Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law is part of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Stanford University
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US Involvement in the Congo Wars of 1996 and 1998.
Abstract
NRC projects in Africa and learning's in the research practices in low-income communities.
Jussi Impiö is Research Leader of Nokia Research Africa (NORA) in Nairobi. NORA conducts socio-cultural research in Sub-Saharan Africa and together with non-governmental organizations and local universities creates communication solutions to assist in socio-economical development in Africa.
Jussi joined Nokia in 2003 as Senior Research Scientist and has conducted research in the areas of mobile video, civic activism and citizen journalism. Prior to Nokia he has worked as Concept Manager at Clothing+ Corp. and as Researcher at the University of Lapland.
Jussi has co-authored 4 academic publications and holds 10 patents.
Summary of Seminar
Mobile technology is already playing a major role in economic development in Africa. What might be the impact if that technology was specifically designed for these users? This is the mission of Nokia Research Africa (NoRA); to develop services and devices that meet the specific needs of low income communities in sub Saharan Africa.
There are three stages to the group's work. First, field research is conducted in African communities. Second, the team works on concept design and prototyping. And finally field trials are held and further adjustments made. The team has a strong record of getting products out as a result of its research.
Jussi described three projects he has been involved in recently:
When thinking about the introduction of technology into Africa, Jussi suggests that an analogy with biology may be helpful. Just as when a new species is introduced to a habitat, a new technology will have all kinds of unintended consequences in its environment, not all of them desirable. Therefore it is crucial to think through any potential harms and how these might be controlled. Jussi also suggested some rules of thumb for working in the field of technology for development in the Africa:
Wallenberg Theater
In 2009-2010, the Program on Human Rights will partner with FCE and DLCL to launch part 2 of the Contemporary History and the Future of Memory series by adding "Reconciliation" to the mission. This series will examine scholarly and institutional efforts to create new national narratives that walk the fine line between before and after, memory and truth, compensation and reconciliation, justice and peace. Some work examines communities ravaged by colonialism and the great harm that colonial and post-colonial economic and social disparities cause. The extent of external intervention creates discontinuities and dislocation, making it harder for people to claim an historical narrative that feels fully authentic. Another response is to set up truth-seeking institutions such as truth commissions. Historical examples of truth commissions in South Africa, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Morocco inform more current initiatives in Canada, Cambodia, Colombia, Kenya, and the United States. While this range of economic, social, political and legal modalities all seek to explain difficult pasts to present communities, it is not yet clear which approach yields greater truth, friendship, reconciliation and community healing. The "History, Memory, and Reconciliation" series will explore these issues.
The series will have its first event in February 2010. Multiple international scholars are invited.
Lucky Gunasekara, a student at Stanford's School of Medicine, and Tom Wiltzius, a student in Stanford's Computer Science program, took us through the rationale behind working with mobile phones and the content of their project working with health workers in Malawi.
According to the International Telecommunication Union, there are now more mobiles in the developing world than developed world. Mobile phone connectivity is much more common in Africa than internet connectivity. And mobile phones are much cheaper, around $35 for a standard phone compared to $200 for even the designed-to-be-affordable One Laptop per Child. Mobile phones are therefore the obvious tool of choice for groups interested in exploring the use of technology for development in Africa.
FrontlineSMS is a free software platform enabling large-scale, two-way text messaging using a laptop, mobile phones, and a GSM signal. FrontlineSMS:Medic uses this platform to support Community Health Workers (CHW), initially piloting this work in Malawi. The role of CHWs is to provide continuity of care in places where there are limited health professionals. However, they can be extremely disconnected from the patients they are serving, often responsible for huge geographical areas. Having access to mobile phones through the FrontlineSMS:Medic project has enabled CHWs to respond to actual need and what is happening in the villages they serve. It has also resulted in significant efficiencies, both in saved healthcare hours spent on the road, visiting areas where there is no immediate need, and in fuel costs.
The team is now working with a number of clinics to implement a system to replace paper collection of clinical data with simple forms on mobile phones with the aim of improving accuracy and efficiency of collection and analysis. All FrontlineSMS:Medic's work is characterized by a commitment to provide solutions that are locally owned, genuine replicable and shaped by user feedback.
Tom outlined a number of current challenges, including:
This series will examine scholarly and institutional efforts to create new national narratives that walk the fine line between before and after, memory and truth, compensation and reconciliation, justice and peace.
