Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Digital Democracy is a non-profit organization using digital technologies to empower civic engagement. We
work with local partners to develop tools that help community organizations promote human rights and build local
capacity. Emphasizing the need for new media literacy, we prepare youth & communities with the tools they need
to be informed and engaged citizens in the 21st century.
Digital Democracy
Empowering Civic Engagement Through Digital Technologies
What We Did
Project Einstein complemented the larger scoping study by using digital photography to understand
how one group of young adults, ages 18 to 24, view money and finance in their society. The twelve
young adults are part of a church in Gros
Monde, a town in the mountains north
of Port au Prince of northern Haiti.
The town of Gros Monde was not directly affected by the natural disaster. However, the digital
cameras and the laptop used were in a hotel which collapsed in Port au Prince, and the photos are
now among the countless items lost in the disaster. The pictures are lost, but their story is not.
Gros Monde is suffering and will continue to suffer indirectly from the earthquake, as the town is
currently receiving thousands of refugees from Port au Prince. In the long-term, they will suffer
because most youth moved to Port au Prince for work soon after graduation from high school, an
economic outlet that is no longer available. The project gives some insight into the resilience of these
youth and their community to work hard in seemingly hopeless situations and an attitude towards
money that we can only hope will continue to serve them well as they try to cope with the needs of
rebuilding Haiti.
Digital Democracy
Empowering Civic Engagement Through Digital Technologies
What We Learned
Complex perceptions of money
The research provided insight both on how the youth viewed finance and
technology. In terms of finance, the youth had a clear understanding of the
risk of money. They did not talk about the material things that money could
buy, but rather how hard the people in their community have to work just to
feed their children. One team took pictures of a woman selling dried fish in
the hot sun, young men driving motorcycle taxis, and people in the market
selling food and shoes. In each case, the message was the same: you have
to make money, even if it is difficult or if the work is poorly paid.
There was a general skepticism of money from outsiders. The youth were
Port Au Prince very enthusiastic about the project but were also inquisitive about why we
were there and how they might benefit financially from the project. This was
also depicted in the photographs. Multiple teams took a picture of a
government-funded public space project that had fallen to disrepair because
the allocated money never arrived, and because the funded monies were
squandered. These attitudes reflect their experience with both international
NGO and government money as unreliable and short-term.
Technology
Mobile subscriptions are growing rapidly, expanding from 1.7 per 100
people in 2002 to 26.1 per 100 people in 2007. These new customers are
already starting to switch to internet-enabled phones: 867,000 have
purchased WAP enabled phones, starting at 50 USD. Yet, only 40,000
people actually using data, since there are still no applications for the
technology that make the cost of data worth it to such a poor population.
The graph at right from GapMinder shows the mobile phone penetration in
Haiti relative to GDP:
Mobile penetration relative to GDP
Made Possible By
Thank you to individual donors, our supporters, our Advisory Board
and our heroic local partners. Nokia/WOMworld supported
communication and video documentation by providing mobile phones. Taken during Earthquake
New Words Media provided training materials and media. Travel was
made possible by Mastercard Foundation. Logistics and research
provided by our key partner Center For Emerging Market Enterprises at
The Fletcher School, Tufts University. Additional photos by Matt Herbert
What We Recommend
1)! Train and support youth on the ground to do the reporting in their communities, including:
! a. Citizen journalism that identifies local needs and resources and highlights community
voices
b. Multimedia such as photo & video, mapping (including Open Street Maps and Ushahidi)
c. Connect through existing media sources such as television and community radio
d. Support job creation & career development:
• Payment for services - to replace short-term income void, allowing youth to monetize
their work
• Engagement Response System - rewards through social capital
! Importantly, training people on the ground should focus on putting the power of information into
! local hands and developing the capacity of local organizations.
Digital Democracy
109 W 27th St, 6 fl | New York, NY 10001 USA
+1-347-688-DDEM [3336] | info@digital-democracy.org | Twitter @DigiDem | www.digital-democracy.org