Technology plus Community Development

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

KUMAH ERIC JUNIOR

MARCH 2009

ABSTRACT:

In today's world, technological know-how has occupied many facets of human being life. From its huge have an effect on on our education and also professional development, to the a lot more delicate presence regarding very little gizmos littering our own homes, technological innovation is almost everywhere.

The advantages of like pervasiveness would likely boil down to be able to quite a few properties this technology independently possesses. One this kind of characteristic, that is regarding major attention to numerous scholars, will be appearing to be loss of obstacles for you to that spread involving technology. It simply penetrates societies as well as even to remote communities, and when it reaches their destination and also assaults on, them gets to be apparently tough to quit their spread. As due to this, client technological innovation just like cellular phones, computers, PDAs, radios and tv's have grown to be common in spots for instance Africa, despite having many of the obstacles one could have envisaged.

Sadly, it does not have a great deal analysis to realize that even although technologies usage is actually expanding swiftly throughout Africa, we still have numerous developmental issues in your continent. This is often a predicament in which innovative technological innovation is coexisting by using underdevelopment within Africa. With many of the strength that technological innovation wields, will probably be a good exercise to help analyze your means with which it can always be made use of to resolve most of people quite difficulties there are take place to help meet. In essence, making use of our own minor gadgets in order to resolve some of our large problems.

This is the foundation alongside which often this particular research is undertaken. Asking regardless of whether our troubles may be fixed at all, and then enumerating instances exactly where advancement projects which utilize technologies are actually put to work, as well as concluding through analyzing the particular cases along with drawing tuition from them.

CHAPTER. 1.

INTRODUCTION

The restricts to what exactly the human being thoughts could conceive and obtain are usually increasing. More breakthrough discoveries have got been recently made, additional items are actually created, more notions were turned out plus disproved, extra machines are already produced in addition to more issues happen to be created. Scientific technology has become the driving induce driving many these. Science provides really proved to become successful application containing touched lots of people in addition to provides fashioned a lot of communities.

According into the Concise Oxford dictionary 10th edition, engineering is usually the necessary paperwork connected with scientific knowledge with regard to practical purposes. Clearly using this explanation we could note that logical know-how may well happen to be in theory nevertheless it solely turns into engineering any time it's used throughout practical settings. For example we all may well claim the knowledge on the regulations connected with up-thrust and buoyancy is theoretical, nevertheless sensible utilization associated with these guidelines to help manufacture airplanes could end up being termed aeroplanes technology.

Again according to that Concise Oxford dictionary 10th edition, a area is the people today of the community deemed collectively, while advancement is definitely spelled out to imply growing or maybe bring about growing plus come to be greater as well as much more advanced. By deduction, area progression might be explained to become the actual growth or maybe progression of a group of people.

Today, the globe possesses become hugely technological, and issues which will from the seventies would have exceeded for scientific discipline fiction are actually hence seen everyday that they have almost become necessities. From every single place in the world, technological innovation possesses worldwide acceptance, it will be huge and also has the capability to be able to drastically change situations.

Any make an attempt to ascribe reasons pertaining to this specific pervasiveness associated with technology will have got quite a few suggestions, some of which can be of which devices have been proven more efficient when compared with mankind at a number of tasks, machines usually are less malfunction prone, unprejudiced and also certainly not find tired similar to humans. Another could be the amplified sophistication regarding people as well as clerk fact that both equally complicated messengers to help you us perform many tasks, which is related to the interesting nature involving engineering that will stick to more advanced means of carrying out a thing is definitely found, the item will become virtually unthinkable to use in order to exercise simply by "old fashioned" means.

With like great scale interplay involving these kinds of and much more factors, you can find very little cause for being surprised by the quick emergence with automatic machines to deal with the small projects associated with old; washing floors, cleanup clothes, chopping bread, preparing cake etc. the list will go on plus on.

And that may be far coming from all plus the record involving modern possibilities can be endless. In truth, a few of these innovations have got fashioned the entire world in addition to there are numerous illustrations to cite. The discovery associated with electrical power as well as r / c wave equally improved that world. Today, desktops are modifying the entire world sometimes faster. Now having cell phones, brand-new opportunities possess are available along with your creativity has become really the only constraining factor. We can certainly exclusively wait for the upcoming major idea to get produced and which is aware of precisely what it can be?

The photo associated with technological improvement is possibly not some sort of entirely rosy one. Indeed, there are numerous minuses to help scientific discipline since well, including the introduction of new varieties of danger which are available because of this of modern forms of technology, for instance this nuclear bomb originated from nuclear technology, sudden genetic variations are generally as the result associated with genetic engineering, plus the many and tiny spoke of toxins which often can ruin the ozone as well as warm this planet.

The seriousness on the disadvantages with engineering have caused some people to dispute that design advancement, that is among controlled development, is generating us all more of sophisticated entities but fewer of humans. In other words, you'll find become better scientists, bankers along with authorities along with even worse individual beings. Martin Luther King puts this kind of argument succinctly any time he reported "Our controlled electrical power has outrun our own spiritual power, we have advised missiles plus misguided men."

The negatives this technologies gives are difficulties which involve serious examination to ascertain what can be carried out to wipe out these folks or perhaps from least minimize their outcomes seeing that technological know-how possesses definitely appear that will stay, and yes it can be to our advantages to learn how to help it inside techniques that can possibly be the perfect to us.

But irrespective of your drawbacks listed here as well as the many much more unnamed, we certainly have noticed that marilyn and i can certainly still derive many benefits from development as well as presented that people live in, or perhaps at least come from, an element of the entire world when progression remains an important headache, we ought to be the very first to begin a significant research of your trend and discover how best we could apply it for you to your advantage. We may become amazed to see that the good news is excellent viability in making use of some of our little gizmos in order to resolve some of our big problems.

Let us ensure it is clear of which the use of the following documents is actually to not ever existing engineering as being the magic solution that may crystal clear your large number of difficulties inside a whiff, technology solely is not going to solve Africa's difficulties simply because your problems are generally too complex, as well deep as well as also mind-boggling for every simplistic structure that they are successful. We can simply be successful when when have your additional complete method to that problem, for you to comprise strong determination to serious research, business from the correct structures, along with the taking involving needed initiatives. It will be mistaken that will assume that technology around themselves is actually inherently good, as well as just simply implementing the idea alone is going to be ample to realize the proper job result3. Though technology may perhaps be able to perform anything, folks should hold the prospect to commute t hem inside the perfect direction.

Only on this expertise could most people make every meaningful acquires throughout the particular progress agenda.

In our own unique context, Africa features proved in which state-of-the-art engineering could coexist by using underdevelopment. People have satellite televisions though you can find zero teachers in the classrooms, we've found mobile devices as well as wallet PCs and devices but your streets tend to be nonetheless not known as properly, there is certainly nevertheless a large number of illiterates one of many those who private as well as utilize cell phone phones, distribution associated with health care details is continue to your challenge while considerably involving men and women gain access to radio as well as TV. This sorry checklist is actually endless.

CHAPTER 2:

CAN TECHNOLOGY REALLY ADDRESS OUR PROBLEMS?

From healthcare, admission to water and lifestyle expectancy, for you to governance, industrialization and in many cases the quality of people life, you will find quite a few problems struggling with African communities.

Today all of us are said to possibly be requires you're going to this info age, an era where having access to facts is the different driving force in the world. The proliferation belonging to the Internet and World Wide Web possesses reduced the actual entire world into a enormous audience by using unprecedented admission to substantial numbers involving information. This transmission is definitely unencumbered as well as the actual formation regarding alliances will be unhindered by natural distance, country's or maybe political borders4. With the many characteristics that modernity brings, technologies holders tall as a preferred to achieve any kind of meaningful environmentally friendly development for many people reasons.

Principal between these kinds of reasons may be the undeniable fact that now there is enhanced understanding of underdevelopment among Africans themselves, which will might be from the data age, along with a good superior idea which our scenarios may be made around. This is actually markedly different from ages ago when there seems to be considerably involving resignation as well as give up hope among african american professionals. Evidence to support this may be the observation very much far more concept is getting focused with the Africa integration intention and more significant interest currently being settled to the Economic partnership accords (EU- ECOWAS).

Another positive indicator is usually the actual expanding number of qualified and skilled manufacturing experts around the confront regarding the actual continent. Granted, this increased quantities by themselves will never be a great indicator, nevertheless with all the holistic strategy spoke of earlier, one can possibly see a sign regarding wish which usually exhibits in which you can find very high possible regarding achievement inside a well nevertheless away scheme for you to utilize technology to solve some of our developmental problems.

Another excellent point is a man or women work that is definitely staying executed by simply distinct groupings implementing various solutions (studies belonging to the local chieftaincy system pertaining to e.g.) at hoping to solve identical problems. This is clear proof to state in which beyond the actual a higher standard commitment, there were genuine attempts from trouble solving. Even when a number like attempts never have been successful due to a number of conflicts while in the way, that experiences are actually accumulated as well as classes were attracted from them which in turn will possibly be utilised for future use.

Finally you will discover places where important strides have already been created around Africa. Statistics demonstrate such as which there has been remarkable advancements within girl student enrollments around sites like Nigeria, Kenya along with Zambia5. This is definitely a feather within our cover and also such regions may assist as boosters to face the other darkish spots.

All all these entail most of us could possibly be closer than previously in order to solving our problems, and also almost all that will be quit will probably be a couple of giant forces forward.

This can be exactly where technological innovation shows up into your picture. It is a one thing this seems to be able to know not any barriers, catches about quickly plus includes the electricity to help transform also this almost all remotely unavailable locations remaining to be able to newer internet business towns. It is definitely ubiquitous. Its improvements speed up by means of your month. As a result, it is one of the most likely tool to obtain whatever meaningful.

In the early on 90's, students explained Africa seeing that being remaining inside a design apartheid 6. Today however, with increased globalization conceivably your a little bit much better snapshot might be painted. Even though Africa is just not inside league from the innovators from the the majority of work of fiction endeavours and all of us most likely are not doing while beneficial by using engineering since most people should to, as well as when many others are, most people could nonetheless include something constructive to be able to report. For example, using some cases, Africa actually has comparable human in addition to components resources. Therefore, "apartheid" will no longer always be a precise meaning with the predicament precisely as it stands.

As mentioned before in such a paper, technology on it's own will never resolve our problems. But having very really serious considerations employing lively participation, a comprehensive and properly while away plan that incorporates technologies shall be an incredibly workable solution.

However choosing a check out the many tries made until now as well as their clerk conflicts and effects if any, one may possibly say with certainty that could the many proper enclosed compliments, know-how will produced pretty significant profits in spurring the actual progression goal on.

CHAPTER 3:

HOW IS TECHNOLOGY BEING USED TO SOLVE PROBLEMS?

Across several countries around the world, persons have made severe strides from making use of technological knowledge in order to resolve most of approach associated with problems. Many concerns have arisen outside these kinds of attempts, and also below became short summaries involving most of people destinations where handy scientific know-how may be utilised for that progress with the community.

3.1 ELECTIONS

In Africa's the latest governance history, elections will always be a new challenge. It is usually nearly impossible to find an entirely free and also reasonable voting exercise, although contested elections, illegal processes, not for see-thorugh irregularities along with simple ineffectiveness are generally commonplace. With your background connected with poverty, it's not very difficult to be familiar with the reason the particular buy-ins are and so excessive around African politics plus why power is very money-making in this particular part of that world. This definitely not withstanding however, we have a good range associated with unrests that can have got recently been averted in the event virtually any election can be proven to be fair, no cost and also transparent to an worthwhile degree.

Attaining this particular excellent level features showed difficult pertaining to explanations on the complicated interplay of a few elements including, a administration started electoral commission, your successful usually takes many setting, as well as simply no inspiration that will get along with the particular correct virtues. Knowing which power is definitely and so rewarding any time anyone take place using this successful calls for just about all setting, really it is very difficult for you to make proceed with manipulate from the electoral process. This can be one drive for any dishonourable behaviors of which sad to say most of us see really often.

Because elections are really concerning and they also necessitate sophisticated programs that span a number of regions (from a voter's household to the polling station, the actual collation center, this electoral payment headquarters, anyone space plus back to the voter's home), It comes after this unless you are seeking to help to make open event of this nefarious activity, you'll must be tactical to reach your goals during these dishonorable acts. The practices engaged are vastly different but that they almost always entail series of serves that are meant to prevent facts out of getting yourself into the public domain. So in which for example, numbers could be altered whenever provided that the initial and genuine people do not get into the particular hands in the public.

If democratic control were really understood, it will have no attempt for election rigging. But since all of us are usually currently not for the reason that ideal stage, election checking is usually one application we are able to exploit in order to at the very least structure the option for cheating.

Mobile phone technology is staying used in selection overseeing using some African international locations below a new system associated with election overseeing referred to as "parallel reporting". Parallel reporting is simply a good procedure for election supervising whereby independent observers distribute media from the ballots counted in the fundamental level, which usually could be the polling station. The stats are usually in that case relayed to help a good self-sufficient core wherever they're just collated along with cross checked along with recognized stats publicised by the electoral commission.

One selling point of this kind of design is seen of which it's going to make it increasingly hard for an electoral commission to attempt to fraudulently sway the outcomes inside the favour involving virtually any regarding the contesting parties. The distribution or even relaying associated with the results figures are usually done largely having mobile phones. Senegal is usually an instance of any country wherever this specific project provides happen to be successful.

3.2 HEALTHCARE

The stats received from health-related research usually are interesting. Figures show which a many of the your planet's HIVAIDS upset folks are now living Africa. At the identical time, one of several raising real estate markets pertaining to client electronics such as mobile or portable devices, instant PC and so on might be observed throughout Africa. This shows a population overlap, which is only a good idea which some degree of homework continues to be directed towards attempting to figure out ways to be able to integrating technology around treating the actual numerous health conditions with the particular encounter on the continent7.

Tuberculosis (TB) is certainly considered one of many deadliest diseases recognised to be able to man. Apart from your risk that very transmittable bacterial condition presents to help human life, the idea additionally enjoys many more notoriety for reducing that sufferer's immune : process for making the idea effortless for other diseases, which might include different degrees of harmfulness, for you to infiltration the actual sufferer.

As when which were definitely not enough, TB is known for a fatal habit associated with mutating with the least case regarding substance non adherence. Therefore almost any TB caregiver knows which a person whom shows non complying having drug policies will be appears possibly not considering having healed. As due to this, with the years, solutions to enforce strict adherence associated with treatment have been tested out but accomplishment offers mainly eluded caregivers.

In South Africa, the good news is very laudable project, the SimPill's award-winning Adherence System project, which usually uses a real-time administration program to improve adherence to be able to drugs prescribed by doctors to take care of long-term illnesses - specially tuberculosis, which is an important cause of loss of life associated with persons experiencing HIV.

3.3 SOCIAL ISSUES

Serious jobs that will make use of know-how to handle social troubles happen to be applied within South Africa. One this sort of thought referred to as Fahamu's Umn Yango (meaning ‘doorway' throughout isiZulu) provides been applied that will restrain household violence by means of equipping of those with cell phones seeing that resources to monitor and article abuse. Under this particular scheme, subjects use cellular phones for you to call up some sort of predefined in addition to common variety and supply particulars from the abuse.

The fear associated with getting victimized possesses always produced it problematical with regard to victims, witnesses as well as relations that will step up along with resort grievances for the applicable authorities. There usually are and also the places when folks experienced claimed abuses as well as have been picked after by this abuser. We have had good friends of an patient canceling a good neglect connected with his or her good friend only going property to become abused themselves through their particular husband and wife when consequence regarding "poking their noses with different peoples' business". These fine citizens were made to pay the price for exposing a wrong thing.

This concern possesses also been totally taken off underneath this specific task due to the supply of anonymity, the telephone call up could possibly be produced with secret, and in some cases that details with the reporter will not be always required. This is usually a sharpened vary towards circumstances during the past wherever victims, neighbours, or perhaps witnesses were instructed to join a law enforcement place in making your formal report.

Apart from success chalked within the amount of accounts which have been received, there has also recently been a reduction from the quantities with abuse cases. This can be partly from the deterring sensation involving would-be abusers that, virtually any passerby having your phone might just simply make certain that they purchase a go to coming from a new criminal court detective pertaining to other half battering.

3.4 ANIMAL FARMING

Technology in addition has also been put in order to great easy use in farming.

Farmers who seem to back cattle throughout tiny herds, around time, produce a personal rapport while using animals, the particular farmer is aware of just about all as well as can certainly detect some sort of missing animal as well as a sick one using just some sort of glance. However, since it will take many months associated with careful observation from the practices of each and every cow to know every single puppy well enough to adopt notice as soon as there is an illness and also while an animal really does definitely not ruminate properly, this activity could often be unproductive when this were being completed by the individual shepherd with a substantial herd.

To remedy this specific situation, your engineering regarding music tags provides also been designed inside Europe. This project uses a tag, which can be your belt installed with devices along with donned all over every single animal's neck. These devices watch a number of signals including animal's quote connected with rumination, voice clarity, digestion of food and also inhaling and exhaling as well as send the info collected to help your main computer.

Over time period the particular computer has learned what is typical intended for every cow and will notify this shepherd any time a thing runs erroneous with a cow.

The advantage of this specific task is this a farmer usually takes quick and also certain measures such as giving therapy to the unique puppy involved. This removes your really need to allow standard cures to the full herd, that is both time frame as well as money wasting.

These are generally a few of the approaches that will technology is actually being employed towards amplified development.

CHAPTER 4

WHAT LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNT?

No make any difference the best way probable a preview as well as venture sounds, there are sure that they are troubles spotted inside the deployment of the project. In achieving the preceding projects, following will be a lot of the difficulties one will probably be faced with:

In that selection checking program, misinformation have been identified to be one of the challenges starring this program within the face. It very well that will as soon as everything is just not local within the hands and wrists connected with government, and then extra transparency will possibly be achieved, but it is usually genuine that mass fast untrue stories remains an less than comfortable possibility.

Another problem could come to the forefront when there's a circumstance where folks do not specifically confidence their education of independence from the and so labeled self-sufficient observers. It may perhaps lead to a challenge wherever functions could hired some sort of slur on the popularity of the observers in order to make use of this producing mistrust setting the phase for your achievable being rejected involving the results.

Overall this is a laudable idea in case some sort of means of verification ended up added, your stats would likely signify much more to your lots of people.

Whilst celebrating that successes chalked, it is crucial to take note this many other factors had to development in advance of a state might shift towards a far more democratic model of governance. According to be able to African political expert, Sheldon Gellar, these kinds of alterations include: growth separate media, developing plus being sure mobility associated with civil society, decentralizing power, ceding extra manipulate that will local governments, empowering women of all ages and also improving upon judicial systems to ensure liberty plus power to punish.

Governance is actually one region which is arranged to obtain quite a few services the following method when employed judiciously, unilateral rule and arbitrary steps can be lessened near a additional participatory approach to help command in Ghana

Technology might support accomplish those goals to help several extent, while conversation has been the key that will alleviating oppression.

In most of the cases, like the selection monitoring or home-based physical violence reporting, the web may be helpful to offer smaller communities together with way to communicate, to prepare and obtain excellent information that is not really restricted by the government. However, this can be not practical around Africa given that merely a little fraction connected with Africans possess reasonable admission to internet.

In your healthcare project, standard mismanagement continues to be defined as one of the the reason why quite a few plans seem to skid to be able to halt soon after staying piloted. Needed money may not be often there for people who have to have them.

Another issue witnessed ended up being that the folks who will probably be with the project will not be always discussed within the designing as well as considering from the ideas, therefore the good news is deficiency of communication among beneficiaries, well being professionals, technologists, as well as managers.

Another challenge was the actual larceny regarding mobile phone phones. Although phones really are a somewhat low-cost technology, these people even now hold extensive benefit throughout poverty-stricken areas, and are generally stolen. And, such theft will probably rise as most of these systems come to be a growing number of complex. However that is definitely pretty debatable because a number of analysts dispute of which dropping a cellular telephone with a burglar is fewer on the monetary reduction than burning off an added costly machine.

In that household violence undertaking one stumbling obstruct seemed to be the particular communication gap involving the different gatherings linked to that system. Feedback was mainly not often known and also men and women could not explain to whether their input had been useful - or even received, and in some cases, police officers who acquire announcements canceling violence next to women of all ages might not exactly end up being made ready to respond.

Another difficulty appeared to be that unfortunate scenario where several unethical people produced your function more difficult for your authorities by means of raising phony alarms. This could be tackled simply by education and learning and also the incorporation of punitive measures.

However make use of helpful punitive measures, extremely leading-edge know-how is going to be required, by way of example to determine a precise cellular phone subscriber, as well as make a change against these like keeping their Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Cards etc.

And the usual issue with funding in most tasks is usually at any time present as well, which is extra predominant one while in the animal parenting project.

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

Granted, you'll find problems this occur inside utilizing technologies for you to achieve advancement goals, but such projects even now hold good potential in addition to the actual expenditures associated with virtually any obstacle will not stand with comparing towards pressure of underdevelopment along with poverty. So you can merely strive in order to work more difficult at such solutions.

Our progression effort plus projects have to imagine extra critically regarding sustainability in addition to scalability. One critical consideration during this direction is usually the particular affordability associated with the programmes we all strategy plus develop. The more inexpensive options have got a higher possibility of success, and so the news that a lot of the development assignments do not demand every extremely complex or brand-new gadgets is certainly nice to note.

Also over the generation in addition to deploying involving just about any project, enough consultation should be completed to ensure that you can find a new general buy-in to the concept with the game designers for the beneficiaries. This could make a perception receive a typical good sense with ownership.

The high quality belonging to the administration must also be superior and options needs to be put in place to be sure the correct points are generally done.

Identifying that issue can be half the particular solution. We witout a doubt now have more significant interest and also many of us include created a few tries with handling them. Putting some of our operates collectively to be able to attract the instructions in addition to re-strategizing which includes a fresh tactic -technology, is merely how you can go. I am confident in the viability of the following brand new approach.

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