Using Technology to Advance Missions of Advocacy and Social Service NGOs

On February 19, IREX hosted Teresa Crawford, Director of the Advocacy and Leadership Center, Institute for Sustainable Communities as part of its Technology for Civil Society Speaker Series. Speaking to an audience in Washington, DC and Internet users participating online, Ms. Crawford spoke about the building blocks of technology adoption, global eRiders (nonprofit technology assistance providers), the 10 key factors for sustainability, and IPKO, Kosovo’s first nonprofit Internet Service Provider (ISP).  Drawing from her experience heading an eRider network in Kosovo of approximately 50 women, Ms. Crawford emphasized the multiplier effect that eRiding has on communities. One of the core eRider principles is to recognize and respect the mission of client organizations. She explained that the strengths of eRiding are its focus on technology knowledge transfer and the willingness of eRiders to work shoulder-to-shoulder with groups to accurately assess technology gaps.  

To address the significant issue of sustainability, Ms. Crawford provided a list of the top 10 factors of successful technology projects that benefit civil society, including participation and ownership, capacity building and training, management and organization, technology purchase, and adaptability and replicability, to name a few. To illustrate the principles that she raised during her presentation, Ms. Crawford spoke about her experiences setting up Kosovo’s first ISP. She described the challenges of installing a satellite dish in the capital city Pristina, garnering government support for the project, and addressing the issue of competing telecom companies. In the end, due to Ms. Crawford and her team’s innovation, the installation of an ISP in Kosovo was successful. Moreover, Ms. Crawford and her team ensured the long-term sustainability of the project throughout every phase, from introducing new technologies to staff training and capacity building. Providing access to the internet represented an opportunity to break down gender, age, and disability barriers through information and communications technology development.

View Teresa Crawford's presentation.