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TECHNOLOGY AS WELL AS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

May 4, 2005 # 6:53 pm # Technology # No Comment

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

KUMAH ERIC JUNIOR

MARCH 2009

ABSTRACT:

In today’s world, record has invaded many aspects of tellurian life. From a enormous shift upon a preparation as good as veteran development, to a some-more pointed appearance of little gadgets littering a homes, record is roughly everywhere.

The reasons for such pervasiveness would bring to boil down to a little characteristics which record by itself possesses. One such characteristic, which is of vital seductiveness to many scholars, is a ostensible miss of barriers to a widespread of technology. It simply penetrates societies as good as even to remote communities, as good as once it reaches a end as good as catches on, it becomes obviously formidable to stop a spread. As a outcome of this, consumer record similar to mobile phones, computers, PDAs, radios as good as televisions have turn hackneyed in places similar to Africa, even with all a barriers a single would have envisaged.

Sadly, it does not need many investigate to comprehend which even yet record operate is flourishing fast in Africa, we still have countless developmental problems in a continent. This is a incident where modernized record is coexistent with underdevelopment in Africa. With all a energy which record wields, it will be a utilitarian practice to investigate a ways in which it can be used to compromise a little of those unequivocally problems it has come to meet. In essence, regulating a little gadgets to compromise a immeasurable problems.

This is a credentials opposite which this investigate is undertaken. Asking either a problems can be solved during all, afterwards enumerating instances where expansion projects which implement record have been put to work, as good as final by examining a cases as good as sketch lessons from them.

CHAPTER. 1.

INTRODUCTION

The boundary to what a tellurian thoughts can detect as good as grasp have been increasing. More discoveries have been made, some-more things have been created, some-more theories have been valid as good as disproved, some-more machines have been finished as good as some-more problems have been created. Scientific record has been a pushing force during a behind of all these. Science has in law valid to be a absolute apparatus which has overwhelmed many people as good as has finished many communities.

According to a Concise Oxford compendium 10th edition, record is a focus of systematic believe for unsentimental purposes. Clearly from this clarification we can see which systematic believe competence exist theoretically yet it usually becomes record when it is used in unsentimental settings. For e.g. we competence contend a believe of a manners of up-thrust as good as irresolution is theoretical, however unsentimental function of these manners to have airplanes could be termed aircraft technology.

Again according to a Concise Oxford compendium 10th edition, a village is a people of an area deliberate collectively, while expansion is explained to meant to grow or equates to to grow as good as turn incomparable or some-more advanced. By deduction, village expansion could be explained to be a expansion or enrichment of a organisation of people.

Today, a universe has turn rarely technological, as good as things which in a seventies would have upheld for scholarship novella have been right away so hackneyed which they have roughly turn necessities. From any dilemma of a world, record has tellurian acceptance, it is entire as good as has a capability to dramatically shift situations.

Any try to pertain reasons for this pervasiveness of record will have many suggestions, a little of which have been which machines have been proven some-more fit than humans during a little tasks, machines have been rebate blunder prone, usually as good as never get sleepy similar to humans. Another could be a increasing miss of simplicity of humans as good as a in attendance need for similarly formidable messengers to assistance us perform many tasks, which is related to a engaging inlet of record which once a some-more modernized proceed of we do something is found, it becomes roughly inconceivable to try to do it by “old fashioned” means.

With such immeasurable scale interplay of these as good as many some-more factors, there is little reason to be astounded by a conspicuous presentation of involuntary machines to hoop a little tasks of old; cleaning floors, soaking clothes, slicing bread, blending baked sweat bread etc. a list goes upon as good as on.

And which is distant from all as good as a list of innovative possibilities is endless. In truth, a little of these innovations have finished a universe as good as there have been many examples to cite. The find of earthy materialisation as good as a air call wave both altered a world. Today, computers have been becoming opposite a universe even faster. Now with mobile phones, latest opportunities have come as good as a aptitude has turn a usually tying factor. We can usually wait for for a subsequent immeasurable thing to be combined as good as who knows what it will be?

The design of technological enrichment is not a utterly flushed one. Indeed, there have been a little minuses to scholarship as well, such as a pass of latest forms of risk which come as a effect of innovative forms of technology, for e.g. a chief explosve came from chief technology, variable genetic mutations have been as a outcome of genetic engineering, as good as a countless as good as little talked about chemicals which can fall short a ozone or comfortable a planet.

The earnest of a disadvantages of record have stirred a little people to disagree which technological advancement, which is an e.g. of systematic development, is origination us some-more of modernized entities yet rebate of humans. In alternative words, we have turn softened scientists, bankers as good as professionals as good as worse tellurian beings. Martin Luther King puts this justification succinctly when he pronounced “Our systematic energy has outpace a devout power, we have guided missiles as good as misled men.”

The disadvantages which record brings have been issues which need critical hearing to discern what can be finished to discharge them or during slightest minimize their goods given record has unequivocally come to stay, as good as it would be to a worth to clarity how to work with it in ways which will be a many profitable to us.

But notwithstanding a disadvantages listed here as good as a many some-more unnamed, we have seen which we can still get many benefits from scholarship as good as given which we live in, or during slightest come from, a partial of a universe where expansion is still a immeasurable headache, we should be a initial to begin a critical investigate of this materialisation as good as see how many suitable we can operate it to a advantage. We competence be astounded to see which there is a good viability in regulating a little gadgets to compromise a immeasurable problems.

Let us have it pure which a target of this paper is not to benefaction record as a sorcery heal which will pure a crowd of problems in a whiff, record alone will not compromise Africa’s problems given a problems have been as good complex, as good low as good as as good strenuous for any uncomplicated intrigue to be successful. We can usually grasp success when if have a some-more extensive proceed to a problem, to embody plain joining to critical research, investiture of a suitable structures, as good as a receiving of compulsory initiatives. It will be improper to pretence which record in itself is innately good, as good as usually implementing it alone will be sufficient to grasp any good result3. Though record competence be equates to to do anything, people contingency have a prophesy to expostulate it in a right direction.

Only with this believe can we have any suggestive gains in a expansion agenda.

In a sold context, Africa has valid which modernized record could coexist with underdevelopment. People have heavenly body televisions while there have been no teachers in a classrooms, we have mobile inclination as good as slot PCs as good as inclination yet a streets have been still not declared properly, there is still a immeasurable array of illiterates in in between a people who own as good as operate dungeon phones, swelling of healthcare inform is still a plea even yet a lot of people have entrance to air call as good as TV. This contemptible list is endless.

CHAPTER 2:

CAN TECHNOLOGY REALLY ADDRESS OUR PROBLEMS?

From healthcare, entrance to H2O as good as reason up expectancy, to governance, automation as good as even a peculiarity of tellurian life, there have been countless problems opposed African communities.

Today we have been pronounced to be vital in a inform age, an epoch where entrance to inform is a latest pushing force of a world. The proliferation of a Internet as good as World Wide Web has marked down a total universe to a vast assembly with rare entrance to immeasurable quantities of information. This inform exchnage is easy as good as a arrangement of alliances is without encumbrance by earthy distance, inhabitant or finished during home borders4. With all a dynamics which this modernity brings, record stands tall as a prime to grasp any suggestive tolerable expansion for many reasons.

Principal in in between such reasons is a actuality which there is softened recognition of underdevelopment in in between Africans themselves, which could be due to a inform age, as good as an softened thought which a situations can be incited around. This is considerably opposite from decades ago when there was a lot of abdication as good as despondency in in between black professionals. Evidence to await this would be a regard which many some-more suspicion is being destined during a Africa formation bulletin as good as larger courtesy being paid to a Economic partnership agreements (EU- ECOWAS).

Another certain indicator is a flourishing array of lerned as good as efficient technological professionals upon a face of a continent. Granted, a softened numbers by themselves will not be a good indicator, yet with a holistic proceed talked about earlier, a single can see a pointer of goal which shows which there is unequivocally tall intensity for success in a good yet out intrigue to implement record to compromise a developmental problems.

Another good indicate is a sold work which is being carried out by opposite groups regulating opposite approaches (studies of a inland chieftaincy complement for e.g.) during perplexing to compromise a same problems. This is pure justification to state which over a turn of commitment, there have been tangible attempts during complaint solving. Even if a little of such attempts have not been successful due to a countless hurdles in a way, a practice have been gained as good as lessons have been drawn from them which would be in operate for destiny use.

Finally there have been areas where vital strides have already been finished in Africa. Statistics uncover for e.g. which there have been conspicuous improvements in lady tyro enrollments in places similar to Nigeria, Kenya as good as Zambia5. This is unequivocally a plume in a top as good as such areas competence offer as boosters to face a superfluous dim spots.

All these indicate which we competence be closer than ever to elucidate a problems, as good as all which competence be left will be a couple of hulk pushes forward.

This is where record comes in to a picture. It is a a single thing which seems to know no barriers, catches upon simply as good as has a energy to renovate even a many remotely untouched locations upon earth to budding commercial operation towns. It is ubiquitous. Its innovations accelerate by a month. As a result, it is a many illusive apparatus to grasp anything meaningful.

In a early 90′s, scholars described Africa as being left in a technological apartheid 6. Today however, with increasing globalization maybe a somewhat softened design can be painted. Even yet Africa is not in a joining of a innovators of a many novel initiatives as good as we competence not be origination as good operate of technologies as we ought to, or as a little others are, we would still have something certain to report. For example, in a little cases, Africa essentially has allied tellurian as good as hardware resources. Therefore, “apartheid” would no longer be a accurate clarification of a incident as it stands.

As settled progressing in this paper, record alone will not compromise a problems. But with unequivocally critical considerations regulating active participation, a extensive as good as good yet out intrigue which incorporates record will be a unequivocally viable solution.

However receiving a demeanour during all a attempts finished so distant as good as their in attendance hurdles as good as goods if any, a single competence contend quietly which will all a correct concomitant compliments, record will finished unequivocally poignant gains in spurring a expansion bulletin on.

CHAPTER 3:

HOW IS TECHNOLOGY BEING USED TO SOLVE PROBLEMS?

Across many countries around a world, people have finished critical strides during utilizing technological believe to compromise all demeanour of problems. Many issues have arisen out of such attempts, as good as next have been unequivocally short summaries of a little of those places where unsentimental systematic believe has been in operate for a expansion of a community.

3.1 ELECTIONS

In Africa’s latest governance history, elections have regularly been a challenge. It is tough to find a all giveaway as good as satisfactory choosing by casting votes exercise, while contested elections, astray processes, non pure irregularities as good as elementary ineffectiveness have been commonplace. With a credentials of poverty, it is not as good formidable to assimilate given a stakes have been so tall in African governing body as good as given energy is unequivocally remunerative in this partial of a world. This not withstanding however, there is a good array of unrests which could have been avoided if any choosing is proven to be fair, giveaway as good as pure to an discernible degree.

Attaining this preferred grade has valid formidable for reasons of a formidable interplay of a little factors including, a supervision founded electoral commission, a leader takes all setting, as good as no proclivity to dedicate to a right virtues. Knowing which energy is so remunerative when we come from this leader takes all setting, it is unequivocally tough to let go of carry out of a electoral process. This is a single proclivity for a disgraceful acts which unfortunately we see utterly often.

Because elections have been rarely involving as good as they need blow up programs which camber a array of locations (from a voter’s home to a polling station, a some-more aged center, a electoral elect headquarters, a open domain as good as behind to a voter’s home), It follows which unless we have been perplexing to have open muster of your sinful activity, we would need to be tactical to be successful during such disgraceful acts. The strategy in operate competence change yet they constantly inhere array of acts which have been written to forestall inform from removing in to a open domain. So which for example, total could be altered anytime so prolonged as a strange as good as accurate ones do not get in to a hands of a public.

If approved care were honestly understood, there will be no try during choosing rigging. But given we have been right away not in which preferred stage, choosing monitoring is a single apparatus we can feat to during slightest cut a capability for cheating.

Mobile phone record is being used in choosing monitoring in a little African countries underneath a latest complement of choosing monitoring called “parallel reporting”. Parallel stating is simply an proceed to choosing monitoring whereby eccentric observers widespread headlines of a votes counted during a simple level, which is a polling station. The total have been afterwards relayed to an eccentric core where they have been collated as good as cranky checked with executive total voiced by a electoral commission.

One worth of this intrigue is seen which it will have it increasingly formidable for an electoral elect to try to fraudulently lean a formula in a foster of any of a contesting parties. The swelling or relaying of a formula total have been finished mostly with mobile phones. Senegal is an e.g. of a nation where this devise has been successful.

3.2 HEALTHCARE

The census interpretation completed from healthcare investigate have been interesting. Figures uncover which a immeasurable array of a world’s HIVAIDS cheerless people live in Africa. At a same time, a single of a flourishing markets for consumer wiring such as mobile devices, handheld Personal Computer etc competence be found here in Africa. This represents a race overlap, as good as it is usually advantageous which a little volume of investigate has been destined towards attempting to find ways to incorporating record in a diagnosis of a countless diseases upon a face of a continent7.

Tuberculosis (TB) has prolonged been good good known to be a single of a deadliest diseases good good known to man. Apart from a hazard which this rarely spreading bacterial mildew presents to tellurian life, it additionally enjoys a little a single some-more prominence for obscure a sufferer’s defence complement to have it easy for alternative diseases, which competence have assorted degrees of harmfulness, to conflict a sufferer.

As if which were not enough, TB has a lethal robe of mutating during a slightest box of drug non adherence. Therefore any TB caregiver knows which a studious who demonstrates non correspondence with drug manners is obviously not meddlesome in removing healed. As a outcome of this, over a years, ways to have eremite confluence of pill have been attempted yet success has mostly eluded caregivers.

In South Africa, there is a unequivocally commendable project, a SimPill’s award-winning Adherence System project, which uses a real-time supervision complement to enlarge confluence to medications prescribed to yield ongoing illnesses – utterly tuberculosis, which is a poignant equates to of genocide of people vital with HIV.

3.3 SOCIAL ISSUES

Serious projects which implement record to residence amicable issues have been implemented in South Africa. One such thought declared Fahamu’s Umn Yango (meaning ‘doorway’ in isiZulu) has been implemented to quell finished during home assault by equipping people with dungeon phones as collection to guard as good as inform abuse. Under this scheme, victims operate dungeon phones to call a predefined as good as renouned array as good as give sum of a abuse.

The fright of being victimized has regularly finished it formidable for victims, witnesses or kin to step up as good as board complaints to a applicable authorities. There have been examples of places where people had reported abuses as good as had been picked upon by a abuser. We have had friends of a plant stating an abuse of their crony usually to go home to be abused themselves by their spouses as low mark for “poking their noses in alternative people’s business”. These good adults were finished to compensate a cost for exposing a wrong thing.

This fright has been all separated underneath this devise given of a sustenance of anonymity, a write call could be finished in secret, as good as even a sum of a contributor have been not regularly required. This is a pointy contrariety to a incident in a past where victims, neighbours, or witnesses were compulsory to travel in to a military hire to have a grave report.

Apart from successes chalked in a array of reports which have been received, there has additionally been a rebate in a numbers of abuse cases. This competence be partly due to a deterring feeling in in between would-be abusers that, any passerby land a mobile phone competence usually have certain they get a revisit from a military investigator for associate battering.

3.4 ANIMAL FARMING

Technology has additionally been put to good operate in farming.

Farmers who back cattle in little herds, over time, climb a personal attribute with a animals, a rancher knows all of them as good as can notice a blank animal or a ill a single with usually a glance. However, given it takes months of clever regard of a poise of any cow to know any animal good sufficient to take note when there is an infection or when an animal does not browse properly, this charge would be ineffectual if it were completed by a tellurian shepherd with a immeasurable herd.

To pill this situation, a record of outspoken tags has been grown in Europe. This devise employs a tag, which is a leather belt propitious with sensors as good as ragged around any animal’s neck. These sensors guard multiform indicators such as a animal’s rate of rumination, voice clarity, digestive process as good as respirating as good as send a interpretation picked up to a executive computer.

Over time a mechanism knows what is normal for any cow as good as will forewarn a shepherd when something goes wrong with a cow.

The worth of this devise is which a rancher can take discerning as good as specific movement similar to giving diagnosis to a sold animal involved. This removes a need to give ubiquitous treatments to a total herd, which is both time as good as income wasting.

These have been a little of a ways which record is being used towards increasing development.

CHAPTER 4

WHAT LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNT?

No have a difference how earnest an thought or devise sounds, there have been firm to be problems encountered in a deployment of a project. In achieving a upon top of projects, following have been a little of a problems a single is expected to be faced with:

In a choosing monitoring program, misinformation has been identified to be a single of a problems starring a module in a face. It is loyal which when all a inform is not localized in a hands of government, afterwards a lot some-more clarity will be achieved, yet it is additionally loyal which mass misinformation stays an upsetting possibility.

Another complaint could movement when there is a incident where people do not indispensably certitude a grade of autonomy of a so called eccentric observers. It competence lead to a complaint where parties could expel a offence upon a repute of a observers so as to operate a ensuing distrust to set a theatre for a probable rejecting of a results.

Overall this is a commendable thought as good as if a equates to of corroboration were added, a total would meant many some-more to a lot of people.

Whilst celebrating a successes chalked, it is critical to note which a array of alternative factors indispensable to swell prior to a state could pierce towards a some-more approved indication of governance. According to African finished during home expert, Sheldon Gellar, these changes include: strengthening eccentric media, flourishing as good as ensuring leisure of polite society, decentralizing power, ceding some-more carry out to internal governments, lenient women as good as mending legal systems to safeguard autonomy as good as energy to punish.

Governance is a single area which is set to reap a little benefits of this materialisation when used judiciously, uneven order as good as capricious movement competence be marked down towards a some-more participatory proceed to care in Ghana

Technology could assistance grasp those goals to a little extent, as inform exchnage was a pass to overcoming oppression.

In a little of a cases, such as a choosing monitoring or finished during home assault reporting, a internet could be used to yield communities with equates to to communicate, to classify as good as acquire good inform which is not tranquil by a government. However, this is not unsentimental in Africa given usually a little commission of Africans have affordable entrance to internet.

In a healthcare project, simple mismanagement has been identified as a single of a reasons given many projects appear to movement to hindrance after being piloted. Needed supports have been not regularly accessible to those who need them.

Another complaint celebrated was which a people who will be regulating a devise have been not regularly consulted in a conceptualizing as good as formulation of a ideas, so there is a miss of inform exchnage in in between beneficiaries, illness professionals, technologists, as good as managers.

Another complaint was a burglary of dungeon phones. Although dungeon phones have been a comparatively low-cost technology, they still reason substantial worth in not prosperous areas, as good as have been ordinarily stolen. And, such burglary is expected to climb as these inclination turn some-more as good as some-more complex. However this is utterly disputable given a little analysts disagree which losing a dungeon phone to a burglar is rebate of a monetary detriment than losing a some-more dear machine.

In a finished during home assault devise a single stumbling retard was a inform exchnage opening in in between a assorted parties concerned in a system. Feedback was mostly blank as good as people could not discuss it either their submit was utilitarian – or received, as good as in a little cases, military officers who embrace messages stating assault opposite women competence not be rebuilt to respond.

Another complaint was a hapless incident where a little unethical people finished a work some-more formidable for a authorities by raising fake alarms. This could be addressed by preparation as good as a union of punitive measures.

However to operate in effect punitive measures, even some-more modernized record will be required, for e.g. to pinpoint a sold dungeon phone subscriber, as good as take movement opposite them similar to restraint their Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Cards etc.

And a usual complaint of financing in many projects is ever benefaction as well, as good as it is a some-more accepted a single in a animal rearing project.

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

Granted, there have been hurdles which exist in regulating record to grasp expansion goals, yet such efforts still reason good intensity as good as a costs of any barrier will not mount in some-more aged to a hazard of underdevelopment as good as poverty. So we can usually essay to work harder during such solutions.

Our expansion attempts as good as efforts should consider some-more severely about sustainability as good as scalability. One critical care in this citation is a affordability of a programmes we devise as good as develop. The some-more affordable options have a aloft possibility of success, so a actuality which many of a expansion projects do not need any unusually formidable or latest gadgets is in law pleasing to note.

Also via a origination as good as deploying of any project, sufficient conference should be carried out to safeguard which there is a ubiquitous buy-in in to a thought from a creators to a beneficiaries. This will have an thought authority a usual clarity of ownership.

The peculiarity of a supervision should additionally be softened as good as measures should be put in place to safeguard a right things have been done.

Identifying a complaint is half a solution. We already right away have larger recognition as good as we have finished a little attempts during elucidate them. Putting a acts together to pull a lessons as good as re-strategizing with a latest proceed -technology, is unequivocally a proceed to go. we am assured of a viability of this latest approach.

CITED REFERENCES

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Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology. Assesed 2009 Mar 27

3 Macha N. Will Technology compromise Africa’s problems?. Global Voices Online[Online]2009. Available from http://globalvoicesonline.com/ Accessed 2009 February 6.

4 Finnis A.J. Learning in a Information Age.Twinisles[Online]2009.

Available from http://dev.twinisles.com/research/learninfoage.htm. Accessed 2009 Mar 27

5 Kitetu, C. Gender in Education: An general outlook of building trends in Africa.

Available from www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/groups/crile/docs/crile54kitetu.pdf. Accessed 2009 Mar 27

6 Castells M. Information Technology Globalization as good as Social Development.[Abstract]. In UNRISD Discussion Paper No. 114.September 1999.p11.

7 Walvaren K. Did we contend dungeon phones for development? Association for Progressive Communications.[Online]2007.Available from http://www.acp.org/en/home. Accessed 2009 February 6.