Report (Part 1): Conference on Volunteering and ICTs

Where We Are Now: Current Status of Volunteerism and ICTs by Region 1

Date: 7 December 2003, 9h30 to 10h15
Moderator: Mahendranath Busgopaul, Halley Movement Mauritius, IAVE Africa
Reporters: Randy Schmieder, Laila Petrone, Cornelia Rauchberger
Speakers: Viola Krebs, ICVolunteers and Foal Point of the WSIS Volunteer Family; Henri Valot and Mérault B. Ahouangansi, VNU International, IT Specialist of the PAVD; Diana Trahan of Netcorps-Cyberjeunes

This session continued to examine the current status of volunteering and new technologies in all areas of the world, analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in each region.

Viola Krebs, of ICVolunteers and Focal Point for WSIS Volunteer Family, provided a background and history of the Volunteer Family for the WSIS, summarizing its activities and main achievements. One of the major milestones was the International Symposium on Volunteering and the Development of Human Capacity in the Information Society (ISV 2003), held in Dakar from 23 to 25 October 2003.

Krebs stressed the importance of local knowledge in implementing projects and made reference to Tim Burners Lee, who when creating http did it on his own initiative rather than being carried by an organization. She summarized the Volunteer Family’s plans for the future and underlined that “we are just at the beginning. It is important to make sure that we are able to adapt to the true needs present in the field.”

Krebs further said that the WSIS is an opportunity to identify the challenges we are confronted with when referring to technology. She stressed: “We must be able to ‘change information into knowledge. Volunteers are playing a key role in the development of this knowledge society.” Quoting several examples of volunteer work, she mentioned the Dakar Symposium and described how volunteers and experts can work together on these projects.

Krebs mentioned the photo exhibition shown at the ICT4D Exhibit of more than 70 photographs taken by 10 photographers showing images from around the world capturing the interactions of volunteerism and ICTs. She also referred to the film “Something out of nothing”, an inquiry about the use of the Internet in Senegal and Mali.

imageHenri Valot and Merault Ahouangansi, of United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV), presented one of their projects based in Mali. They talked about the challenges, objectives and perspectives of the project, pointing out the importance of dialog and cooperation between countries, using the example of how ‘industrialized’ countries donating old computers have given a country like Mali the opportunity to start registering newborn babies.

Valot summarized the main challenges facing volunteerism in Africa. These revolve around sensitization and the need for equipment. He then went on to present his work with the Mayor of Timbuktu, as well as Afrique Initatives and other actors who have helped put together the first online city hall of Mali (www.tombouctou.net). He also mentioned UNITeS, the United Nations Technology Service (www.unites.org), a program of UNV. He outlined the role of UNV, which in this context is offering training in collaboration with local and national partners.

Diana Trahan presented Netcorps (Cyberjeunes), a program of Canada Monde, which allows young Canadians to experience volunteer work in Africa, Latin America or Eastern Europe. Netcorps’ work mainly involves web-based ICT-volunteering, training, as well as web and database programming.

Netcorps is a five-year old Canadian coalition of 19 NGOs, financed by the government of Canada. Each year, Netcorps sends more than 250 volunteers around the world to help in almost every sector, from agriculture to development. Among others, Netcorps (Cyberjeunes) works with Geekcorps (www.geekcorps.org), a US-based organization that matches private sector experts with needs in developing countries. Netcorps (Cyberjeunes) also works with Netcorps Americas (www.netcorpsamericas.org), a project of the Trust of the Americas (TOA) that specializes in providing technological assistance to people with disabilities in the Americas. Using technology volunteers, Net Corps Americas recruits and sends approximately fifteen to twenty English and Spanish speaking volunteers skilled in ICTs to help its partner organizations.

Trahan went on to explain that in the beginning (1999), finding volunteers was a problem due to poor marketing. However, with experience, word of mouth, and a convenient change in the economy, things have changed for the better.