10.15.08
Posted in AlterSage, Personal at 3:12 am by Jono
Poverty and related healthcare, housing and education issues are top of mind for most Africans. As South Africans, we are lucky in many ways to have access to the resources that we do.
There is no denying that there is a huge discrepancy between the very wealthy and the very poor in this country – but by African standards, we are a prosperous nation with decent welfare, health and education sectors.
Of course, when compared to first-world standards, the difference between service delivery and access to resources is staggering.
Some Facts About World Poverty*
- Nearly half of the world’s population (over 3 billion people) live on less than $2.50/day.
- In the 21st century, still nearly a billion people are functionally illiterate.
- Infectious diseases continue to blight the lives of the poor across the world. An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, with 3 million deaths in 2004. Every year there are 350–500 million cases of malaria, with 1 million fatalities: Africa accounts for 90 percent of malarial deaths and African children account for over 80 percent of malaria victims worldwide.
- About 72 million children of primary school age in the developing world were not in school in 2005; 57% of them were girls.
*from Global Issues “Poverty Facts and Stats” – you can see the rest of their poverty stats here.
How can Technology Help?
One of the obvious ways that the internet and technology can help with poverty alleviation is through education and empowerment. Naturally the challenge here is access.
Projects like “One Laptop Per Child” seek to create education opportunities for children in third-world countries, by providing them with laptops to enable access to resources. The content and software on these rugged and low-cost devices is designed for collaborative and self-empowered learning.
Furthermore, on the software and access side of IT, open source breaks down barriers to entry by making collaboration easier and software resources more affordable.
Outside of the internet realm, technology can change the world too with developments such as cheaper medicines and generics, more low-cost and sustainable energy solutions (such as solar, wind and bio-fuels), more efficient and safer farming practises and lower cost and more widespread sanitary and housing solutions.
What Can We Do?
Every bit helps. As communications professionals, we can give more in terms of exposure and raising awareness. Often, it’s not even about monetary donations – time and skills training are other assets that could assist in this regard.
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09.12.08
Posted in Personal at 3:53 am by Jono
We all like to feel that we are making a difference in the world through our work. I suppose we get a nice warm, fuzzy feeling when we do something nice for someone else.
I remember reading a book a while ago by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt called Freakonomics. This inspired a subsequent blog which also makes for fascinating reading. They could be regarded as renegade economists, if you will, who postulate that economic principles can pretty much be applied to everything. Any motivation to take any action is ultimately driven by incentives. This incentive need not be financial – it could also be social or moral, both real and perceived. Anyway, I digress, but the point I am trying to make is that not everything we do is entirely altruistic.
This morning, a post over at Search Engine Guide by Miriam Ellis was passed on to me by Christine. It’s entitled ‘When this Industry Is One Of The Helping Professions’.
My first thought was naturally, ‘huh?’. However, upon reflection, I understand what she is saying. That got me to thinking about Jail4Bail as a recent example of SEMs trying to make a difference to the world around them.
Ellis’ post is based on an article Mike Moran at Small Business Answers wrote about how the web totally failed him when he was looking for assisted living services for his ailing father-in-law.
There are many industries where SEM, or the importance of SEM, has not taken hold – and perhaps health care, public sector, and NGOs are the most obvious examples of this.
These days, with the web being the powerful tool it is – and many people turning to the internet for guidance, advice and information – it is up to us as web professionals to ensure that the best information is available to the end user.
As Ellis says, any work where one is teaching a worthy business owner to understand the web could be described as helpful. “But I would suggest that the ultimate impact of what you do in a day’s work is going to be weightier if you’re working with the local Red Cross as opposed to the local bakery,” she says.
Obviously we aren’t all necessarily going to run out and seek out the local children’s home and offer our services… (or are we?), but I would like to summarise Ellis’ salient points here as they really do provide food for thought.
- You can design websites with layout and copy that provides people with the answers they need without stress or hassle.
- There is an opportunity to find the expertise that is within a company that has hired you and to bring that out in every aspect of the website. You’ll also know and find all the places where the website needs to be showcased and included.
- You may be able to inspire a professional to start blogging, add an entry to Wikipedia, start a Knol or do something to share their knowledge with the world.
- Finally, every time you build a high-quality, well-ranking website – you increase the chances that a person searching for answers gets a decent offering through the SERPs.
In this day and age of bottom-lines and consumerism, it’s nice to know that some people are still inspired by incentives other than the economic ones. As marketers we feel, and I’ve certainly said it myself, that there is a market for everything – it’s just about how you pitch it.
As satisfying as it is to see a client’s rankings and traffic improve, how much more satisfying is it when you think about the users you are helping to access a resource they need?
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08.08.08
Posted in Events, Personal at 6:28 am by Christine
“A man is what he thinks about all day long.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I attended a business breakfast network group in Cape Town yesterday. Met some interesting folks and also had the privilege of listening to Ronnie Muhl (In May 2007 Ronnie Muhl became the 7th South African to summit Mt. Everest via the north east ridge.) on his expedition and challenges.
Not usually one to do this, but a supporter of good causes. Remember Chaeli, or the Chaeli Campaign? Chaeli is the little girl who was born with Cerebral Palsy and by the age of 9 and a bit years needed a motorised wheelchair as she had developed a degenerative neuropathy which left her unable to use the muscles in her arms and legs to their full potential. This vibrant young child, together with some friends decided that they were going to raise the money themselves. 7 weeks later they had managed to raise R20 000! Having achieved their goal, Chaeli and her friends did not stop there, and formalised the campaign as an NPO to help other children in need.
They have been successfully making a difference to others in need, this year marks the 4th year of the Chaeli campaign.
To toast the last four years, Chaeli’s 14th birthday, and to raise additional contributions to the campaign Ben and Roz Zander will host a fundraiser in support of her living proof of the “art of possibility”.
What to Expect:
- A 30 minute presentation by Ben and Roz about a framework of possibility
- A powerful peek into youth empowerment
- Inspiring singing, dinner and dancing
Tables of 10 at R10,000.00
Saturday 30 August, Arabella Quays, Cape Town
For more info please contact Zelda Mycroft on 0861 CHAELI or info [at] chaelicampaign.co.za
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