Finding a Voice investigated creative engagement between underserved communities and information and communication technology (ICT) to empower poor people to communicate their ‘voices’ within marginalised communities.

Participatory content creation (content created by and for specific local communities) was tested as a means to develop and communicate ideas, information and perspectives appropriate to those communities.

The project established a network of 15 local media and ICT initiatives across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Local embedded researchers worked in each of these initiatives, with the goal of understanding how creative engagement with ICT can be both effective and
empowering for positive social change.

Finding a Voice Themes and Discussions
Edited by Jo Tacchi and MS Kiran, March 2008

This book has a particular audience in mind: it is aimed primarily at program-side policy strategists and decision-makers. We hope that those who are implementing similar projects or work in the ICT and communication for development fields will find it useful. We believe this work should also be accessible to and prove to be of interest to donor organisations and other researchers interested in communication for development. We write this book in the hope that on the one hand it will reinforce the need for horizontal and participatory approaches to communication. On the other hand we hope it will help to explain just why this is at the same time important and challenging, through the glimpses the book gives of participatory development communication in action.
[2.7MB download]

Participatory Content Creation for Development: Principles and Practices
Edited by Jerry Watkins and Jo Tacchi, February 2008

This book highlights the application of participatory methods to the design, implementation and evaluation of culturally appropriate systems for local content creation. The examples are based on fieldwork conducted in India, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka between 2005-2008. Participatory Content Creation for Development is a non-technical publication aimed primarily at program-side policy strategists, decision makers and practitioners.
[2.8MB download]

Poverty and Digital Inclusion: Preliminary Findings of Finding a Voice
Andrew Skuse, Joann Fildes, Jo Tacchi, Kirsty Martin, Emma Baulch, October 2007

This paper presents preliminary findings from a multi-sited qualitative study of poverty and information and communication technologies (ICTs) in India, Indonesia Sri Lanka and Nepal. It draws upon data gathered by 12 ethnographic action researchers working across 15 community ICT initiatives. These local, 'embedded researchers' are part of a larger international project called Finding a Voice: Making Technological Change Socially Effective and Culturally Empowering, which includes UNESCO (South Asia) and UNDP (Indonesia), in partnership with Queensland University of Technology, the University of Adelaide and Australian Research Council, along with numerous local and regional organisations.
[4.4MB download]