Hi Pam, I decided to put up this post since there is an Africa angle to it.
The much-acclaimed Barefoot College in Rajasthan (North India)has been empowering rural men and women by teaching them skills that help them get a livelihood.
This news link was interesting since it talks about three women from Africa getting trained in making and installing solar lamps.
Hi Pam, I don't hate technology, but I also don't have a craving fascination for it.
Social media, of course, is a different arena. I love the idea of connecting to people and exhanging ideas and thoughts--and as you would say, rubbing minds with those who would like to share their wisdom with me on a range of topics of interest to me.
But here too, I am not a person who plunges headlong into anything new unless I am truly convinced that I need it for 'building bridges' with the community around the world. I take my time to explore, play and understand the technology and its bigger impact.
Hi Vijay
I think that anyone in 21st century who is interested in studying development (as you are) must also be interested in the development of ICT (as you obviously are, given your input to Dadamac.net)
You might like to read The Googlenet has you By Martin J Young published in the online Asia Times.
Hi Pam, Your chat with me this morning set me thinking about ICT. As I told you, I have been toying with the idea of studying further and adding to my knowledge and skills. But it almost seems impossible for me, since most of the online courses (I am not even thinking of proper, offline courses) seem unaffordable, in term of time and money. Some of the best online courses in UK and US cost a bomb for somebody like me in India. This is where I think ICT can play a crucial role in filling the gap for many like me who want to learn even as they earn. And also, importantly, I want to do a course where learning is constant sharing, fun and enlightenment. Structured courses and manuals are not for me. So do you think ICT can change the way we learn?
This account of our partner organisation, Fantsuam Foundation (FF), is to help the newcomer understand how FF's various activities have come about, how they fit together, and where Dadamac Foundation fits in.
There are facts and figures elsewhere which prove FF's impressive track record and illustrate why it is highly regarded. However, FF is much more than the sum of its parts. To work with FF for any period of time is to get a strong feeling of ‘family’ and community. Once that is understood or experienced, then the whole mixture of activities begins to make sense and certain apparent contradictions fall into place. Many large traditional organisations focus on a particular area of need – schools for education, clinics for health, banks for finance, and so on, yet FF, covers all those and more. The reason is simple - daily life is complex. Even the smallest of families is concerned with the effectiveness of the local infrastructure, (transport, power, water, sanitation and so forth); food security; housing; finance; education; training; employment and all the issues of life and death. All these things are important in family life - and FF is concerned with families.
