volunteers: essential to successful ICT4D initiatives (a resource reborn)
12:33, 13 November 2009
.. Posted in Volunteerism and Volunteer Management.. Link
The United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS) was a global volunteer initiative to help bridge the digital divide. UNITeS both supported volunteers applying information and communications technologies for development (ICT4D) and promoted volunteerism as a fundamental element of successful ICT4D initiatives.
UNITeS was launched in 2000 by then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and was hosted by the United Nations Volunteers programme. UNITeS was active until 2005. As of November 2009, all UNITeS web site materials were taken down from the orignal site at www.unites.org.
Because many UNITeS materials continue to be in demand and remain relevant (they may be more important now than they were when they were originally published!), I am now hosting some of them on my own web site. These archived resources include:
- Volunteers: Essential to ICT projects in developing countries
Why volunteers are an essential and fundamental element to the success of information and communications technology (ICT) efforts in underdeveloped communities. - Assisting Others As An Expert Volunteer
This article was part of the online Knowledge Base hosted by UNITeS. It is an example of the kinds of resources that were a part of the UNITeS Knowledge Base to help volunteers applying ICT in the developing world, and to help organizations who wanted to involve such volunteers. - Handheld computer technologies in community service/volunteering/advocacy
This was a pioneering article, published in October 2001. It provides early examples of volunteers/citizens/grass roots advocates using handheld computer/personal digital assistants (PDAs) or phone devices as part of community service/volunteering/advocacy, or examples that could be applied to volunteer settings. It was originally part of the UNITeS online knowledge base. - Instant Messaging and Volunteers
This was a pioneering article, published in November 2002 and originally part of the UNITeS online knowledge base. It outlines the benefits of using Instant Messaging with volunteers, and offers suggestions for success based on UNV staff's own experience using IM with volunteers all over the world. - UNITeS Contributions to the UNESCO Multimedia Training Kit
The UNV staff managing the UNITeS initiative was invited to prepare a module on volunteers in telecentres and community media organizations for the UNESCO Multimedia Training Kit (MMTK). The module includes a slide show presentation, exercises, case studies and trainer notes.
