IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2015 - 27
Socialization
While top-down socialization is a key variable in determining the short-term success of the project (i.e., there
exists local and regional government support for implementation), appropriate bottom-up socialization will
determine the long-term success of the project, as citizens will be involved in the continuity of the operation
of the project in spite of any challenges.
Regardless of what sustainability model is adopted
for a social-oriented initiative, local citizen support and
residents' good understanding of the nature of the project can be essential for the initiative's short- and longterm sustainability. Indeed, in contrast to a "foreign"
project (telecom networks in dense areas can be an
example), when the implementation of a well-socialized
project begins, most local citizenship and leadership
are acquainted with the various project components
(i.e., are aware of the social focus of the project and
the role of the different parts of the infrastructure), are
involved in its implementation, and will lobby before
appropriate authorities when there are issues with the
infrastructure or its administration. In the same manner, when the implementation ends, most locals are
aware of how specific benefits would commence, and
of the potential for medium- and long-term benefits. In
addition, there is a clear idea of how the local citizen
will play a role in the sustainability of the project.
Citizen bottom-up support increases the chances
of surviving government political changes and can
contribute to working through a highly bureaucratic
administrative process. Such support also increases
the possibility of influencing local and regional leaders
and institutions, particularly during local meetings, and
through lobbying and processes that are common in
rural communities such as participatory budgeting and
other participatory decision making processes.
Proper socialization also implies avoiding any misunderstandings or infusing false expectations. In the
socialization process, in an effort to appeal to the
locals, it is important not to promise services, such as
mobile telephony, Internet to all households, or others
that do not match the short or medium-term foals of
the initiative. This is especially important in areas where
governments and well-meaning international organizations have been paternalistic or have made promises
and not fulfilled them in the past. The Peruvian project,
for example, focused on health as a first stage, and care
was taken in highlighting that fact. Also highlighted
were the plans for the short, medium, and long term,
and the part that locals will play in each stage.
telecoms and other organizations to reach remote locations during implementation and maintenance stages. In
an average humanitarian or disaster relief initiative, immediate infrastructure implementation is generally given the
most attention, unless the training and empowerment of
locals is explicitly mandated. This focus can be due to
urgency (such as disaster relief or limited funding), or the
fact that training, capacity building, and empowerment
might not be high in the goals of the project as other
more compelling goals that need to be fulfilled.
At the implementation stage, our experience showed
that equipment providers were generally on time in
delivering material to a major city. However, the remote
nature of the project delayed on-site delivery for days
or weeks. This was because of transportation problems
(e.g., low river levels) and issues such as defective
equipment, missing parts, or infrastructure redesign
because of unforeseen challenges. For this reason, we
recommend that the initial testing of equipment and validation of shipping documents should take place close
to the distributor. The main partner experience in this
area is paramount for success in logistical issues.
It is also important to differentiate between infrastructure implementation (which is composed of installation of towers, cabling of radios and other equipment,
and more) and the pre- and post-configuration and
tuning of equipment, generally considered part of
the implementation. This later job could take days or
weeks, depending on the topology of the land, type
of technology utilized, the level of localization of the
administrative and operation components, and the level
of education of the locals being trained. It is important
to note that in some cases, perfectly erected infrastructure might not work efficiently or not work at all
because of configuration issues.
Indeed, the implementation stage of the Amazon
project could have been completed in 10 days, but in
fact took ten weeks. The implementation was the classroom for new local administrative, management, and
technical leadership that are playing key roles sustaining and expanding the infrastructure. The costs of a
prolonged deployment were absorbed with the help of
locals, partner institution employees, and volunteers.
Furthermore, the participation of these stakeholders
constituted an investment, given that locals are familiar
with remote locations, and implementation and maintenance become easier tasks. It is important to underline
that there needs to be a balance between security,
efficiency, training, and technically sound results, with
security not being compromised.
Implementation and Logistics
Contracting
Part of the reason some regions lack connectivity or other
critical aid is because of the inability or in feasibility of
In spite of the experience of the main partnering organization, which might have limited experts in the field,
MARCH 2015
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IEEE TEchnology and SocIETy MagazInE
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