1. Can Icts Be Innovatively Used in the Absence of Minimum Literacy Levels Among the Poor? How?

1. Can ICTs be innovatively used in the absence of minimum literacy levels among the poor? How?

YES.

ICT can be innovatively be used in the absence of minimum literacy levels among the poor. There should be a huge commitment from the government to support such initiatives. A case in point is INFOLADY MODEL in Bangladesh (see www.infolady.com.bd). The info ladies, armed with a laptop, mobile phone and health apparatus for blood pressure measurements, diabetes testing kits, weighing machine visits households in their villages. This innovative idea is helping many rural women, vulnerable population and rural communities to come out of vicious circle of poverty, illiteracy and disempowerment through easy access to information and services.

This initiative has been able to conquer the challenge of creating an infrastructure, pure illiteracy, ICT illiteracy and information illiteracy. Through the initiative the poor and handicapped people are able to receive a range of services at their doorstep.

The Daily Mail of United Kingdom (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2226809/Info-Ladies-bringing-internet-bike-remote-villages-Bangladesh.html) states that i) the Info Ladies bike hundreds of miles, bringing laptop computers and internet connections to thousands in impoverished farming villages; ii) villagers can now contact loved ones via Skype, use social media like Facebook and find out about government services; iii) people are now made aware of vital service in a country where only five million of 152m have internet access through this initiative; and iv) Info Ladies also offer advice on health matters and are trained to give blood tests, etc.

The above case does show that indeed ICT can innovatively be used in the absence of minimum literacy levels among the poor.

It should be stated that government support is also needed for such initiatives, Info Ladies project is intending, as reported by Daily Mail UK, to enlist thousands more workers in the...