Report (Part 1): Conference on Volunteering and ICTs

Where We Are Now: Current Status of Volunteerism and ICTs by Region 2

Date: 7 December 2003, 9h30 to 10h15
Moderators: Anthony Carlisle, IAVE Asia Pacific
Reporters: Randy Schmieder, Laila Petrone, Cornelia Rauchberger
Speakers:

• Sandra Blanco, Foundation for Solidarity and Voluntary Work of the Valencian Community
• Marcus Hallside, AMS - Advanced Maintenance Systems Ltd.
• Dr. Mike Naftali, Topaz International
• Dr. Haim Ayalon, Topaz International
• Luz Stella Alvarez et Carlos Rodrigues, IAVE Colombia

The afternoon started with a 25-minute documentary video, presenting an inquiry on the use of the Internet in Senegal and Mali. This film emphasized the fact that the digital divide cannot solely be described as a North-South issue, but maybe even more so as a gap between urban and rural areas. In addition, caution is needed when spreading technology, as this should not be done at any price in any way. The main character of the documentary, a Touareg living in the Sahel desert, summarizes this point well when he says: “you in the West are driven by time, but here we drive time. […] I am not against technology, but we have other priorities. In my faction, there are 2,000 people and I am the only one who knows how to read and write.”

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

Europe

Sandra Blanco of the Foundation for Solidarity and Voluntary Work of the Valencian Community (FSVWV) presented the work of her foundation. She explained that 1,600 associations and 60,000 volunteers directly and indirectly benefit from the help her foundation provides. She went on to say that, for many organizations, appropriate ICT equipment is unaffordable, which is why it is essential to build partnerships with companies such as Microsoft. The latter made important donations to FSVWV, including software, computers and other equipment. Ms Blanco stressed that an implementation plan can be most helpful when working with ICTs, as it provides technical details on hard and software and helps smoothen the running of the organization or program.

Dr. Mike Naftali and Dr. Haim Ayalon (Topaz International) and Marcus Hallside (AMS - Advanced Maintenance Systems Ltd.) spoke about partnerships between the public and private sector.

They presented Topaz International, an Israel-based NGO, and explained their concept of ICT support for risk and resource management in volunteering. Topaz was founded about four years ago and mainly focuses on supporting youth in developing countries and against child labor. Why is it important to use ICTs? How do we help NGOs master and benefit from these new technologies to reach their goals? Naftali and Ayalon stressed that when speaking about the digital gap, one should remember that as the technology advances, the gap is widening. But having the right infrastructures makes it possible to run NGOs in a better way. They can improve fundraising, maximize knowledge and skills, provide efficient client management and program monitoring, take care of and better manage their human resources.

One example is the Hanuch Hanuch, a center that assists young people in difficulties, helping them to find jobs and a new place to make their living. The center operates eleven outreach-training vans, each equipped with computers. Volunteers provide the training. Once they are trained, many of the trainees join in as volunteers themselves, now training others. This has been a key element of the success of the program. The latter does not establish an exhaustive data collection, but considers it important to recognize the people and ensures a certain amount of follow-up of individual cases. ICTs are used to run the administration and allow better monitoring of various resources and processes. The main problems encountered are linked to the cost of ICTs. The also represent a significant development risk in that they tend to make the processes “date centric”, focusing on quantitative rather than qualitative information. The activities of the centre are very dynamic and decision rich. Thanks to the use of ICTs, it is possible to capture relevant data and create procedures that help administer them in an efficient way.

The problem with volunteering is that people come and go, which makes it difficult to build a stable team. Simple and clear presentations of ICT features and applications are very important in this environment. ICTs help identify youth in need of assistance; they also allow a better schedule the events management and facilitate internal communication. The experience of Hanuch Hanuch has shown that ICT offer many opportunities, but that it is important to use them in a wise manner.

Latin America

Carlos Rodriquez (IAVE Colombia, www.iavecolombia.org) introduced the situation IAVE faces in the field of ICTs in Latin America. He mentioned that not all ICTs are suited to the work of volunteers. To discuss issues related to ICTs, IAVE Colombia took the initiative to call a multistakeholder roundtable. They wanted to know what type of ICT is best, in which domain, what other applications would be possible and what should be recommended in the specific context of Latin American countries.

Focusing on the needs of the volunteer sector, they proposed to formulate public policies supporting the use of ICTs in volunteering. According to Rodrigues, public policy, rather than government policy is what is needed. Unfortunately, lamented Rodrigues, there is a widespread problem of corruption in many Latin American governments. Further, IAVE Latin America suggested the implementation of info systems “for volunteerism”. The quotation marks indicate that they must be designed for their beneficiaries, the people and organizations working in the field of ICTs. Further, they need to be simple to use and bring real benefit to the users. This means that practical applications must be considered and it is also essential that training be provided. Rodrigues explained: “from our experience, many people equate technology with hardware. Yet, the use of ICTs is much more than that, it is about the appropriate use of know-how. This does not imply hardware solutions alone.” Rodrigues further emphasized that IAVE Latin America supports the use of open source software. Agreeing with Susan Ellis, Rodrigues emphasized that locally subject material is of paramount importance: “We need more pages in Spanish.”

According to Rodrigues, the primary challenges in relation to ICTs are:

• Lack of financial resources
• Cultural challenges (resistance to change, individualism)
• Paucity of language sensitive pages
• Lack of promotion (NGOs, governments, media)
• Low levels of literacy

From the viewpoint of Luz Stella Alvarez, also of IAVE Columbia, the local program has learned a lot over the past six months.

Questions

Mikale H. Snaprud (Agder University College, ICT Department) from Norway asked whether volunteers could provide open source software to create and host sites, especially for those with disabilities, downloadable throughout the world.

Reactions to this question were mixed: some felt that it was a way to get high returns with minimal expense. One delegate sought to get space on the IAVE server, stating that access in his country can cost as much as US 200 per month. (Editor’s note: server space may be purchased from anywhere in the world; this will however not affect local dialup costs).

Continuation: 2nd Part of the Report