introducing new digital toolS for Social change in PakiStan - irada

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n Corruption is one of the biggest challenges in Pakistan. One aspect of this challenge is that, due to the prevalence of fake degrees in Pakistan, potential employers around the world question the authenticity of such credentials. ICTs could be used to verify the academic and professional credentials of an applicant online. n How to make technology accessible to teachers across the country, to increase their awareness of teaching tools? For example, few teachers use a plagiarism checker and many aren’t aware that anti-plagiarism software exists. n How to register complaints and address concerns of people who are illiterate? More generally, how can ICTs help villagers to improve their health and education? Technology Marketplace Once the Lab was underway, a “Technology Marketplace” allowed participants to move from table to table for ten-minute sessions, learning about digital tools for improving the flow of information. Representatives and expert users presented the following technologies: Ushahidi, FrontineSMS, Crowdmap, Huridocs, Mesh Potato, MapBox/TileMill, FixMyStreet, OpenStreetMap, Tor, and Safety and Security of Internet Browsing. This overview proved to be quite useful. As one civil society leader commented: “With this event I came to know about these amazing free available tools which can be used by the Pakistani development sector to amplify their output. I think the civil society organizations should be trained on these tools, some online available kits about these tools should be developed, which can be used by individuals and organizations.” Another participant said: “For me those new technologies were a new ‘revelation’ . . . and [I] intend to use those in my organizational work.” 10 Seeding Innovation: Introducing New Digital Tools for Social Change in Pakistan
Lab Projects 5 One of the objectives of the Lab was to develop innovative project ideas that have direct and measurable impacts for Pakistan and Afghanistan contexts. Over three days of activities, the teams discussed social issues and developed seven innovative projects, which they presented on the third and final evening of the lab. The teams explained the tools and technologies involved and demonstrated how the projects would work. Here is a brief overview of the projects. Project 1: RYSe: Reclaim Your Space The “Reclaim Your Space” (RYSe) project has as its aim “to get hold of the right to live a secure and dignified life.” The group believes that sexual violence, primarily against women and transgendered people, is one of the most pressing problems in Pakistan. Few victims of sexual harassment and violence speak openly about their experiences. The project aims at breaking this culture of silence. The group thought that the option of reporting incidents anonymously on online platforms could encourage survivors to open up and talk about their experiences. Moreover, the documentation of instances of violence could enable other survivors to see that they are not alone, and to help them understand that what happened was not their fault. Frontline SMS and CrowdMap were selected as the primary technologies for this project. RYSe has continued to develop, hiring its first staff member in March 2012. That same month, RYSe launched a website, http://www.ryse.pk, a collective of projects and social enterprises to “empower women to reclaim their right to public space.” The site houses a blog and the following endeavors, several of which use the Ushahidi mapping platform for crowdsourcing reports: n Name & Shame, a project in partnership with B4A to break the silence around gender-based violence and map genderbased violence in Pakistan: http://www.nameandshame.pk caption n Kharcha Paani, a project to report and expose corruption, including everyday bribery: http://www.ryse.pk/ kharchapaani n Zinda Hai, which maps human rights violations in Pakistan: http://www.ryse.pk/zindahai n The BrandITs, an online & social media consultant service: http://www.ryse.pk/thebrandits Seeding Innovation: Introducing New Digital Tools for Social Change in Pakistan 11
Page 1 and 2: INTERNEWS CENTER FOR INNOVATION & L
Page 3: Contents Executive Summary.........
Page 6 and 7: areas, and a crowdsourced map for r
Page 8 and 9: Overview of the Islamabad 3Innovati
Page 10 and 11: Pre-Lab Preparation 4Familiarizatio
Page 14 and 15: RYSe - Reclaim Your Space website I
Page 16 and 17: Research 6Research Objectives Inter
Page 18 and 19: community networks. What they lack
Page 20 and 21: Post-Lab Research Internews assesse
Page 22 and 23: Table 6: Knowledge of technologies
Page 24 and 25: Suggestions for Future Innovation L
Page 26 and 27: a great deal of responsibility, it
Page 28 and 29: Appendix 1: Agenda Islamabad Innova
Page 30 and 31: Appendix 2: Research Instruments Mi
Page 32 and 33: Post-Lab In-depth Interview Guide N
Page 34 and 35: 32 Seeding Innovation: Introducing
Page 36 and 37: 34 Seeding Innovation: Introducing
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