Learning from challenges; an image based mapping process to study influences of community based ICTD initiatives in Sri Lanka

By: MJR David (Sri Lanka)



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Sri Lanka has been an active arena for the use of new communication technologies for development.  The issue of making the best of new communication technologies for the greater majority has made its way to the top of the policy agenda and is signified by the fact the ICT is a subject handled by the executive president as well as a ministry. At the community level the conviction of the positive correlation between ICT and better quality of life has been translated in to community informatics projects.

Sri Lanka has a long running history as well as an impressive portfolio of community   informatics projects. As the digital divide issue was making its way to the policy table in the early 90’s there was a call for innovative access models for the marginalized .ICT4D projects  with external funding were set up  in remote locations. Some of them were stand alone tele centers managed by the community while information kiosks run by local enterprisers were another model. In some cases ICT applications were intergraded in to existing intermediaries such as Non governmental organizations and e- governance projects. (Hanna 2007) There are very few instances where the beneficiary’s themselves acquired the technologies and managed them. Over all ICTD at the community level was a supply driven process.

Have these ICTD initiatives been able to make a difference in the lives of those communities whom they were supposed to improve the quality of life?

It seems timely and logical to rigorously explore the effectiveness of ICTD initiatives of Sri Lanka   not only because scare recourses that could be used for other purposes have been allocated towards these projects but also because community informatics projects will remain a key access model for some time. Although technologies such as mobile telephones  have been acquired by a wide sector of the population its unlikely that the majority of Sri  Lankans  who live below the poverty line will individually  acquire  advance applications such as  on line connectivity  any time soon. Thus public access models will remain relevant for most of Sri Lanka for some time.

This proposal makes the case for a exploratory image based out come mapping methodology that will go beyond the conventional evaluations that try to understand community ICTD projects within the binaries of success and failure.

The proposed methodology will look at influence rather than impact thru the challenges faced by ICTD Initiatives.

Findings

Telecenters as part of a knowledgescape: The Key finding of the study is that telecenters that are dynamically engaged in knowledge production, dissemination and the utilization process have a greater capability of facing challenging situations and ensuring sustainability.

Telecenters as part of a communicative ecology: Identifying telecenters as an isolated entity may be misleading .However to understand that it is a live environment that communicates with surrounding communication channels and social phenomena is an innovative approach that deviates from liner evaluations, is necessary. Although such approach will always be far from complete and will always keep evolving. The study passed through several phases and the methodology snowballed. The conceptual framework was initially guided by a complexity approach and it later evolved to incorporate the communicative ecology approach and user oriented design (Bespoke).

Digital stories as research tool: Digital stories provide an innovative approach to opening up a communication space for communities to express themselves. However the digital story production process needs to be planned out and implemented in a manner that the communities feel confident in participating and have control over the process.

Online spaces: Communities could use online spaces to carry forward a discussion using digital stories and commentary on relevant issues. The interactions between different communities need to be stimulated through a blend of, offline (work shop based approach) and online interactions. The end of the field work has been marked by the beginning of a movement toward online space. It is assumed that the effectiveness of digital stories could be exceedingly optimised through this online – offline connection.

Action research as a two way approach: Research in community settings could be challenging if the community perceives the process as exploitation and data extraction without any gain to them. The study revealed that action research approach enabled the community to perceive the study as a win-win scenario .They were able to gain digital story telling skills and participate in other online journalism activities, and was perceived as a reward towards the commitment made towards a time consuming exploratory study. The digital storytellers network has emerged as a result of the action research approach of the study.

PI’s Current Progress (To be made available soon)

Video clip of M.J.R. David sharing his experience with SIRCA Programme. *This video is made together with another SIRCA Principal Investigator T. B. Dinesh (India)