by Marilyn Mahan
February 2010
Many of us carry cell phones, some for everyday use and others in case of an emergency. We might run out of gas or forget the grocery list. In Haiti, Frances Gilles used his cell to tell his family exactly where he was trapped. Dan Woolley had a first-aid application on his phone. He used it to treat his wounds until rescuers arrived. Another person trapped in the rubble was rescued thanks to a text message. Experts determined his location by tracing the source of the message.
What a tragedy it would have been had these callers received busy signals. However, immediate response by several NGOs (non-governmental organizations) reduced that likelihood. Within an hour of the quake, the International Telecommunication Union had arranged to have additional satellite channels allocated to Haiti. Next, Telecoms Without Borders arrived bringing emergency equipment and setting up a telecom centre. This communication support enabled aid agencies to co-ordinate their efforts in finding and assisting the earthquake victims.
In a disaster situation like Haiti, computers and cell phones are clearly essential. However, throughout the developing world, these devices are also being used to improve the daily lives of the poor and powerless. Workers in various NGOs use cell phones and computers to teach agricultural techniques, publicize current market prices, and strengthen community. To do this they employ not only cell phones and computers but also MP3 players, podcasts, solar or crank radios, the whole gamut of ICT (information and communication technology).
Do you remember the ads about giving a fish to a hungry man in Peru? A fish, the ads reminded us, would only feed him for one meal while a fishing pole would feed him for life. Today, he might hold a fishing pole in one hand and a cell phone in the other. On his cell, he can get the latest market prices and thus gain a fair price for his product.
In Hong Kong, twenty migrant workers, mostly women domestic workers, took part in a workshop on radio broadcasting techniques. From that one workshop, these women were able to broadcast empowering information to other workers about their rights as migrants. The information proved so useful to other migrants that the group decided to use podcasts and MP3 players to reach even more workers with their information.
Workers' rights on podcasts? If you think podcasts and MP3 players are only for teenagers listening to rap all day, read on. Podcasts are simply audio files. As such, they can overcome literacy barriers. MP3 players run on batteries. They can overcome lack of both electricity and radio stations.
The Mbire region of Zimbabwe has neither electricity nor radios. So, the aptly named NGO, Practical Action, gathers agricultural information from local farmers, records it in local languages, and distributes it on MP3 players along with spare batteries. Local farmers now learn about identifying and treating livestock diseases and about harvesting, storing and marketing their crops. Now that the podcasts reach 75% of the area, milk production has increased from 0.5 litres to two litres per cow per day while livestock birth rates have increased by 18%.
You might wonder who pays for all this work. Charitable and religious organizations, foundations, and individuals are the main supporters. Several Canadian organizations are involved in projects like those described in this article. Among them is the World Association for Christian Communication, or WACC. In Haiti, WACC is raising funds to re-establish the 250 community radio stations destroyed by the quake. They are also supporting an international solidarity camp to help mobilize and transfer resources directly to Haitian women.
WACC, a global organization with representation in 120 countries, was founded on the belief that “...communication is a basic human right that defines people’s common humanity, strengthens cultures, enables participation, creates community, and challenges tyranny and oppression.” WACC's mission is to promote communication for social change.
In Canada, the Anglican, United and Presbyterian Churches all support WACC. So, you are already helping them to reduce the digital divide, today's Tower of Babel. Please visit their website and learn about the critical role that ICT plays in decreasing poverty and increasing social justice. Below are links to specific topics on the website such as Christian principles of communication, the fundamentals of communication rights and how those rights apply, for example, to indigenous peoples or to people with AIDS. That's only a start.