Gitau, SDiga, KBidwell, NJMarsden, G2011-08-292011-08-292010Gitau, S, Diga, K, Bidwell, NJ, et al. 2010. Beyond being a proxy user: a look at NGOs‘ potential role in ICT4D deployment. International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, London, UK, 13-16 December 2010. pp. 10http://hdl.handle.net/10204/5133International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, London, UK, 13-16 December 2010Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), especially those based at the community level, have been identified as pivotal tools in the field of social economic development. They are known to have structured frameworks through which they dispense their programs to achieve desired results. However, ICT4D practitioners (researchers and technologist) have relegated this resource to primary means of getting into the community for logistical purposes which might explain the high levels of failed and mismatched technological interventions. This paper argues that the relationship between NGOs and technologists can be extended further than the current view of a researcher’s dependence on an NGO as a ‘local champion’. Action Research is rapidly being adopted in ICT4D and is seen as a satisfactory means of enriching the research experience, which leads to tangible, sustainable results. Using the five stages of an Action Research project cycle as a framework, we demonstrate how NGOs and the community can take a pro-active and leading role in research and design of sustainable ICT4D interventions.enICT4DNGOsAction researchParticipatory designConference PresentationGitau, S., Diga, K., Bidwell, N., & Marsden, G. (2010). Beyond being a proxy user: a look at NGOs‘ potential role in ICT4D deployment. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/5133Gitau, S, K Diga, NJ Bidwell, and G Marsden. "Beyond being a proxy user: a look at NGOs‘ potential role in ICT4D deployment." (2010): http://hdl.handle.net/10204/5133Gitau S, Diga K, Bidwell N, Marsden G, Beyond being a proxy user: a look at NGOs‘ potential role in ICT4D deployment; 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/5133 .TY - Conference Presentation AU - Gitau, S AU - Diga, K AU - Bidwell, NJ AU - Marsden, G AB - Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), especially those based at the community level, have been identified as pivotal tools in the field of social economic development. They are known to have structured frameworks through which they dispense their programs to achieve desired results. However, ICT4D practitioners (researchers and technologist) have relegated this resource to primary means of getting into the community for logistical purposes which might explain the high levels of failed and mismatched technological interventions. This paper argues that the relationship between NGOs and technologists can be extended further than the current view of a researcher’s dependence on an NGO as a ‘local champion’. Action Research is rapidly being adopted in ICT4D and is seen as a satisfactory means of enriching the research experience, which leads to tangible, sustainable results. Using the five stages of an Action Research project cycle as a framework, we demonstrate how NGOs and the community can take a pro-active and leading role in research and design of sustainable ICT4D interventions. DA - 2010 DB - ResearchSpace DP - CSIR KW - ICT4D KW - NGOs KW - Action research KW - Participatory design LK - https://researchspace.csir.co.za PY - 2010 T1 - Beyond being a proxy user: a look at NGOs‘ potential role in ICT4D deployment TI - Beyond being a proxy user: a look at NGOs‘ potential role in ICT4D deployment UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10204/5133 ER -