Why information? A strategic need:

The values of this project are pro-poor and we aim to work with the poorest and most marginalised. These are people who have difficulty accessing their basic needs, such as water, food, shelter, health or security. In this case how can we justify spending time and money to provide them with expensive technologies, which must in these circumstances be considered a luxury? Are NGOs working in ICT for Development getting their priorities wrong?

We would argue not. ActionAid's work is firmly rooted in its organisational strategy, Fighting Poverty Together, which clearly sets out a rights based approach to development. That is to say, that people can only experience sustainable improvements to their lives and livelihoods if these are gained as a result of changes to their rights and entitlements, or their awareness and access to these. In this context of long-term development, information is clearly a priority for poor and marginalised people.

ICTs for development:

ICTs have the potential to enhance opportunities for human development at individual and community levels. With ICTs, poor people can access the information they need to overcome local problems. They can access information about the reasons for the lack of basic resources as well as details of their rights and entitlements. ICTs can also have an important role in strengthening the voices of poor and marginalised people, giving them a means to communicate their own issues and ideas.

Thus ICTs form an important element of the development process, enabling people to find the information they decide they need - and to produce and promote their own images, information and ideas. With this greater access to information can develop a broader vision, enabling people to make connections between the local situation and national and international policies and processes. More details of types of ICTs and ICT for development projects are available on the technology briefing page.

What makes information useful?

Information cannot solve the problems of poverty unless it is accompanied by the skills, confidence and knowledge to seek and use it. Furthermore, the meaning and value of any piece of information is not fixed, but depends in great part on the context in which it is received. And the perceived trustworthiness of a piece of information does not necessarily reflect reality. In the UK, many people believe stories they read in the newspapers that are simply not true.

The value of any piece of information depends on:

• The source: the same piece of information will have a different impact depending on where it comes from. A person might trust ActionAid but not the World Bank for example, and the same piece of information may be more credible coming from a religious leader than from a politician during an election campaign;
• The format/ medium: again, in different contexts the same piece of information may have more credibility if written than spoken, or vice versa. For example, a person might trust something they read in the newspaper but if they just hear it from a neighbour, while many people believe that the camera never lies!
• Relevance: people will not use information that is not relevant to them and their context. However, a piece of information may become relevant from one day to the next.
• Capacity: People need to be able to find and decipher the information in order for it to have meaning and value to them. This may mean language skills, literacy or computer literacy, or simply mean having the necessary equipment, such as a video or radio.
• Confidence: Perhaps most importantly, a piece of information will only be useful if the recipient has the confidence to demand it, and most importantly, use it. As we know, information and communication are not neutral, so recipients need to have confidence in their own knowledge, which they apply to the analysis and evaluation of any piece of information they receive. Confidence, or awareness of the value of one's own knowledge, is also crucial to people's capacity to contribute information and get their voices heard.

The Reflect and ICTs project will spend time introducing and exploring the complexity of information, power and development with Reflect groups before they discuss their own information and communication needs and decide the technology best suited to their context.

Building on our strengths:
Information and communication for development is not a new concept. Communities and individuals have always devised strategies to inform themselves, and any ICTs project must respect and build on those local strategies. New knowledge and tools must complement and not replace or undermine existing practices.