KEYNOTE ADDRESS

The week's session began with a keynote address by Nidhi Tandon from the organization, Networked Intelligence for Development. Her presentation identified some of the main issues that were discussed throughout the week; such as the importance of the internet as a tool for communication and development and the significant obstacles that remain to making this technology more widely accessible to communities in the south.

However, Nidhi Tandon underlined that the obstacles should not be perceived as deterrents: increasing access to ICTs is part of a larger discussion that needs to continue on ways that we can increase access to essential resources in poorer countries as a condition for reducing the gross inequalities in wealth around the world.

Her presentation also emphasized the role of ICTs in opening up opportunities for women to engage in a dialogue with others, to share information, to express their concerns, and to more effectively take charge of their lives.

The following is a synthesis of the exchanges between participants during week 1 of the conference.

QUESTION 1: How are rural women exchanging knowledge within and beyond their communities? What are the advantages or disadvantages?

Women in rural communities are in constant communication with each other at the level of the household and in the community. They share information about issues that are relevant to their lives, about childcare, health, economic issues, community programs, etc.

• One participant mentioned that women's indigenous knowledge is neglected or dismissed as unimportant, and yet their survival strategies and their know-how are the keys to the development of their communities. An example was given of a herbal remedy women had identified which could have been useful to others, but could not be shared because of the limited possibilities for communicating outside the community.
  
  
• Participants mentioned that women in Africa often belong to networks or associations that provide mutual support. They also engage with each other in social gatherings, such as religious events, weddings or community meetings.
  
  
• A third participant spoke of the role that local leaders play as interpreters or 'transmitters' of critical information; for example, teachers or local professionals who are literate in English and can translate news from the capital or the district into the local language.

Hence, there are opportunities and channels through which rural women have access to information that is relevant to their lives.

However, many comments were also made about the constraints on women's abilities to share information and to act on opportunities that are presented to them.

• Examples were given of how patriarchal structures discourage women from participating in initiatives that take them beyond the household. Yet, this is not insurmountable according to some participants who indicated that programs can involve men as a way to open doors for women.
  
  
• Another limitation that rural women face is their heavy workload and the limited time they can set aside for other activities. As one participant mentioned, "rural women are exchanging information through ceremonies like introductions, weddings and through meetings i.e. local council meeting, to which a few of them attend since most of the time they are engaged in domestic chores. Most of these rural women hardly find time to go for social gathering. Some of them get information from their friends who are able to attend".

But these constraints should not be taken to mean that women are not interested in sharing information or unable to participate in development projects in the community. Instead, it means that projects for women need to take into account these circumstances and address women's practical or short-term needs, for example opportunities to increase their income and education, in addition to other more long-term needs, such as strengthening their voice in decision-making.

QUESTION 2: What kind of information do rural women need and how can they get it? What are their unfulfilled information needs?

Everyone in the discussion seems to acknowledge that information and communication are vital to development, and that many different methods are available and are already being used in rural areas, such as radio, video, theatre, social networks, etc. There was also a consensus that programs have to involve rural women in defining the purpose, content and delivery of information in order to ensure that it is appropriate and practical.

However, there were questions raised throughout the week about the appropriateness and the feasibility of establishing telecentres or technology in areas where people are lacking even the most basic amenities, such as water, health care and food, or where the infrastructure, such as electricity, is unavailable.

The response to this was varied. Some participants supported the argument that ICTs may not be appropriate, while others emphasized that rural women are interested in having access to information and should not be denied opportunities that others take for granted. According to a participant from Isis-WICCE in Uganda, a study they conducted showed that women wanted spaces in which to meet and exchange with other women. As a consequence, the organization established a rural women's information unit, which provides women with a variety of resources.

Another participant indicated that poor infrastructure can be overcome with other methods, such as power generators or mobile phones. It was mentioned that numerous telecentres have been established in Uganda in spite of these constraints. It can not be ignored either that the speed and global reach of the internet makes it a potentially powerful tool for women to share information about their causes or to find out about issues that have an impact on their lives. A participant from Congo mentioned that indigenous women there are very interested in finding opportunities to share information with others beyond their community because they see this as empowering.

Yet, the question remains that ICTs cannot be imposed as another technology brought in from outside without any relevance to the local context. As several participants emphasized, ICT projects need to build on the resources and knowledge of local communities. And, as another participant expressed, the focus needs to be on the role of ICTs in promoting communication that is relevant and addresses needs in the local context. In French, this was expressed in the following way, "l'accent doit être mis non as sur le mot 'technologie' mais sur le mot 'communication'. La technologie est là pour combler nos besoins effectifs". In other words, the accent needs to be, not on the word 'technology', but on the word 'communication'; technology is there to meet our needs.

It is also true that ICTs may not be the priority in every area. The clearest examples of this came from participants in countries in conflict who claimed that their most important concerns were with the political problems they face and other related issues such as poverty and food shortages.

But there are examples where ICTs have played a pivotal role in increasing rural women's access to opportunities, which are presented in the next section. An example of information that has grabbed the interest of women is a CD-ROM called "Rural African Women: Ideas for earning money", which has been translated into local languages in Uganda.

Some final comments regarding the question of what information is relevant and how it should be delivered?

• ICTs need to be considered as an option alongside other communication technologies that can be used, such as radio or video. There are possibilities for combining efforts in this direction, as several organizations mentioned during the discussions.
  
  
• In addition, a participant expressed that introducing information technology has to be part of a long-term process, as he described, "we begin and work with the basic and at the level of the understanding of each community. It's a trickle up (process). (It involves) team building (and) community building one step at a time".
  
  
• Finally, a participant mentioned that it is necessary to focus on literacy and education starting with females at a young age, since this is still denied to so many women. Projects can combine literacy programs along with training on information technology. According to a participant, "the goal of the (telecentres) centers was to integrate basic computer literacy as an aspect of education, and I think integrating ICTs as part of basic education systems is fundamental to ensure sustainability".

QUESTION 3: How are traditional means and technologies, and modern ICTs being applied in support of information access for rural women?

Several interesting examples were given of projects that have used traditional and modern methods of communication to promote the interests of rural women. The examples come from mainly from Africa, which is the origin of most of the contributions this week.

1. 'Study circles' as a way of bringing women together to discuss issues and share information, as well as promote women's politicization and democracy in rural areas as well as nationally. (ALFA Ministries in Uganda presented this example).
   
   
2. Nakaseke Women Development Association (NAWODA) in Uganda aims to empower women by offering training and integrating ICT skills into their daily income-generating activities. NAWODA members make use of a telecentre in Nakaseke that includes a library, computers, telephone, fax and audio-visual equipment. Women in the program have been able to have access to information on a range of issues, from how to treat diseases, to nutrition, markets, and agricultural tips.
   
   
3. A participant shared her experience in setting up library/resource centres for rural people in Benin. The project was implemented in close partnership with local and national educators and the Ministry of Education. In her own words, "in response to overwhelming requests, computers were introduced as one aspect of the centers. Eventhough most local educators and students did not perceive an immediate need or function for the computers, everyone without fail recognized that knowing how to operate this technology gave them incredible opportunities".
   
   
4. The Council for Economic Empowerment for Women of Africa (CEEWA) is a regional organization with a chapter in Uganda. CEEWA believes in using ICTs to help female entrepreneurs have access to information about price, markets, and credit, as well as to gain new business skills such as in record keeping and developing products and services. As a result of the program, the women involved have had greater access to markets for their products and to credit. A participant in Senegal spoke of similar initiatives in which female entrepreneurs have used ICTs to get access to information about the cost of their products on the market, the demand and supply, etc., which is undeniably valuable information.
   
   
5. Other suggestions were made that ICTs can simply be used to promote exchanges between women across local and national boundaries. As one participant expressed, "Je verrai bien un jumelage entre femmes d'un village africain, avec les femmes d'une coopérative en Inde ou avec des paysannes Ukraniennes ! Vous imaginez la dynamique qu'il pourrait déclencher un tel processus ? L'éhange d'idées sur la façon de cultiver la terre, d'éléver du bétail, de traiter les prodiuits agricoles". The message in english is "I could see pairing women from an African village, with women from a cooperative in India or with rural women in the Ukraine! Imagine the dynamic process this could produce? (It could facilitate) the exchange of information on methods of cultivation, on raising cattle, or on treating agricultural products".

The discussions during week 1 have provided us with a clear view of the challenges ahead, as well as the opportunities. The conclusion seems to be that though there are limits inherent to using ICTs as a tool for development in rural areas - and projects need to be watchful of the constraints (for example, to ensure sustainability) - it remains important for us to explore as a option which can increase women's ability to participate on a more equal level in the social and economic sphere. A final note to end week one, as one participant said, it is important for us to "continue to endeavor to create opportunities necessary for women to freely pursue knowledge".

(Summary prepared by Anne-Marie Livingstone and Maroushka Kanywani.)

IARW Online Conference

Last update: June-27, 2002