subscribe to this page
Inveneo 2008, Inveneo, San Francisco, CA, viewed 23 July 2009, .
Inveneo is a California-based Non-Profit working to bridge the Global Digital Divide (GDD) in Africa. This website has some concrete examples of ICT development projects that have been completed in Africa. It also has various links to information about the digital divide and actual technological information about Inveneo's products and processes. This website can inform various parts of my paper including: a general discussion of the GDD, specific tactics that have been used in the developing world, and specifically the use of Open Source Software. Inveneo has designed computing and networking systems built upon Open Source Software. This is a specific example of how OSS can be used effectively for development purposes. The social mission of Inveneo is "to get the tools of information communications technology (ICT), such as computers, telephony, and Internet access to those who need it most — people and organizations in rural and highly underserved communities of the developing world." Inveneo’s approach is to work with local groups to train individuals to use ICT to improve lives within communities. Inveneo’s clients include other NGOs, local governments and local private enterprises. The computing and communications systems developed by Iveneo are low power, wireless and uses open-source software to reduce licensing costs. Their work began in Uganda in 2005 and now they have 25 projects in seven African nations. Inveneo’s goal is to match relevant technology to local organizations that provide education, healthcare, economic development, microfinance and relief services. The products and solutions offered by Inveneo include the Inveneo Computing Station, the Inveneo Communication Station, the Inveneo Hub Server and the Inveneo Desktop Linux. All of these systems require ultra-low power and are designed to perform in conditions of high dust and humidity, and these systems are compatible with Open Source Software programs. Inveneo systems are designed for beginner level users and are equipped with multi-lingual word processing capabilities. Inveneo also provides on-going training and support for its clients.
tagged africa development digital_divide ict internet_policy inveneo literacy open_source poverty by cdoughe ...on 24-JUL-09
Chant, Sylvia. Gender, Generation and Poverty: Exploring the ‘Feminisization of Poverty’ in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2007.
Chapter 2 of Chant’s book gives an overview of the recent push to expand the definition and measurement of poverty at the global level. While traditional measurements fixated on household income, the author shows how this overlooks social dimensions such as self-esteem, respect, education and power. The author goes on to show that disaggregation of poverty measures into male and female components is essential to accurately measure poverty. Such disaggregation shows an alarming trend, a phenomena described as the “Feminisation of Poverty,” and has led to a whole new field of research. Also, it has brought issues of female ‘empowerment’, described as resources (preconditions), agency (process) and achievements (outcome), more to the forefront, leading to the popularization of microfinance, self-help groups, community development initiatives targeted at women. The author summarizes the modern definition of poverty as something that is a “Multidimensional and Dynamic Entity.”
This section of Gender, Generation and Poverty related closely to El Hadji’s wives’ financial predicament, particularly his first wife Adja’s dependence upon El Hadji. When questioned by her daughter Rama as to why she wouldn’t divorce her husband, we learn that at least part of her reluctance has to do with her financial dependency. The vast majority of the female characters in the film fit into the Western gender role of the financially dependant stay-at-home wife. As defined by Sylvia Chant (and her contemporaries), these women live in partial poverty as they lack the agency and achievement enjoyed by African males. Although El Hadji’s wives seem to have the resources (house, some personal property), their seems to be little place for them outside the home.