Title: Rural Women Banking By Mobile Phone
Author: Ignatius Banda
Source: ipsnews.net
Publisher: IPS-Inter Press Service
Date (published): 14/11/2011
Date (accessed): 18/11/2011
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Collecting the monthly subscriptions for her co-operative has always been a headache for Thelma Nare, 41. This is because Nare lives in Tshitshi, Plumtree in rural Zimbabwe, about 60 kilometres away from the humdrum of the nearest town centre where banks are located.

"We meet after a long time as here in the rural areas our homesteads can be very far from each other. So members of our club do not meet or contribute regularly," Nare said.

In fact, the women in the co-operative do not have a bank account. Until recently, Nare and the other co-operative members had to physically be present to make their monthly contributions.

But now, these "unsophisticated" rural women find themselves at the centre of efforts by mobile phone service providers to introduce mobile phone money transfers in Zimbabwe.

Those without bank accounts, like Nare and her co-operative, can now send and receive cash via their mobile phones.

The system is fairly simple. A user registers for mobile phone banking with their service provider and is given a mobile "e-wallet" - an application on their sim card that is linked to their phone number.

When the user wants to pay for services or transfer money to someone they simply have to go to an agent and pay the desired amount, which is loaded onto the "e-wallet". The payment is made and the recipient can withdraw the money from an agent. There are various agents affiliated with the mobile service providers across the country, making the service easily accessible to those in rural areas."

Title: ICTs for the exchange of information among female producers - The story from Cameroon
Author: Appolinaire Tagne
Publisher: e-Agriculture
Date (published): 27/09/2011
Date (accessed): 09/11/2011
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Agriculture is the back bone of the economy of many developing countries, and these activities have a direct impact on their Gross National Product (GNP); with the distribution of roles in society in the western region of Cameroon, women are highly involved in the production of food crop.

Farmers, and particularly female farmers of the western highland region of Cameroon, lack good market information, and for this reason they are obliged to accept the low prices paid by "buyers and sellers" (these are the middle agents). In addition, information from agricultural advisory systems and research is not well disseminated. Under the GenARDIS round (PDF), three small grant projects were aimed at facilitating the access to such information through the use of ICT, and especially the mobile telephone.

The activities were conducted in 2009 at Kamna, Bafoussam, Bagang and Santa in the Western region of Cameroon. The learning approach was sensitization and practical training. The practice involved 3 sub-topics:

* the access to prices of input including fertilizers and pesticides,
* the access to technological packages (advices, improved seeds for maize) and
* the increase of bargaining power of producing farmers."

Title: The Economic Impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on Microenterprises in the Context of Development
Authors: Chew, H. E.; Vigneswara Ilavarasan, P.; Levy , M. R.
Pages: 19 pp.
ISSN: 1681-4835
Source: Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, (2010) 44, 4, 1-19
Publisher: www.ejisdc.org
Date (published): 06/10/2010
Date (accessed): 09/11/2011
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
"This paper investigates the impact of information and communication technologies, especially landline and mobile phones, computers, and Internet cafés in facilitating economic growth in the developing world. Data on access to ICTs, as well as business-relevant behaviors and attitudes, was collected by a multi-stage probability sample of women microentrepreneurs in Mumbai, India. Main findings include evidence that in urban microenterprises owned by women, business growth is a function of ICT access and is related to motivation to use ICTs for business purposes; and that the more positive a woman microentrepreneur feels about her status and power because of her business, the more she will be motivated to use ICTs in support of her business. Implications for the study of digital divides and strategies for studies of communication and technology more generally are considered."

Title: Information and Communication Technology Geographies: Strategies for Bridging the Digital Divide
Authors: Melissa R. Gilbert and Michele Masucci
Pages: 196 pp.
e-ISBN: 978-0-9865387-6-6
Source: Critical Topographies Series
Publisher: Praxis (e)Press, University of British Columbia
Date (published): 13/07/2011
Date (accessed): 15/10/2011
Type of information: scholarly monograph
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
"Reframing the Digital Divide from the Perspectives of the “Have Nots”
Our purpose in this book is to reconceptualize the digital divide from the perspective of poor women’s daily lives in inner-city neighborhoods in Philadelphia in order to suggest an alternative policy framework for addressing digital inequalities. Our focus on poor women and their daily lives stems from a deep commitment to examining the underlying power relations that shape women’s experiences in household, family, work and community contexts as a basis for understanding what matters to them as they work to improve the quality of their lives and the lives of those for whom they care. We use the term “poor women” to signify that we work with those who are living at the margins of political, economic, and social empowerment by virtue of a constellation race, class, and gender inequalities that are manifested in such areas as income, education, employment, and health care.

We work with poor women in Philadelphia because their challenges are representative of the experiences of many women in the U.S. who are struggling for survival. Drawing upon 14 years of social action research in North Philadelphia, we argue that an understanding of poor women’s frameworks for the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) necessitates rethinking the policies that seek to address the digital divide. Specifically, we contend that in order to better bridge this divide, policy concerns need to transcend a limited conceptualization based on access to computers and the Internet towards an examination of how ICTs may exacerbate and/or mitigate social, economic, and political disparities in the United States. We further believe that this shift in policy concerns necessitates new institutional arrangements that empower poor people within relevant institutions and decision-making bodies."

Title: Information and Communication Technology Geographies: Strategies for Bridging the Digital Divide
Authors: Melissa R. Gilbert, Michele Masucci
Pages: 187 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-9865387-6-6
Publisher: Praxis (e)Press
Date (published): 13/07/2011
Date (accessed): 11/08/2011
Type of information: research monograph
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
"ICT Geographies draws upon 14 years of social action research with poor women in Philadelphia to argue that it is premature to declare the demise of the digital divide. What makes this book unique is that the digital divide is examined from the vantage point of some of the most marginalized people in the U.S. Most of the discussions of the potential for ICTs to catalyze societal benefits is situated within groups of technologically privileged and literate people and focused on the potential for ICTs as a pathway for achieving greater social and economic participation among the poor.

These discussions assume that the framework for ICT and empowerment is the same for mainstream and marginalized groups and therefore the problem of and solution to the digital divide is one of merely increasing access to ICTs and related information.

Drawing on case studies of women organizing for economic justice, seeking to attain employment, and trying to improve their health, the book argues that an understanding of poor women’s frameworks for the use of information and communication technologies necessitates rethinking the policies that seek to address the digital divide. Specifically, we contend that in order to better bridge this divide, policy concerns need to transcend a limited conceptualization based on access to computers and the Internet towards an examination of how ICTs may exacerbate and/or mitigate social, economic, and political disparities in the United States. We further believe that this shift in policy concerns necessitates new institutional arrangements that empower poor people within relevant institutions and decision-making bodies.

Melissa R. Gilbert and Michele Masucci are Associate Professors in the Department of Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University, USA, where they have engaged in an integrated program of social action research, critical pedagogy, and university-community partnerships to effect social change both inside and outside the academy."

via https://twitter.com/#!/eszter

Title: Does ICT Benefit the Poor? Evidence from South Africa
Authors:Stefan Klonner, Patrick Nolen
Pages: 35 pp.
Date (published):01/03/2010
Date (accessed):12/11/2010
Type of information:research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
„We study the economic effects of the roll-out of mobile phone network coverage in rural South Africa. We address identification issues which arise from the fact that network roll-out cannot be viewed as an exogenous process to local economic development. We combine spatially coded data from South Africa's leading network provider with annual labor force surveys. We use terrain properties to construct an instrumental variable that allows us to identify the causal effect of network coverage on economic outcomes under plausible assumptions. We find substantial effects of cell phone network roll-out on labor market outcomes with remarkable gender-specific differences. Employment increases by 15 percentage points when a locality receives network coverage. A gender-differentiated analysis shows that most of this effect is due to increased employment by women. Household income increases in a pro-poor way when cellular infrastructure is provided.”
via https://twitter.com/#!/LisaCespedes

Title: Feed Her a Line: Bridging the Gender Digital Divide
Author:Carol Stewart
Source:God's Politics Blog
Date (published):02/11/2010
Date (accessed):04/11/2010
Type of information:blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Over the last decade, cell phone subscriptions have skyrocketed (4.6 billion as of February 2010) and recent innovations have converted simple phones into powerful tools for the developing world by providing grassroots solutions to a number of basic needs and enabling civil society through platforms such as:
Mobile money, which turns SIM cards into bank accounts
Sproxil, an application that allows end-users to fight drug counterfeiting
Ushahidi which enables instant aggregation and mapping of information transmitted via SMS for crisis response
FrontlineSMS, a mass two-way SMS platform for raising public awareness and conducting surveys
With new, creative uses for cell phones continually emerging, this simple but powerful technology has become an essential tool for providing basic needs and enabling those living on less than $2 per day to access information and services not otherwise available. Furthermore, if appropriately harnessed, mobile technology could be key to advancing effective solutions to gender inequalities and mitigating women’s rights violations, including problems such as gender-based violence or the unequal participation of women in political and economic spheres.
Women, however, are being left behind. Women are 21 percent less likely than men to own a mobile phone in the developing world. In an effort to combat this gender digital divide, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently launched the mWomen initiative — a partnership between the U.S. State Department and the GSM Association."

Title: Because I am a Girl 2010: Girls and ICTs
Author: Linda Raftree
Source: Wait… What? blog
Date (published): 22/09/2010
Date (accessed): 26/09/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"The urban and digital environments are the 21st century’s fastest-growing spheres. Both offer enormous potential for girls around the world, but prejudice and poverty exclude millions of girls from taking advantages of the transformative possibilities that cities and information and communication technologies (ICTs) can offer. Exploitation and the threat of violence exist in both urban spaces and in cyberspace, especially for the most marginalized and vulnerable girls.

Since 2007, Plan has published annual reports on the state of the world’s girls. The 2010 ‘Because I am a Girl report’ is called Digital and Urban Frontiers: Girls in a Changing Landscape. It focuses on girls in these two rapidly expanding spaces: the urban and the digital."
The report is downloadable from the above address.

Title: Empowering Haitian women through digital tools
Author: Abby Goldberg
Source: United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI)
Date (published): 08/05/2010
Date (accessed): 10/05/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
We at Digital Democracy received a request from the Protection Officer for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse working on behalf of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, who relayed the enormous and immediate need for mechanisms to streamline protection, documentation, and service provisions around gender-based-violence. Her mandate was to create this mechanism and she asked whether we could join an “interagency working session”, meeting with thirteen local women leaders from five different organisations in Port Au Prince, to provide technical expertise at the meeting.

Title: Same but Different: Understanding Women’s Experience of ICT in the UAE
Authors: Shahper Vodanovich, Cathy Urquhart, Maha Shakir
Pages: 21 pp.
ISSN: 1681-4835
Source: The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, (2010) 40, 4
Publisher: www.ejisdc.org
Date (published): 07/02/2010
Date (accessed): 03/05/2010
Type of information: peer-reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
Information Communications Technologies (ICTs) have become a potent global force in transforming social, economic, and political life. Given the centrality and importance of ICTs, men and women need to have equal opportunities to access, use, and master them. In particular, it could be asked whether women in Islamic societies within the GCC region have equal access to these new technologies? What are some of the promising new social, economic and political opportunities for Islamic women in the ICT sector, or does ICT access and use by those women replicate patterns of segregation seen elsewhere in their societies? What are the barriers that women, especially those in the Islamic world, have to overcome to actively participate in the promise of these technologies? We use grounded theory as our preliminary research methodology to analyse interviews with women who work in the ICT sector in the UAE We discuss five major themes from the research: Westernization, IT as Modernity, Education, Government Initiatives, and Gender Perspective, and introduce a preliminary framework of the area. We conclude by discussing some inherent contradictions of women’s ICT use in a society that wishes to modernize, rather than Westernize, and how this is played out in our study.