The Impossible Decisions: Triaging In A Pandemic session will take place on Friday 30 October, check back later for a summary!
Month: October 2020
Conspiracy theories, stigma, rumours and their great harm of reducing the success of prevention
We already talked a lot about the potential harms of digital technologies and how these factors impact populations, humanitarian actions, volunteers, and the field of development itself. The dissemination of (false) information is another element of the ICT debate. While news has the potential to reach everyone, one way or another, its implications on different communities are varied. In the current COVID-19 outbreak, the lack of appropriate risk communication and community engagement fail to counter social stigma and could reinforce health inequalities.
Fundraising and slacktivism- humanitarianism in the digital age
Most parts of our societies change with and adapt to new technology. Our professional and private lives are impacted by the changes in technology. We work differently, socialize differently, listen to music differently, watch film and television differently– and in general– engage with the world differently. The development and INGO industry has of course also adapted to new technology and, to some extent, gone digital. Most likely, this is also true when it comes to your experience in the development context.
Education at a crossroads: The influence of the digital divide on education
The digital divide is definitely not something new. Within the field of communication for development it has been a broadly discussed topic. Although more and more people are connected some way, there are still numerous left behind. Those people at the margins are often the most vulnerable in society. The current COVID-19 pandemic has showed that the digital divide is even further increasing. The growth in the use of ICT within education has led this digital divide to create an educational divide as well. This rapid shift to ICT’s in the field of education has left many children behind or with bad quality education. This will have enormous consequences in the long term.
Is there equality in digital medical volunteering?
Over the last few decades, technological developments have impacted all aspects of life. This is also true in the case of the healthcare sector and development organizations. Communications strategies have been adapted, focusing on digital communication, incorporating various social media applications as well. Social media use facilitates building the image of an organization, creating a social identity, sharing achievements and demonstrating long-term goals and projects. Studies have argued that recruitment platforms should also strengthen online recruitment (as incorporated use of digital platforms in order to attract the most well-prepared and motivated young volunteers)[1] as Internet has become an important resource for involving and recruiting volunteers as well as creating various opportunities for participation[2].
The Code Blue Campaign – bringing accountability to the aid industry
My previous post was about sexual exploitation in the aid industry. If you didn’t read it, I very briefly related the long history of scandals of sexual exploitation and abuse of power in the industry, leaving many cases out in an attempt to limit the word count. I painted a very dire picture of the state of things and I questioned the idea of ICT as a tool to fight the wide spread occurrence of sexual abuse in the aid industry. The conclusion Continue reading
ICTs for Volunteering – Or Volunteering for ICTs?
The traditional one-to-one relation between development and economic growth has given way to a more holistic understanding of the term that encompasses social, environmental and economic wellbeing. Among other theories, Kleine’s approach proffers the idea of development as the freedom of choice – personal, social, economic and political – which a person may value most. In this context, ICT4D work as invaluable catalyzers for human advancement to help people achieve different ‘degrees of empowerment’ regarding choice capabilities. Needless to say, the volunteering sector has been at the cutting edge of ICTs in their strife to ameliorate community life conditions, taking into consideration their impact on the quality and quantity outcomes of volunteering agency.
Stop filming us: a documentary film about white saviorism
STOP FILMING US: A documentary about white saviorism
The documentary film ‘Stop filming us’ was released earlier this year and is now being presented in several locations (such as the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin, the Africa museum, Congo in Harlem and several Dutch universities). In the film we see Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema in Goma (Democratic Republic of Congo), where he follows three young Congolese artists. They talk about their struggle and frustration with the western dominance and their city being portrayed as dangerous. Postema’s position as a western filmmaker is being questioned. The movie is intended to create a dialogue between the Congolese reality and the Western perspective. The question however then rises whether a western filmmaker can really give an honest and Congolese perspective. How do the Congolese feel about these white saviors? And are they actually doing something good when trying to do good? Is it even possible for a western filmmaker to leave the stereotypical and western thoughts behind?
Online Volunteering – Squaring the Development Circle
Globalization has brought about a new dimension to our lives since everything is to hand in this shrinking world where technology is making a real difference (for the better?). However, when you think of volunteering, the first image that springs to mind is this stereotype of young and idealistic Westerners who, eager to live the real story, embark themselves in a fascinating overseas adventure. (I beg the reader’s pardon, perhaps I should have written down voluntourism instead of volunteering).
Can ICT tackle sexual exploitation in the aid industry?
UN Peacekeepers Photo: UN
On September 29th this year the news broke that more than 50 women accused aid workers for sexual abuse in the Congo Ebola crisis response efforts during 2018-2020. It was the nonprofit news organization The New Humanitarian that after a yearlong investigation into the matter released their findings. The claims that were put forward accused unnamed male workers from mainly the WHO, but also other leading NGOs and UN agencies as well as the Congolese health ministry, for demanding sex in change for employment. Women shared stories of being pressured to have sexual relations with men to be considered for employment and of contracts being terminated when refusing to engage with the men. The practice was so widely spread that it became known as a “passport to employment” ¹.