I get the feeling that people in most developed countries have a pretty naive view of poor countries, especially in Africa. The striking images of the famines of the 1980s in Ethiopia are what that most people recall, when they think of "poor Africa". That thinking is completely disingenuous and quite hurtful to Africa's development.
Technology has made incredible inroads in the continent. While we fret over Facebook running slow on 2010-era Android phones, micro-economies are thriving thanks to feature phones in Africa's poorest regions. Children who leave to work in the city are able to transfer money back to their village. They top up the village cell phone owner's pay-as-you go account, the owner then pays out that amount (in cash) to the family there. Farmers are able to get up-to-date info on crop prices, helping them from getting short-changed by opportunistic buyers.
Yes, there are parts of Africa where fresh water and basic medicine are the biggest need, but there are also much larger parts where those needs are (to some degree) met. There are many forms of charity and humanitarian aid, they can all have a massive positive impact on the communities that receive them.
I was reading about how in Africa they've built their own networks with just basic phones, and it fascinated me. What they've managed to achieve with what we view as obsolete technology is fantastic, which is why I'd be curious to see what they could do with more technology and how it could shape their lives. Like this guy: http://gizmodo.com/313408/nigerian-man-builds-working-helico... that's just an awesome hacker ethic.
Technology has made incredible inroads in the continent. While we fret over Facebook running slow on 2010-era Android phones, micro-economies are thriving thanks to feature phones in Africa's poorest regions. Children who leave to work in the city are able to transfer money back to their village. They top up the village cell phone owner's pay-as-you go account, the owner then pays out that amount (in cash) to the family there. Farmers are able to get up-to-date info on crop prices, helping them from getting short-changed by opportunistic buyers.
Yes, there are parts of Africa where fresh water and basic medicine are the biggest need, but there are also much larger parts where those needs are (to some degree) met. There are many forms of charity and humanitarian aid, they can all have a massive positive impact on the communities that receive them.