Google's Android, dis-empowering the poor?

Yes, like most of you I love my iPad. At the same time I have promoted Google's Android since its early days. Simply, it fits better for the target group we serve most - the Bottom of the Pyramid. But, are we being misled in our optimism about Google Android? We have spent considerable time addressing this question and now share with you our concerns.
It is obviously exciting to see the potential to 'empower the poor' in terms of: a) developing country app developers can earn a reasonable income by selling Apps in Google Play (formerly Android Market), and; b) the apps developed by these developers serve a purpose that is more relevant to the local community.

Unwritten challanges in Mobile-4D projects, Why?

Mobile technology for development! Yes, we all try to taste the success of mobile: mobile applications for fund transfers in micro-insurance, introducing smart cards for health care, mobile apps for agricultural trading, and so on. We also note and quote the challenges when it comes to engaging the mass participation of the intended rural beneficiaries. We recently studied closely 10 selected projects, representing East Africa, East Asia and South Asia, to clarify the nature of these challenges. Our study shows that the three most common factors contributing to tensions, and often unwritten failures, were found to be:

1. Tension between IT solution providers and project owners;
2. Blind spots in the innovation process;
3. Failure to introduce change management models for field staff.

Let’s look at the reality of these challenges in a bit more detail.

Changing role of telecentres (2000 - 2012 and beyond)

Interacting with University students is always an opportunity to reflect and refresh. Yesterday, I had that opportunity again at ICT4D Collective of Royal Holloway, University of London. Once again it was a visiting lecture to the postgraduate programme.

Do telecentres have a role to play in 2013, as they did have a decade ago?

A deeper look into the long journey that Sarvodaya-Fusion has traveled in Sri Lanka provides some interesting insights. These insights are enhanced by comparison with similar insights derived from my recent observations of telecentres in Rwanda.


Rwanda and Sri  Lanka, both have parallels in ICT4D

Governments in both countries recognize IT as a major component in their socio-economic development vision. (e.g. Mahinda Chintana in Sri Lanka and NICI III in Rwanda). Both countries enjoyed the support of World Bank funding (eSri Lanka and eRwanda). There are over 600 telecentres in Sri Lanka, and about 140 in Rwanda (with RTN). Telecentre leaders in both countries had the support of specialized donor support programmes, such as telecentre.org of IDRC, during 2005 - 2008. 

Android: emerging eco-system and business models

Android and Smart devices are rapidly shifting the ICT4D landscape in developing countries. They influence the entire software development eco-system, while improving the potential development impact.

Latest research carried out by eNovation4D, in collaboration with Sarvodaya-Fusion has developed a unique eco-system map, that illustrates the actors / stakeholders involved in this emerging eco-system. And also it has provided new insights into the motivational factors of individual app developers who have become the critical contributors to this new emerging trend.

Lessons were contributed to the IER 2012 (Information Economy Report) of UNCTAD that features Software industry developments in global environment, to be launched in 28th Nov, 2012.

Android4D eco system study from Harsha Liyanage

Android - SmartPhones + Social media for Bottom of the Pyramid

Can smart devices be introduced as community owned shared devices?
How would different age groups respond to smart phones?
How would they trigger rural community participation with social media?
Can they scale up the rural micro-enterprises?

A ground breaking SmartVillage project of Sarvodaya-Fusion has started providing encouraging answers to these questions. Started in early 2011, project has pilot tested introducing Android SmartPhones to seven rural communities in Sri Lanka. Among the highlights:

• Verity of shared ownership models are emerging, among them random ownership by youth circles stands out.
• Android apps are being picked up by school children to supplement their educational activities
• Youth circles started using Local language Blogging as a new mode of expression of their views
• Facebook pages generated via Smartphones could scale up micro-enterprises, that have been starving to connect with up-markets. 

For more details of the project - visit the SmartVillage blog.

SmartVillage project is implimented by Sarvodaya-Fusion with sponsorship from Tag-ID, UK and Google. 

eNovation4D provides expert contributions in the areas of social media and social innovation. 

Innovation for sustainability (Telecentres and mobile phones 4D)

Date - 11 Dec, 2011 (a chilly bright wintry day)
Venue - University of Cambridge
I was excited and honored to be invited to the Cambridge Hub. And that provided the platform to present our working hypothesis:
Innovation for Sustainable Development = Product + Social Impact + Community Acceptance

We (together with Sarvodaya-Fusion team) have spent a substantial time period to define this hypothesis. Reflecting from Fusion experience, the journey had started with the burning desire to become independent of philanthropic donor funding. As noted with many charities in the world, continuous over dependence on donor funding distracts the activist from core social mission, hence challenge the sustainability of the development engagement.

Fusion Education: ICT education service offered via rural telecentres has been the Social innovation of this effort.  'When 100s of rural students started to sign up for Fusion Education via  over 50 rural telecentres, thank god we have reached the community acceptance': that is how Fusion team reflect on it.

Yet, how do you know you are making the right kind of Social impact? The Social impact assessment framework helped to answer the question. Presentation has captured the evidence of this journey, and the subsequent efforts to replicate the lessons in mobile for development sector.

Innovation & sustainability

View more presentations from Harsha Liyanage.

Telecenters - in search of economic sustainability

Are telecentres economically sustainable? The five telecentre networks of Brazil, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have seen great vibrancy and maturity over the last five years and were the subject of a two year long examination to answer the two core questions posed:

• What are the constraints for their sustainability?
• How do champions overcome these constraints?

The book - 'Sustainability First' illustrates the answers to the above two questions in detail.

Sustainability First – is a FREE online book for people interested in the economic sustainability of telecentres. (Download or Read online)

Research was sponsored by telecentre.org of IDRC.

Impact of Technology at Bottom of the Pyramid

View more presentations from Harsha Liyanage.

The presentation by Harsha Liyanage of eNovation, as an invited speaker at Wireless World Research Forum, (16-18th Nov, 2010 at London), organised by University of Kingston, captures the lessons learned from Social Impact assessment activities carried out in Sri Lanka, under Sarvodaya-Fusion. eNovation suggests the wider applicability of this knowledge at technology innovation for Bottom of the Pyramid initiatives.

Role of telecentres in the iPad age?

In principle telecentres were designed having PC and internet at the heart of it. It was 1990s to early 2000s, an era where mobile phones were a luxury item and PC based internet was defining the digital world. .

Now 2011~

• mobile phone ubiquity at bottom of the pyramid
• WiFi, WiMax, mobile broad-band define internet access
• iPad is challenging the survival of PCs
• digital devices are smart enough to bypass barriers of literacy and education

Are we supporting the digital divide, by promoting telecentres? 

Telecentres are dead?

This question was echoed in the corridors at University of London, during ICTD2010 (Dec. 2010).

Why?

• None of the 55 research papers affiliated with telecentres. (though one captured Kiosk Operator)
• None of the 20+ workshops affiliated with telecentres 
• Progressive domain themes did include PC, mobile, video, radio, network etc. but not telecentres. 
• There were several telecentre activists representing Africa, Middle East & South Asia, but none had a dedicated telecentre platform to share their voice and telecentre sector experience . 
• Donors (IDRC, SDC, Microsoft etc.) who used to amplify the telecentre voices were not keen to take up telecentre topic, instead they were busy with emerging new topics.

Does this mean telecentres are dead? Probably sector is moving forward, and looking beyond (as one and only telecentre affiliated paper titled): Looking Beyond 'Information Provision': The Importance of Being a Kiosk Operator in the Sustainable Access in Rural India by Janaki Srinivasan (see my next blog for Sri Lanka experience).

Do you need to be an expert to assess impact?

What should be the role of rural farmers in assessing impact in rural development interventions? Stephen Rudgard of FAO asked the question of Harsha Liyanage, who was an invited panellist at the e-Agriculture session during ICTD2010, London (17th Dec.).

Harsha’s answer in summary:
• Typical rural farmer operates inside the context of poverty
• Impact for him is better price, low cost (from the value chain perspective)
• Assessing impact in rural development interventions needs to: quantify the impact but also illustrate the 'complexity and diversity' of that impact – impact will be made up of more components than just quantitative parts of the value chain
• This approach needs on one hand ‘participation’ of the farmer; on the other hand ‘rigour’ and ‘accountability’ in the assessment
• This therefore should take a participatory  approach – it involves the farmer, but also researchers and intermediaries. All knowledge and perspectives are important in producing an assessment that accounts for the many aspects of impact in a real situation
• Rural farmer can be a participant during planning process, and during data gathering and analysis.

Very important to understand, through his contribution, the micro-environment of the farmer. Then impact can be understood as a journey travelled through a period of time and through changes that have been identified in advance as part of the journey. You can uncover the journey in this way and measure impact through it. So change seen from the farmer’s perspective must be a part of the whole picture of impact.

Read more>> at e-Agriculture perspectives by FAO

Impact of ICT for Development? What is it?

What are the social, economic, and political impacts of public access to ICT?
What is the magnitude of these impacts and how can we measure them?
What is the relationship between costs and benefits of providing and using public access to ICT?

These are the major questions being investigated by the Global Impact Study, implemented by the University of Washington. 
In this broader context, we (eNovation) investigate the development journey at individual and community level, through the research carried out at Fusion, Sri Lanka.  While many researchers try to understand why customers visit telecentres, we tried to understand what they gain by visiting on a regular basis.


'e-empowerment is a journey that the beneficiary (individual or a community) may travel through – commencing with first time exposure to ICTs, and consequently becoming a qualified user able to apply ICTs with confidence. The journey happens through progressive stages. Those stages (indicators) are not essentially sequential;

• Exposure - first time exposure to computers, and familiarization with ICTs (seeing & touching)
• Motivation - generate interest to learn, interact and develop ICT skills
• Skill development - with the assistance of trained staff, develop computer skills
• Self learning - further self learning  without assistance (or with limited assistance)
• Exploration - exploring beyond basic computer skills to internet, email, web development, data base development, social networking, teaching others and so on.
• Application - systematic application of computers/ internet for self or others benefit (teaching, data base development for village work, volunteering).
• Qualifications - sit for standard exams, acquiring certificates.

Read more>> Theory of Change, Social impact assessment by Sarvodaya-Fusion

Innovation @ ICT for development sector? What does that really mean?

The ICT sector is moving fast, from ‘incremental innovation’ that involves gradual step by step innovation to ‘radical innovation’ that change the whole ecosystem radically and rapidly.
Unlike other development sectors (human rights, poverty alleviation etc.) ICT4D demands continuous innovation.
The technologies adapted in the sector are originally designed (mostly) for  Western markets. Thus innovation  is required to tweak and package them to match the developing country context where illiteracy, poverty and poor infrastructure dictate the terms.

Tweaking? Packaging? Well, the following example will show how.

Project Name: Agri-clinics (implemented in Sri Lanka, 2005-2006)
Problem answered: Transferring Pest & Disease knowledge to rural farmers, using ICTs.
Where did innovation apply?
1.Define the information access models between state run research institutions and NGOs
2. Design Information Processing Unit to translate the jargon-heavy research knowledge into jargon free simple language
3. Develop information delivery mechanisms via telecentres.

Read the complete article @ i4D online version  or  i4D special issue on eAgriculture by FAO.

How can we scale up Pilot projects to Sustainable projects?

Never ending pilots? Are you trapped in the common syndrome?

The following 5 steps have worked! This may be a worthwhile insight for you, too.

1. Start - as a donor funded pilot project

     Donor funded projects are valuable seed investments. Use them effectively, with passion and dedication. But seek sustainability (beyond the project cycle) from day one. eg. A telecentre project funded by Microsoft-Unlimited Potential, to set up 12 telecentres in rural Sri Lanka, and train 257 students providing scholarships (2004 - 2007)

2. Extract - the scalable project elements

     Towards the mid-project cycle, observe the successful elements of the project. What element of the project attracts the best attention of the target community? eg. A feasibility study reveals high response from the community for ICT education. That has been extracted for the redesign (2006 - 2007).

3. Redesign them as marketable products and services

    Extract the successful elements out of the project context and redesign them as a seperate product or service. Make them less dependant on the overall project. Repackage them to stand alone. eg. ICT training modules have been redesigned, content improved, national ICT education standards have been adopted  (2007 - 2008)

4. Prototype marketing

    Introduce the product into a pilot market (eg a small segment of the same community) as a fee based service (not free). Educate them as to why charging a fee is required. (They listen). Inform them about your philosophy of social enterprising. (They appreciate it). eg. Pilot marketing of the prototype product as ICT Education services (2008 - 2009).

5. Re-brand and  launch the product on a national scale

    Brand the product as an attractive, value-added product, that may convince the target community (the very same community) to recognise it as a unique product that serves their needs, and worth paying a small fee to buy. eg. The product has been re-branded and launched as Fusion-Education (2010).

Read about the initial project here, and the latest social enterprise here.

Sarvodaya-Fusion; the inspiration for eNovation4D

Our inspiration derives from Sarvodaya-Fusion, the leading ICT for Development charity in Sri Lanka. Dr. Harsha Liyanage (principal consultant of eNovation) has founded Fusion, as a specialised arm of Sarvodaya, the 50 year old world renowned leading charity of Sri Lanka.

Key lessons learned from Fusion includes:

• how to setup an economically sustainable social-enterprise operation, in a donor dependant larger development context,
• how to introduce ICTs as socially responsible, economically sound, scalable operations,
• how to integrate Information Technology and Mobile phone technology to traditional, main stream development (agriculture, micro-finance, poverty alleviation etc),
• how to nurture multi-stakeholder (corporate, state and NGO) partnerships towards project scalability and sustainability.
• how to ensure healthy social impact.

eNovation4D continues to work in partnership with Sarvodaya-Fusion in this mutually nurturing journey.