Are digital tools essential for enhancing and carrying out global humanitarian projects? May they also be a means of putting an end to global poverty? Or do issues develop due to using information and communication technologies (ICTs)? How do issues like representation, racism, or the inclusion of marginalised voices still exist in humanitarian aid? Would ICTs help resolve these issues? Are there any concerns related to development/aid communication that call for reconsidering communication strategies?
Welcome to the blog Digital Horizons: Rethinking Aid & Development. A platform where we, during the next few weeks, will shed light on all of the questions above. Behind Digital Horizons is a group of five students with different backgrounds and locations connected through the international Master’s Programme Communication for Development at Malmö University in Sweden. In today’s post, we introduce you to our blog and give you a sense of what to expect from us.
Digital Horizons strives to offer fresh viewpoints and thoughts on how digital communication, aid work, and development relate to one another. Each of us will focus on one particular aspect of the overarching theme, allowing us to approach the topic from many different perspectives and angles. The following topics will be covered:
Firstly, we will show how internet collaboration could help initiatives providing humanitarian aid and learn how digital platforms promote cross-border cooperation in aid projects. Further, we will discover inspiring stories of how modern communication tools and online collaboration are promoting the goal of global development.
Moreover, we will write about how we can decolonize development and alter how aid and development are viewed by forging more equitable alliances, highlighting underrepresented voices, and challenging established power dynamics. How do we approach the issue of decoloniality, and how do we tackle it?
Lastly, we will examine how (or if) modern technology and digital solutions are helping rural communities become more financially included, solving economic inequalities, and creating new opportunities. In this regard, we will also examine how ICTs are changing education. How are project initiatives and digital platforms enabling access to education for people living in remote or underdeveloped areas? We will furthermore discuss the importance of education in humanitarian help and the challenges of decolonizing it.
We invite you to follow our Instagram to stay updated with new posts and to visit our About Us-page to learn more about the writers behind the blog. We encourage you to leave a comment with your questions or topic suggestions and to rethink aid and development with us. Stay tuned!