Lessons from the Field: ICTs in NGO Capacity Building


When the World Summit on the Information Society meets in Geneva this December, they will be outlining a vision of the way the world should use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to build societies free from poverty and oppression, where knowledge and information are disseminated and utilized by all sectors of the population for their economic, social, cultural, and political development. Through their close working relationship with, and understanding of, the needs of the populations they represent, civil society and non-government organizations will play a major role in both developing and implementing this vision. Several initiatives already underway are demonstrating how such organizations can utilize ICTs both to increase efficiency and empowerment in their own work and to provide services to local, national, and international communities.

Connectivity
A connection to the Internet allows NGOs to access and disseminate information, and to communicate and collaborate with one another, making a significant difference in the ability of these NGOs to carry out their activities. Several initiatives work to provide this connection, both locally and internationally.

A project by Ecuanex, for example, seeks to enhance the organizational initiatives of indigenous grassroots organizations, together with NGOs and other regional organizations, by establishing a telecenter for the rainforest population of the Ecuadorian Amazon. In India, the Foundation of Occupational Development is establishing electronic networks in remote areas that will enable community-based organizations (CBOs), NGOs, and development organizations working in remote, rural, and tribal areas to network with like-minded organizations, both within the region and with national and international NGOs and partner organizations abroad.

Globally, the Sustainable Development Networking Program (SDNP) has established consolidated national networks throughout the developing world that enable the government, NGOs, and public and private institutions to access information from international networks and each other. Another, Electronic Networking for Rural Asia/Pacific Projects (ENRAP), is a three-year pilot project intended to help bring the Internet to IFAD-supported rural development projects in the poorest parts of Asia and the Pacific, aiding them to use the technology effectively to address their development objectives.


Portals
A number of portals have been established aimed at linking regional nonprofits in order to facilitate the exchange of experiences, systems, administrative best-practices, material resources, and other valuable information. Propoor.org is such a portal, addressing issues related to social development in India. The site includes a directory of social development NGOs, detailed development news, project reports, discussions, and also provides free Web sites. NGOs on the Web aims to create an accessible information repository supported by an online database on NGOs in Pakistan. In Eastern Europe, MaNGO Online is designed to connect and publicize Macedonian NGOs, improving the collaborative networks between NGOs and people in and outside of Macedonia.


Civil and Human Rights
Several efforts are using ICTs to build the capacities of civil and human rights groups, contributing to their efficiency and effectiveness, and helping them to bring the process of societal change firmly within their influence and control.

Adilisha is providing distance-learning courses to human rights groups in southern Africa that involve using CDROM-based interactive materials facilitated by e-mail. The capacity building program covers human rights skills as well as institutional capacity building components. A clearinghouse of information and communication for social justice issues, the Chapter 2 Network also provides support for civil society organizations involved in advocacy in South Africa, who use this network to actively share skills, experiences, and advocacy activities. Another portal in southern Africa, Kubatana.net, is providing Zimbabwean civil society organizations an online presence and a platform to voice their concerns about human rights abuses in their country. The portal also contains an e-activism page for online campaigns.

ICTs can also be used to reduce the danger of working in the human rights field. Privaterra helps protect human rights workers throughout the world by offering and implementing privacy and security technology, technological education, and support. The Martus Project provides technology tools to assist the grassroots human rights organizations collect, organize, and disseminate information about human rights violations with its secure storage and retrieval system.


Women's Empowerment
Some organizations are using ICTs to empower women's organizations, helping to ensure that they are included in the development of the global information society. The International Association of Charities (AIC) is equipping its grassroots women's groups throughout the world with computer equipment, including a modem, printer, and inverter. The project will train AIC volunteers in the use of computers, and encourage the use of the Internet for information access and collaboration. The Women on the Net (WoN) project also works to assist women using the Internet for their own empowerment. WoN provides a space for analytical and practical activities, for women's groups to engage with the new ICTs, and for better and stronger communication, networking, and advocacy for women's rights on the development agenda. The Association of Uganda Women Medical Doctors (AUWMD) disseminates information on reproductive health to women-oriented NGOs connected electronically, for use in advocacy and other related activities.


Media
Online publishing provides a strong voice for grassroots media. In an effort to stimulate and champion grassroots media and indigenous information, SANGONeT has set up the Africa Pulse information portal. It relies on a "bottom-up" publishing structure, using state-of-the-art technology to provide a regional platform for issues and concerns that are not being voiced in the commercial or non-profit media. In Sierra Leone, the Center for Media, Education & Technology was established to serve as a resource for media professionals, indigenous NGOs, and civil society institutions. Utilizing an Internet cafe with 10 state-of-the-art computer workstations, C-MET offers journalists and NGO staff subsidized electronic communications, technical capacity building, computer-assisted research and reporting, and Internet-based advocacy skills training.


Hardware & Software
Other groups are providing hardware or software tools and resources that increase the effectiveness of non-government organizations.

CAMPWARE is a non-commercial project of the Center for Advanced Media-Prague (C@MP) that develops free or affordable software solutions for independent media and non-governmental organizations. Ongoing development projects include an automated Web-publishing environment for news media, a set of scripting tools for low-bandwidth devices, and a virtual radio networking toolkit. Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA), a non-profit organization, has developed VITA-Connect, a unique, low-cost, satellite communication and information service, that uses simple, reliable store-and-forward e-mail to meet the needs of humanitarian, development, and environmental organizations and the communities they serve.

Many organization focus on building and maintaining Web sites for civil society organizations. InterConnection donates Web site design and hosting and computers and provides Internet training to organizations dedicated to benefiting the local community or environment in developing countries. Kabissa focuses on strengthening the capacity of African non-profit organizations to use the full potential of the Internet. Initially set up to provide free Web site and e-mail hosting, Kabissa is also providing assistance and training in setting up Web sites, using the Internet and its resources, writing proposals, establishing electronic mailing lists, and general management. MAHITI also designs and develops Web, intranet, and multimedia applications and products, while also providing training and consultancy support, for the Indian volunteer sector. These services are typically in the areas of fundraising, advocacy, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.


Business & E-Commerce Services
A host of organizations are using ICTs to give local NGOs the tools and resources they need to utilize e-commerce or other business services to support their activities. In Latin America, E-Connexions is providing virtual seminars, Internet conferences and forums, e-commerce support and guidance, and technical support to NGO activities. ECom4D shop is a non-profit e-commerce site that provides a Web space and secure software technologies for communities and organizations in the Asia-Pacific region that sell merchandise of local artisans and others as a source of income. Finally, Learning for Earning exposes groups of illiterate rural women artisans to the use of IT as a tool to identify their markets and customers, and to globalize their local arts.


More Resources
The projects highlighted in this article represent only a portion of what is available in the Digital Dividend Project Clearinghouse. You can search the Clearinghouse for more than 70 NGO capacity building projects yourself... click here

Digital Dividend's Resource Marketplace contains resources for NGOs looking to use ICTs more effectively, as well as online resources for NGOs focusing on local development.

The Association for Progressive Communication has collected resources to help make the Internet work for civil society organizations. The site contains training materials and business management materials especially for non-governmental and socially progressive organizations.

The Digital Opportunity Channel's database contains tens of thousands of document resources on NGO capacity building.

Strengthening Latin American NGOs in ICTs Strategic Use contains lessons learned and recommendations from evaluating IDRC-funded NGO capacity building projects.