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Wealth that begins with this idea of "cultural ecology" builds pride, strengthens the family and the village, makes it possible for people to earn income where they live without being exiled to serfdom in the city...and through creating new, hard-currency income it allows them to acquire critical basic resources like clean water, access to health care and education, electric power, telephones, computers, and a connection to the Internet.
With these tools, people can begin to build a balanced prosperity for themselves, creating their own jobs and income, with access to both local and world markets. They can harness their entrepreneurial instincts -- and break the vicious cycle of dependency and indignity which traditional economic aid programs, for all their good intentions, tend to perpetuate. On the cultural ecology platform, many other important initiatives can flourish, such as improved local trade and marketing, teleworking via satellite, micro-finance, telemedicine, decentralized publishing and broadcasting, international student and teacher networking, and the use of renewable energy technologies.
The forgotten and isolated billions who labored in 20th century sweatshops could become the creative, prosperous citizens, teachers and partners of the 21st century. As they earn the tools of economic independence and improve their daily lives, the whole world could be enriched with bright, diverse images, sounds and stories -- and our global culture could be enriched with vivid, ancient energies.
by Michael North and Paul Swider
Greenstar Corporation
Originally printed in the British journal,
Sustainable Development International (http://www.sustdev.org/)
Reprinted with the permission of Paul Swider
This article can be found in its original form at: http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/index.htm
Here are some of the groups active in this area, that offer the opportunity for engagement and creativity:
Greenstar (http://www.greenstar.org) is building a digital culture media network, and has already implemented some of the ideas in this paper in the West Bank, Jamaica and India. For free samples of digital culture music and the background behind them, see http://www.e-greenstar.com/Music-Sample/
Schools Online (http://www.schoolsonline.org) provides fully-equipped Internet classrooms to schools in developing countries, with a suite of services designed to spur development and connection; now active in dozens of countries worldwide.
Geekcorps (http://www.geekcorps.org) gives high-technology workers the opportunity to volunteer in developing countries; now active in Ghana.
e-Inclusion (http://www.hp.com/e-inclusion), an effort sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, provides a framework in which high-tech companies can get personally involved, supplies key technologies to the developing world at or below cost.
The Technology Empowerment Network (http://www.techempower.net) supports initiatives that use technology to improve health, education and economic development in underserved communities throughout the world.
The Hole-in-the-Wall experiment (http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Hole-in-the-Wall.htm) is an experiment, born in India, to provide computers to poor children and to observe, without interference, what use is made of them. More details available at http://www.niitholeinthewall.com/
The Canadian International Development Agency (http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/CIDA-Knowledge.htm) is developing a plan to demonstrate how indigenous knowledge can be applied to the development agenda.
In Cambodia, (http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Cambodia-Web-Village.htm), a businessman brings the Internet to a village in one of the poorest regions in Asia.
Lone Eagles (http://www.lone-eagles.com) offers ways in which anyone can offer their expertise as a teacher or mentor over the Internet, to foster cultural and economic survival.
Shaman.com (http://www.shamanbotanicals.com/shastorymaster.htm) develops alternative and mainstream pharmaceuticals and supplements based on indigenous medicine, and creates a worldwide market for them. For information on an innovative program connecting schools, see http://www.greenstar.org/butterflies/Shaman-Bara.htm
The Virtual Souk (http://www.southbazar.com), based in North Africa, helps artisans all over the Middle East develop ecommerce markets for their handmade products.
eZiba (http://www.eziba.com) helps artisans worldwide to create commercially-viable products from their traditional crafts knowledge, and tells interactive digital stories about the artists.
eShopAfrica.com (http://www.eShopAfrica.com) exports arts from Africa, to help traditional artisans make a decent living. Young people move to the towns, but end up unemployed or homeless because they don't have urban skills. eShopAfrica puts money and prestige back into their lives, building the value of their traditional skills.
Novica (http://www.novica.com) gives artists around the world a global platform to express their talents, and to spur their creativity; provides an online market for purchase of over 8500 products.
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