Ai generated art, promt: Thank you very much and goodbye, background in orange
Dear Readers,
To recapitulate, here is a short description of the topics which we unpacked during the past six weeks:
Nina Jerak wrote about new technological advances in ICT and their effect on power dynamics and imbalances in development and C4D.
Zahra Naderi reviewed the role of ICT in modern democracy and its state in England after Queen Elizabeth’s death.
Sylvia Nadi discussed new directions of aid and development, digital colonialsim, economy-oriented development and potential consequences and solutions.
Eman Omran reflected on whether Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can save refugees.
Clelia Vegezzi explored the role of Mobile Applications in Development/the aid sector.
What can and did we learn from our shared research endeavors during this short but intense journey?
A few important notions:
The future of C4D, aid and ICT4D may lie in more people and especially target centric approaches. At the core is that vulnerable groups (e.g. people who easily fall victim to misinformation campaigns) and people in need in the global South, but also globally, should at all times be treated like the human beings they are, with diverse histories, diverse needs, desires and aspirations. Participation needs to be more strongly encouraged, funded and implemented into project planning from the start (this holds true no matter if it is a humanitarian or social change project or even a political project which may aim to strengthen democracy). Among other reasons, this is to gain input, perspectives and contributions from a range of different voices.
The digital divide and technology driven biases and discrimination mean that the use of ICTs can result in more inequality instead of solving them, often making the victims invisible in the process. A key to solve this may be focusing on proper evaluation of the target’s needs, access, (technology) literacy and circumstances determined by laws, social and cultural factors that influence and possibly restrict them, when designing aid and C4D approaches to reach them.
Acknowledgement that ICTs especially are still widely developed with a for profit mindset needs to translate to changes in how ICTs are developed and used for the humanitarian context.
Inclusion of marginalised groups and individuals starts at planning and budgeting. Proper evaluation of risk factors prior to the start of projects, i.e. of potential harm caused by the project long and short term, is a key requirement. The more sensitive the nature of the project the more important this step is , e.g. when operating in warzones, navigating conflicts or dealing with disasters that require a quick emergency response.
The necessity of reformation of the logical foundation of many humanitarian processes to make change possible. They are still often focused on expected standards, that are very dynamic and changeable or do not exist and never did exist in the first place. One key word may be de-simplification, another factor is the need to evaluate the real conditions at the target location/community instead of relying on preconceived assumptions.
Another conclusion seems to be that even while committed to the goal of doing good and working tirelessly to support positive social change, humanitarian practitioners need to recognise and act accordingly, when initial certainties change and the motivations and objectives of humanitarian organisations and the companies, governments, institutions and other actors they rely on, do not align (any longer). Not following this reasoning may have devastating and lasting consequences for practitioners as well as recipients of aid and humanitarian efforts.
With this the last few thoughts have been added and our project is coming to the end that was announced on October 1st in the first post we published.
We are happy and at the same time sad to bring this project to an end now.
Thank you so very much for coming along on our little journey and for both reading and commenting on our posts.
Today’s posts on this blog and our social media accounts are our last for this project. On the 9th of November, we will cease approving comments for this blog.
All the Is have been dotted and the Ts have been crossed.
We hope you kept enjoying our posts until the end. Farewell until we meet again~
Sincerely,
Nina Jerak, Zahra Naderi, Sylvia Nadi, Eman Omran, Clelia Vegezzi
