a De-Marginalized View of Knowledge Networking

The chapter investigates an actionable context of knowledge networking, from the perspective of sustainable development which should accommodate the building of communities in cyberspace so much exemplified in today’s Internet and World Wide Web. The premise of this exploration is that members, or participants, in any community are engaged in learning that is critical to the survival and reproduction of that community. Through community participation, learners find and acquire models and have the opportunity themselves to become models and apprentices of others. This investigation provides a basis for thinking about the possibilities of a virtual community and the dynamics of its construction across a variety of computer-based contexts. The design and refinement of technology as the conduit for extending and enhancing the possibilities of virtual community building is an essential issue, but the role of the individuals as participants in such a community is as important. The idea of sustainable knowledge networking is to bring about continual learning and change for the community in need. The emergent challenge of such a mission is to de-marginalize many of the non-technical issues of building virtual communities for knowledge transfer and learning. The chapter concludes by reiterating the challenge of expositing what it means to create an appropriate context of knowledge networking through which purposeful actions can be supported with the elaboration of suitable information technologies.

Community-Based Information Technology Interventions for Persons with Mental Illness

The chapter provides the reader with an overview of the problems persons with mental illness experience in their everyday life, and guides readers through how ICT access and usage can be approached in order to empower such a marginalized population in both developed and developing countries. It argues that, since isolation is their main problem, networking those people with reliable sources of medical information, providers of distance training and learning, and online self-help communities can have a profound impact on lifting their marginalization. The author hopes that the role ICT can play for these people will no longer be overlooked or neglected, and that policymakers will be inspired to use ICT worldwide to defeat mental illness by implementing solutions tailored on these people’s needs.

Helping Close the Digital Divide for Financially Disadvantaged Seniors

The Internet has become an essential element of all society today. Those who can access the World Wide Web have become active participants in the Information Age. Unfortunately, many individuals throughout the world do not have ready access to the needed technology. Furthermore, they do not have the required knowledge and skills to use the technology and cannot participate actively. As a result, this has created a world of information haves and have-nots. In this chapter, after examining the concept of the digital divide, data is presented that shows that those with low incomes and those who are older have little access to technology and the use of computers. Low-income seniors are especially limited in their opportunities to own a computer, and they seldom have the skills needed to use one for e-mail, search the Internet, and so forth, even if they visit a public library where they could use a computer without any cost. Various approaches being used to help seniors learn how to use computers are described, andthen the chapter focuses on two projects that have proved to be successful in this effort. SeniorNet is a national organization that helps establish learning centers around the country. The approach used at one such center, located at Nova Southeastern University in South Florida, requires seniors to pay for their courses. A second project is known as SeniorComp and is supported by private foundation funds. Ten low-income senior citizens are selected for each group of seniors in this project. They are given a complete Dell computer system, and their tuition is paid to take four of the SeniorNet courses. At the end of the fourth course, ownership of the computer system is turned over to the individual participant. To date, the completion rate has been 100%. The approaches used can serve as models for others to modify and use in their own communities. By adopting a similar approach, the impact of the digital divide can be significantly reduced for those low-income seniors that participate in the project. In this way, this portion of the marginal community can be empowered.

Social Structures for Access, Use, and Development

This chapter focuses on the importance of social structures in enabling equitable access opportunities and useful applications of ICTs. It further argues for the importance of community involvement and organizational learning in designing ICT policy and projects with access and development-related objectives. Funders and policy makers have tended to overlook these and overemphasized technical dimensions of projects and accountability at the expense of social aspects and flexibility required to incorporate learning back into projects. After reviewing the literature, the chapter presents an example of a program in Uganda and a short project in Ghana which both used organizational partnerships and created strong community links to facilitate ICT-enabled development. This underscores the need for policy makers to create a climate in which not-for-profit organizations are able to create these kinds of partnerships and create meaningful community links.

Diversity Chalenges in Online Learning

Delivering online quality education and equal access requires a commitment to diverse learner populations. This chapter outlines some of the reasons why online learning has become a popular vehicle for pursuing educational goals for minority learners. The author also indicates challenges that must be overcome in order to serve a diverse online student body. She also urges educational leadership to begin a dialogue on on-learning and communication styles, cultural competence in curriculum, academic preparedness, language barriers, and access to technology as they relate to success in the online learning environment.

Enacting and Interpreting Technology- From Usage to Well-Being

Under which conditions can information and communications technologies (ICTs) enhance the well-being of indigenous communities? This chapter investigates this question, focusing on the role of information and communications technology in promoting indigenous peoples’ development. First, the chapter analyzes key factors under which information and knowledge can be instrumental and substantive for the empowerment of marginalized groups. Hereby, it will be argued that improved informational capabilities, similar to the enhancement of a person’s writing and reading skills, can enhance poor people’s capabilities to make strategic life choices and to achieve the lifestyle they value. The chapter develops an alternative evaluation framework for ICT interventions based on Sen’s capability approach. This framework places, in contrast to the current discourse around the digital divide, the human development of the poor and not technology at the center of the analysis. The chapter concludes that a direct and causal relationship between ICTs and enhanced well-being does not exist, but that in fact this relationship is being shaped by a dynamic, multi-dimensional interrelationship between technology and the social context.

Sustaining Internet Accessibility

In this chapter, accessibility is defined as providing barrier-free Internet applications for those with physical and other disabilities. In some nations, accessibility to government Web sites and Web-based applications is the law. In the private sector, providing accessible Web sites makes good business sense. It increases productivity of employees who use it, expands the markets of businesses that provide it, and enhances the reputation of organizations that employ it. Although there are cost and time challenges for Web designers who incorporate accessibility, these may be overcome through careful planning and a through understanding of accessible design principles. Accessible design means simple design, which benefits all users.

Connecting the First Mile

This chapter characterises the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) to share information with people at grassroots as connecting the first mile. It examines the literature about connecting the first mile and identifies the key debates: whether solutions should be participatory or top-down, technological or social, whether they should focus on global or local information, and the overall potential of ICTs for development. The chapter synthesises the lessons from a range of practical studies to identify the factors that contribute to the success of a project. A framework of best practice is offered, divided into three dimensions: the environment, the project level, and the local level. Whilst recognising that initiatives will vary according to the local context, the authors offer the best practice framework to support practitioners in addressing the challenges of connecting the first mile and empowering marginal communities to participate effectively in the information society.

Affecting Change from the Grassroots

Information and communication technology (ICT) is a potentially potent force for empowering marginal communities in developing countries. To be successful, ICT projects must involve local stakeholders, provide participatory forms of communication, and take advantage of local networks of relationships. Drawing from concepts originally presented in the management classic Influence Without Authority and the authors’ fieldwork, this chapter helps grassroots organizers to develop a key set of skills for choosing community development agendas, and provides a practical step-by-step guide for mobilizing diverse stakeholders in support of desired outcomes. This chapter showcases empowering social processes that can prepare marginalized individuals to take best advantage of a well-conceived ICT project. The goal of using ICT [information and communication technology] with marginalized groups is not to overcome a digital divide but rather to further a process of social inclusion. To accomplish this, it is necessary to focus on the transformation, not the technology. (Mark Warschauer — Technology and Social Inclusion: Rethinking the Digital Divide)