ICT for Poverty Alleviation

Onno W. Purbo
A Common Indonesian
onno@indo.net.id

Disclaimer
I am not an economist or a social scientist. I am an engineer by training. Although, I spend most of my active life in community based ICT development in Indonesia, I might wrong in some of the assumptions, the observations as well as very much bias to Indonesian experiences. As an engineer, I tend to simplified & extract the most strategic / main aspects.
Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge International Development Research Center (IDRC) in Canada for supporting this work.
Bottom Up Self-Finance Community Based Approach
I strongly believe that poverty alleviation can only be done through education processes. It may not be a formal education. In fact, mostly informal education process that encourage individual within the community to be a knowledge producer and share it to one’s community and ignite a bottom up self-finance community based development process to alleviate poverty. One’s value highly depends on the benefit received by ones community.

Having spent 10+ years in helping the Indonesian to build people’s own Internet infrastructure with minimal (if not no) support from the government, World Bank or IMF. ICT is basically only a communication tool to expedite the knowledge sharing processes. My experience shows that it is NOT the technological superiority or the financial dominance that matters in a bottom-up self-finance community based ICT development.

Most community has some money; the bigger the community the larger amount of money can be accumulated. ICT technology enables multi-tasking, multi-user, and resource sharing. It, in turn, enables lower operational cost per individual in large communities, e.g., 10-50 US cents/student/month for 24 hours e-mail / Internet access with Return of Investment (RoI) within 1-2 years time in most schools is quite affordable for any poor communities. US$10-30/month for 24 hours WiFi Internet access in urban household is quite affordable for mid income families.

The major stumbling block is mainly in information & knowledge on ICT. Awareness, skill to build and run ICT infrastructure would be the main aspect in a bottom-up self-finance community based approach.

Keep in mind that most modern ICT equipments require the ability to read & write. Communities’ mode of communication would be important in deciding the appropriate ICT technology as well as community development strategies.
Stereotyping Poor Communities
If I may stereotyping poor communities, I will likely divide the communities into two (2) major categories, i.e.,

•	Those who would speak and listen only. They might be an older generation, uneducated or primary school dropped out. They will likely more resistance to change especially the one introduced by aliens.
•	Those who are having some enthusiast on new things / new technologies. They might be a younger generation & have some sort of education above primary school level. 

The younger generation may easily adapt the new ICT technology. However, to reach larger audience within the communities voice communication mode should be implemented as well.
Proposed Basic Strategic Approach
The basic strategy is to encourage the individual within the community to become a knowledge producer and sharing the knowledge to their community or surrounding other communities. Knowledge in this regard may not be in written form, it can be in voice form to reach larger audience in poor communities specially the older generation.
Example ICT in Tactical Plan
Community radio transmitter, which affordably costs US$50-100 each, would be the most strategic tool for penetrating older generation as well as the young in the communities. Encouraging people to be part of broadcast programming will in turn empower the individual within the communities to be a local knowledge producer, guarantee information diversity and minimizing information ruled by national broadcasters.

For younger generation, focused on ICT on schools. It may affordably cost only 10-50 cents/students/month. Curriculum wise, we need to adjust to create a path for these students to be a knowledge producer rather than knowledge consumer. These young generation are the one that likely to change their parents, their families, and, in turn, their surrounding communities. It takes a longer path, a longer time, but it guarantees a change in a long run.