E-Solution for International Aid
This week, experts from North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Otago Polytechnic will be delivering an open lecture on emerging initiative ‘SmartAid’; a project designed to harness the power of the internet to support aid workers in developing countries.
The brainchild of Dr Stephen Atkins, Research Manager of Otago Polytechnic’s School of Applied Business, SmartAid aims to breakdown the barriers of time and distance that have, in the past, prevented those with expertise from contributing to a foreign aid project.
“There are communities that maybe are not the focus of UN or international attention, where aid organisations are working with little support, with workers under considerable pressure. This leads to stress, and ultimately, creates the conditions for poor-quality decision making” says Dr Atkins, pointing out that the absence of appropriately designed systems to ensure the effective use of resources is often a more pressing problem for aid workers than a lack of money.
Dr Atkin’s solution involves assembling an online database of ‘e-volunteers’; professionals whom could be enlisted by aid organisations to help with specific projects. His established international working group has recently been bolstered by Dr Lori Foster Thompson, an Associate Professor of Psychology at NCSU and one of the world’s most widely published experts on computer-mediated work behaviour. Dr Foster Thompson is currently visiting Dunedin to speak on the SmartAid project.
“Fortunately, there are millions of people in the world with talents that could directly benefit an aid team. Unfortunately, only a small subset of them is able to leave their homes, families, and jobs when their talents are needed” says Dr Thompson.
“A solution is to reduce the barriers that prevent people from being able to contribute to worldwide aid and development needs. This can be accomplished by unleashing the power of the Internet and forming online teams to support onsite aid workers. This way, people throughout the world can contribute their talents to an aid project without having to leave home.
“SmartAid proposes to utilise research and best practices in Industrial/Organizational psychology and the management sciences to implement this idea.”