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TIC y reducción de la pobreza en América Latina y el Caribe|[ICTs and poverty reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean]

FINQUELIEVICH, Susana
2003

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This research analyzes the impacts of ICT on poverty reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean and proposes strategies to plan policies for sustainable development and poverty reduction using IS, with a view to reduce social and gender inequalities. It presents a diagnosis of ICTs use in poverty reduction based on research developed from 1995 (year of introduction of Internet in most of the region) to June of 2003. A short version is available in English

Case study : BusyInternet Accra

BRIDGES.ORG
January 2003

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BI Accra, implemented by BusyInternet International, is an incubator for ICT companies that gives local businesses and the general public affordable and reliable access to ICT. BusyInternet revamped an old two-storey building and created Internet access halls that house 100 flat-screen personal computers and 15 wired offices. The building has a VSAT Internet connection and 1 megabyte of bandwidth -- which costs US$8,000 a month, plus a yearly licence fee to the government of US$2,000 -- a back-up power system, and an internal network. The centre is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and gets about 1800 visitors per day. It provides affordable service that makes it sustainable and also offers social services at low or no cost to those visiting the centre for HIV/AIDS and "Internet-for-Beginners" workshops. It's skill building programme on use of ICTs to local people is crucial in enabling people to use ICTs for communication. It is a good case study of private sector enterprise involvement with social and health programmes.

Case study : the Tygerberg Children's Hospital and Rotary Telemedicine Project

2003

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The article describes the Tygerberg Children's Hospital and Rotary Telemedicine Project in South Africa which links specialists from Tygerberg Hospital to doctors at regional community or district hospitals to improve healthcare in rural areas. The initiative has assembled its own telemedicine system using off-the-shelf computer equipment and software that is more affordable than commercial telemedicine systems. It describes the local context, how the system was set up and how it works. It outlines the challenges faced by the project

Tygerberg Children's Hospital and Rotary Telemedicine Project

2003

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The Tygerberg Children's Hospital and Rotary Telemedicine Project in South Africa uses computers and email to link specialists from Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town to doctors in more remote community or district hospitals, in an effort to improve health care in rural areas. This article provides an exploration of the project's success

A dialogue on ICTs and poverty : the Harvard Forum

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
2003

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In September 2003, 30 experts from around the world gathered at Harvard University to discuss how ICTs can help to reduce poverty. These multimedia files give a brief survey of their discussions, concerns and conclusions

Providing low-cost ICT access to low-income communities in developing countries : what works? what pays?

CASPREY, G
O'CONNOR, D
2003

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This Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report discusses the potential of and need for telecommunications development in rural areas of low-income countries. It outlines the main challenges, and describes sustainable options. The report also reviews low-cost options and summarizes policies that would support the more rapid diffusion especially telecommunications reform

Revisiting the "magic box" : case studies in local appropriation of information and communication technologies (ICTs)

BATCHELOR, Simon
O’FARRELL, Clare
2003

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This book looks at the way communities and groups in developing countries are appropriating information and communication technologies (ICTs) to address their needs. It finds that ICTs are being integrated into wider community-based activities and adapted to fit different contexts. It follows on from the paper "Discovering the Magic Box". It finds that there are still few examples of community-driven and locally appropriated ICT initiatives and an absence of standards or guidelines to evaluate ICT-based projects. The book includes some analytical frameworks and indicators to identify good practice and evidence of impact A significant development has been in the growth of telecommunications, in particular mobile phones, that are relatively cheap and powerful tools for poor communities, even in remote areas. The book concludes that the power of oral communication through telephones and radio cannot be underestimated. The book proposes that the main challenge is to adapt the new, usually computer-based ICTs to the needs of poor, predominantly oral-based communities so that they can be appropriated effectively and quickly

Information for research in developing countries : information technology Friend or Foe?

ARUNACHALAM, S
2003

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The author details the need for and complexity of doing research in the developing country environment. He summarizes the technology divide, lack of visibility of research from these countries and how this gap is widening and notes various programmes to overcome the lack of access to information primarily journal articles. The author concludes with a number of suggestions for facilitating research in developing countries including the increase of standards and norms

KNOPPIX : live Linux filesystem on CD

KNOPPER, Klaus
2003

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Knoppix is a CD-bootable Linux operating system with the ability to run efficiently on many computers. Knoppix requires no installation and often no effort for hardware configuration, it provides the opportunity to try Linux operating system with Graphical User Interface (GUI) to anyone interested. It is also ideal for trouble-shooting, especially when a computer does not boot from the operating system installed in the hard disk. The website provides links to the download sites, forums and information sites

Livelihoods approaches to information and communication in support of rural poverty elimination and food security

CHAPMAN, Robert
SLAYMAKER, Tom
YOUNG, John
2003

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FAO, DFID and ODI undertook a study in 2001/2 to analyse the role of information in livelihoods, and make recommendations on how agencies can capitalise on and integrate the best elements of traditional communication methods and new information and communication (ICT) technologies within the livelihoods approach. This publication provides the results of the initial literature review, comprised of a 30 page paper followed by 20 pages of heavily annotated references. The key conclusions were that information and communications systems are most likely to improve livelihoods in rural areas if they: share costs appropriately; ensure equitable access to all; contain a high proportion of local or appropriately localised content; build on existing systems; build capacity; use realistic technologies; and build knowledge partnerships

Evaluating computerised health information systems : hard lessons still to be learnt

LITTLEJOHNS, Peter
WYATT, Jeremy C
GARVICAN, Linda
2003

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This article discusses the implementation of a hospital information system in Limpopo Province, South Africa and describes how it failed because of inadequate infrastructure and problems with the functioning of the system itself. Furthermore, users were not made sufficiently aware of the purpose of a computerised system and failed to appreciate the complexity of implementation and of the healthcare process. The paper calls for a better understanding of the unique nature of hospital information systems and for well designed evaluation to be built into the contracts from the beginning

Fighting rural poverty : the role of information and communication technologies|[What can information and communication technologoes (ICTs) do for the world's 900 million extremely poor people who live in rural areas?]

GILLMAN, Helen
2003

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This paper brings together some presentations, key issues and recommendations emerged during the discussion in a side event organised by IFAD at the WSIS. The paper calls for greater emphasis on communication rather than on technology, and on the process and content rather than on access and machines. Effective ICT deployment must satisfy the need for ownership, local content, language, culture and appropriateness of technology used. Crucially, communication initiatives should aim at strengthening the capacities of rural people to participate in policy processes

Computer and internet use by first year clinical and nursing students in a Nigerian teaching hospital

AJUWON, G A
2003

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One hundred and eighty three first year medical and nursing students of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, completed a 25-item questionnaire during the routine Library Orientation Program in the medical library. The author found that first year clinical and nursing students in Ibadan have not fully utilised the opportunity that the use of computer and internet offer for medical education. Improved efforts such as inclusion of computer education in medical and nursing curricula and establishment of computer laboratories are required to increase the student's access to computers and internet

Information and communication technology in cardiovascular disease prevention in developing countries : hype and hope. Report of the International Collaboration on Information Use in Cardiovascular Health Promotion in Developing Countries

JABBOUR, S
et al
2003

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This article reviews the developments relating to the use of information and communication technology for the dissemination of information about cardiovascular disease prevention in developing countries. The experience of these initiatives suggests that, while information technology holds great potential, there are many potential perils, such as the widening global information gap, inequitable access, and irrelevant information

Rural healthcare delivery : connecting communities through technology

TURISCO, Fran
METZGER, Jane
December 2002

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The report aims to provide an overview of practical technology solutions for rural providers and to help them get started. It assists readers in understanding technology and provides case examples of technology solutions. It raises practical issues in getting started and provides a list of other resources on the subject. The report is geared to a US-based audience and does not specifically cover developing country issues

Twinning against AIDS : a report and proposal for using information and communication technologies to improve the sharing of information, skills and experience between organisations responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis

October 2002

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The twinning approach enables organisations to share lessons and experience more widely and to support each other while seeking ways to act more effectively in their own communities. This report was generated following a December 2001 meeting of organisations from North and South America and the Caribbean involved or interested in HIV/AIDS twinning processes, who came together to further discuss how twinning partnerships could be improved, expanded and sustained over time

Integrating intellectual property rights and development policy : report of the commission on intellectual property rights

COMMISSION ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (CIPR)
September 2002

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This detailed and thorough report considers whether and how intellectual property rights (IPRs) can play a role in achieving the Millenium Development Goals. It explores the potential benefits of IPRs in stimulating economic growth, and the associated benefits in terms of productivity and reduced poverty. It considers also the barriers that IPRs may present to developing economies, including discouraging invention, research, technology transfer, domestic production and driving up the costs of medicines and agricultural inputs. Key issues covered in successive chapters include: current evidence about the impact of IPRs in developing countries; development of and access to medicines; protection of plants and genetic resources; the Convention on Biological Diversity, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions and geographic indicators; copyright and patents; IPR legislation for developing countries; international and national institutional framework for IPRs

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