Inside Sonia

Today I was a student again.

I am in training on Innovative Techniques in Fundraising and Advocacy. I didn’t sign up for this training, but I have paid for it. Here I am listening to three experts on fundraising and e-philanthropy from the USA and South Africa talk about how non-profit organizations in Africa can make best use of the technology mobile telephony and the internet to be specific. As they run through their slides, I couldn’t help comparing the information they were sharing to that from the Resource Alliance workshops I participated in between 2001 and 2003. I remember Murray Culshaw talk about “friend raising”, I remember the pretty South American expert on media based marketing and the successes non-profits had, and in yes, they too spoke of the use of technology. At the time there was no facebook or myspace or twitter; mobile phone penetration was not as great as it is now.

Still, I imagine what those presentations must be like now and I value today more than before the opportunity I had at such a young age to interact with international fundraising experts.

As I sat through the sessions on the role of technology in the non-profit World, I listed what I’d like technology to do for me and for “youth development”. As development workers, the language of monitoring and evaluation is basic and yet when we review the information available about youth development and about youth led development we seem to struggle on how and where and what.

I would like technology to organize this information for me. I’d like there to be a place in the world wide web that allows young people and youth organizations to document and report their exploits. I’d like more people to see technology as a tool to “sambaza” money for youth development based on best practice on how young people influence change in their communities, contribute to GDP and economic growth. A google search is simply not enough!

I would like technology to increase the citizens’ responsibility. I would like young people who are the highest users and consumers of technology based applications, enterprise and resources, to become better citizens based on their access.  Citizen journalism provides great opportunities to increase citizens responsibility. Afterall, who wants to be the culprit on youtube.com that the whole World uses as an example of “what should not be”; or caught on CNN as “in Nairobi, a Minister’s motorcade was caught overlapping…” showing registration number and a fuel guzzler climbing the pavement simply because it has the authoritative GK number plate! Technology can help young people know what is due to them and ensure that they benefit from it.

But, the challenges and numerous from internet penetration to costs of access to regulation issues to simple education and knowledge on how to apply the technology!

Tomorrow is another training day. Hoping that it triggers solutions on how to make technology work!