It also implements several ideas I have been discussing here in Omidyar.net:

• buddies - building personal relationships, akin to pen pals.
• the action toolkit - a way of collecting ideas and activities, and learning what works in what context. Rather than having this learning loop buried inside of individual organizations, the toolkit would be open and shared among many. The more people who shared the same tookit, the smarter the toolkit would become, and the more attractive it would become for others to participate.

Just found this site today and fell in love with its organization and interactivity, the two things I've missed elsewhere on the web. VERY VERY COOL.

I hope we can use this to better structure our work here!

I'm also a newly-arrived member of Nabuur - I've been a bit frustrated by the inactivity that seems to have followed a recent upgrade to their web site, but I'm optimistic it will start 'hopping' again soon.

A very neat idea, and intriguing implementation of online volunteering.

[Edited by Jon - typo]

Congratulations to Nabuur - I understand they're one of the winners of the recent NetSquared competition round!

An update - Nabuur does seem to be 'back in action', and I've been in pretty regular touch with the facilitators of the project I've joined.

(shameless plug - my particular project's located here if you're inclined to have a look - it's to help start a youth sports program in the Kibera neighbourhood of Nairobi).

Jon Alexander said:

I'm also a newly-arrived member of Nabuur - I've been a bit frustrated by the inactivity that seems to have followed a recent upgrade to their web site, but I'm optimistic it will start 'hopping' again soon.

A very neat idea, and intriguing implementation of online volunteering.

[Edited by Jon - typo]

The working concept of nabuur.com is similar to that of o.net;

i.e. the harnessing of the power of voluntary associations for

the benefit of 3rd world communities - how well has it worked?

Hi Martín Rizzi - thanks for your post. I'm a new member at Nabuur (as I am here on Onet), so it may be too early to tell, but it looks promising.

I'll try to post here if anything interesting happens.

My understanding is that the working principle of nabuur.com

is to assist third-world village communities via the internet.

I am interested to know if this has worked at all; and whether

nabuur.com or any other website has a track record of success.

"My understanding is that the working principle of nabuur.com is to assist third-world village communities via the internet. I am interested to know if this has worked at all; and whether nabuur.com or any other website has a track record of success."

I would say the UN's Online Volunteering service has had success with helping people in the developing world by involving online volunteers. There are testimonials on the site from organizations based in the developing world, as well as orgs focused on such but based elsewhere.

I got to know nabuur.com through the OV service, FYI.

Jayne, I went and looked at the UN Online Volunteering service site you pointed at. I found it disappointing. First, it was completely unclear to me whether or not the organizations who listed volunteer opportunities had to go through any sort of screening process to be allowed to list there, and if so, what was needed to qualify.

Second, except for the UN connected offices, which had several posts, it seemed to me that this wasn't a widely used or publicized service. There were only 134 current open listings, and the number of organizations represented was far fewer, and felt like an odd sampling.

Clearly, one of the "volunteer" positions they should be advertising for is a volunteer to help them publicize the service! Surely, the UN has a long list of NGOs they collaborate with that could be called, emailed or written to, informed of this service, and invited to post-- the nabuur site looks like it's currently much more active--

Actually, it's quite clear -- all organizations must go through a screening process, and the process is detailed on the site.

Indeed, it is not a widely publicized service. However, as with all volunteer matching services, there are always far more people who want to volunteer than there are opportunities. I just posted to the site last month, and as usual, had to take most of my opportunities down after just 24 hours because so many people applied.

What's needed is NOT more advertising to potential volunteers -- there are plenty of those. What's needed is more advertising to potential organizations.

And, yes, the UN has many organizations with whom it collaborates, but you seem to have the notion that the UN is one big organization -- it's not. The UN is made up of several different organizations, such as UNICEF, UNDP, UNIFEM, UNESCO, UNV, etc. And each of these UN branches have their own relationships with various NGOs.

I would say the UN's Online Volunteering service has had success with helping people in the developing world by involving online volunteers. There are testimonials on the site from organizations based in the developing world, as well as orgs focused on such but based elsewhere

Testimonials posted on websites of organizations whose funding

is based on a declared mission to help people in the 3rd world

are, perhaps, best taken with a grain of salt. There are reasons

why a person in the 3rd world would make such a statement, when

maybe, it is not made so much from the heart, as it is from the expectation

and hope that flattering the patron might still lead to some kind of benefit.

Is there a way to actually verify such applauding statements and approbation?

A testimonial might be tainted and/or is outdated. ARE there actual studies

carried out, designed, and financed by the 3rd worlders themselves, that confirm

and quantify, in some way, the benefits realized by means of internet volunteerism?

A surplus of volunteers?? And you say it like "of course" there are always a surplus of volunteers-- this is news to me. Certainly, one way to attract more organizations is to make this clear, maybe listing how many volunteers expressed interest in each opportunity, and keeping up that historical data about past opportunities for a few months with this data? A site with a surplus of volunteers that apply for every opportunity is a wonderful thing. Maybe some o.net members will be interested, in fact--

You wrote:

<snip> And, yes, the UN has many organizations with whom it collaborates, but you seem to have the notion that the UN is one big organization -- it's not. The UN is made up of several different organizations, such as UNICEF, UNDP, UNIFEM, UNESCO, UNV, etc. And each of these UN branches have their own relationships with various NGOs <snip>

Sooo- taking a step back, do UNICEF UNDP, UNIFEM, UNESCO etc. all know about and use this website for their own opportunities, never mind help their partners with this service??

PS, I just went to another site that you posted about on another thread:

http://www.aidworkers.net

and I am blown away impressed!! This is a site FOR those engaged in international relief and development work and there are over 14,000 members signed up, exchanging informaion, etc. And the site is beautifully designed, easy to navigate and full of useful information. I am going to go tell my friend who works for UNDP all about it-- I am always trying to nudge her further into cyberspace :-)

"A surplus of volunteers?" Yes, indeed. Volunteer recruitment is pretty easy -- involving and supporting volunteers, and maintaining their involvement, online or onsite, is the hard part.

At least when I was at UNV, about 40% of people who wanted to volunteer were from developing countries. I never expected that. None of us did. Volunteerism, online or onsite, is really quite an easy sell to potential volunteers. The bigger challenge is creating meaningful assignments for such.

I'm not sure why the OV service isn't better marketed to organizations. I think it's going to take partnerships with multiple UN organizations and iNGOs, as well as UNVs becoming advocates themselves, to get more organizations using the service. Maybe UNV doesn't have the budget or the staff -- I really have no idea. And I know it's hard to believe that UNICEF, UNDEP, UNIFEM, etc. don't collaborate/talk to each other, but, well, sadly, it's true -- these largely independent agencies don't collaborate or communicate together as well as they should.

It's worth noting that most organizations, even in the North, have NO training in volunteer management; the major obstacle to more organizations, based on studying online volunteering for more than 10 years now, is lack of understanding about the fundamentals of volunteer management, not tech-related issues.

Martin implies that perhaps the testimonials are not sincere/honest. Interesting accusation. When I was at the OV service, the users drove what the service should be. Both organizations and volunteers offered feedback, not only in structured, formal systems but pretty much whenever they felt like it. It was not always kind, and was frequently provocative. But every suggestion was considered, and in many cases, users changed the mind of staff managing the service regarding how it should work. I'm quite proud of that track record, and I'm relatively sure that users are still rather heavily involved in strategizing for the service.

As success in online volunteering takes two parnters -- both the organization involving the volunteer and the volunteer his or herself -- it's rather difficult to claim success in online volunteering without "proof" to back such up (the volunteers involved). I don't recall an organization ever claiming to do great things with online volunteers and the online volunteers disputing such.

Martin asked "ARE there actual studies carried out, designed, and financed by the 3rd worlders themselves, that confirm and quantify, in some way, the benefits realized by means of internet volunteerism?"

I don't know of any that are "carried out, designed, and financed by the 3rd worlders themselves." I track all studies regarding online volunteering, and any I find out about I post here. As noted on this page, online volunteering needs much more research -- unfortunately, funding and research priorities haven't yet found interest in such.

I posted about the OV service only because Nabuur has been a longtime user, and I wanted to respond to offer the OV service as a good example of an organization with a proven track record of "assisting third-world village communities via the internet." Whether or not you want to believe what Nabuur and the OV service say about the power of the Internet for mobilization of volunteers for the developing world is certainly up to you.

I will pass on the Internet link on my web log and place an advertisement there, so others will read about it.

Jayne, i re-read your post with interest. The site you linked to certainly is impressive,

i was not aware of the extent of the universe of internet volunteerism, thank you.

not for a second, do i doubt the veracity of testimonials or anything else associated

with your efforts. Nor do i besmirch anyone else and there are very many good people.

I would say the UN's Online Volunteering service has had success with helping people in the developing world by involving online volunteers. There are testimonials on the site from organizations based in the developing world, as well as orgs focused on such but based elsewhere.

For people in the South, accessing internet is an expensive proposition.

What real world benefits do these folks get in return for the investment?

(remember, they have to get this money selling mangos, or paper beads)

And what about all the 3rdworlders who have been hearing the siren song?

HOW much money do they end up spending? - those who never receive help

These ARE legitimate questions of a 3W POV, and are not asked with animus.

Martin, I find your comments really interesting. I will try to react to them, but understand that other people think about these issues and study them full time, and I am only making an uneducated first stab having not thought deeply about this: hopefully I will say something either close to correct or close to incorrect enough that others with more expertise will feel compelled to join the conversation :-)

I think if the internet is being sold as get on the internet and you will have access to rich people, capital, markets, that will allow you to sell your art for enough more money that you will pay back the investment you made in a year and then some, then I agree-- it's not going to do it. It's just going to highlight the inequities in different places, and make things perhaps even more frustrating.

On the other hand, knowledge is an amazing thing. There are free textbooks on the internet. The volunteer websites that Jayne pointed us to include volunteer translators-- maybe to someone it could be valuable to quickly have a document in a foreign langauge translated for free. Many people who have started businesses here have said that business education has been invaluable-- you can get some of that information just on the Internet. You can connect with others who are running artisan cooperatives and maybe organize a region-wide fair that draws lots of tourists--

Some of the above are probably lame ideas. You probably know better than me where the real benefit lies.

Thank you Jayne. In honesty, i have yet to notice in rural mexico the promised advantages

of the internet revolution. On the contrary, poor proud men tell me of the sacrifice

they have made to send their sons and daughters to study at a local computer school.

I only cringe, knowing that they would have used that money for other good purposes.

Since as early as 2002, the third-world village-based artisan producers have underwritten,

with their exaggeratedly devalued agricultural and handcrafted products, a consistent effort

intended to get some real benefit from the promised land of volunteer-based internet forums.

"For people in the South, accessing internet is an expensive proposition. What real world benefits do these folks get in return for the investment?"

First off, it's important to realize that internet use in the developing world is driven by users themselves -- they themselves are asking for it. Yes, there are some cases where computer labs are built in some remote places and not used -- but these are, by in large, the exception rather than the rule, at least by my observation.

As there is a plethora of accounts of people in the developing world using the Internet and other network technologies, such as cell phones, to access information to help them get a better price for their crops, access vital health care information they could not get otherwise, take classes that would never be available to them any other way, etc., I see no need to repeat them here.

Staying on topic, regarding online volunteers from the developing world -- again, it was a shock for me to see such a high percentage of such online volunteers at the OV service. When I was at UNV, we never did a campaign to recruit such online volunteers -- those Internet savvy users in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia found the site on their own and jumped right in. It was their choice, entirely, and I think it speaks volumes that they have wanted to invest their time and money in this way. How have they benefited? I've heard from a few, who have said it's allowed them to gain skills and experience that's helped them get into a university, get a better grade in a class or even to get a job. But beyond that, you would have to ask those online volunteers from the developing world yourself as to why they do it -- why they volunteer online and what kind of benefits they get from such, as well as being online at all.

Perhaps Nabuur, which started this original discussion, would like to offer its own observations and experiences on the subject of benefits for people in the developing world to be online volunteers?

Interesting and valuable discussion, all - I think it behooves us to critically analyse our work on an on-going basis.

Martín, you raise some important issues, and it has prompted me to think more critically about my own projects, regarding the development of IT resources in a development context.

I have observed a similar trend to that noted more articulately by others here - that my contacts in the developing world have been requesting IT resources.

However, I think it's important to continue to examine what we do with a critical eye, and I thank you for reinforcing that point. I am going to spend some time considering what you have said.

http://www.nabuur.com/blog/

WHY re-invent the broken wheel ?

nabuur.com blog re state-of-the-art

social enterprise websites models.

Warning: do NOT read this blog

if you dont want to be astounded.

To: Siegfried Woldhek; Executive Director nabuur.com 21 Nov 2005

At the moment we’re struggling to get feed back from the local level and your thoughts would be appreciated here. What incentives do you use, if any.

When I responded to that question I thought you were referring to the 1stworld nabuurs but now I think you mean how to motivate people in the 3rdworld to use the nabuur technology?

It is not as hard as it must seem. The key is the village representatives have to be convinced that they and their community will receive benefit.

I dont know if I can explain, I will try to point at it.

By the second day of the village representative workshop in Taxco it was clear that Edmee's presentation failed to convince the village representatives Where she should have built up a dream and motivated them, they were treated like kindergarteners. Edmee never approached me or asked me what i thought about Nabuurs. She treated me as if I were her enemy or something. Unless she was acting as an agent for commercial interests who fear (AODDM) Artisan-Owned Direct Distribution, she is an insecure individual who is afraid that people are going to see through her Either way she is no friend of poor people and this is what the gathered village representatives understood, because they were not hiding anything, being strong, natural, experienced real people.

It is commonly held fallacy that 3rd worlders need instruction in business and accounting methods and that what they need is to be planted in the garden of some helpful patrons. 3rd world people are quite capable and they know when they are being patronized. The patronizers, however, do not seem to know that the patronizee is aware of the irony involved. You see, 3rd world people most of them are very gracious and human and respectful of others and it is considered rude to let the other person become aware that you notice his or her faults and so they are most unlikely to ever make direct criticism, favoring rather always an indirect approach, avoiding conflict at all cost. This is a blind-spot for the AngloDutchAmericanCanadaAustralian people who are seen but do not see the Third World people the way they see themselves and this irony haunts haunts the communications

There is something else. All these village representatives have been around and know that nearly every grant/aid proposal ends up with them putting out serious time and resources chasing after it They pretend to not notice but cant help but notice that the grant/aid administrators are the ones who benefit and the 3rd worlder alleged beneficiaries end up paying for it with all the expenses associated with making oneself or ones community project qualified for the aid that usually never even arrives at all. It would be scandalous to total how much the 3rd worlders pay to qualify for grant/aid assistance - it is an amount greater than any amount of aid that is eventually received. Therefore, when one offers to help somebody in the 3rdworld do not expect them to jump at the bait unless they are new and of course when they are desperate or just optimistic they will jump at it. So they smile at you and say "yes" although they are not convinced that they will receive benefit. Given the record of everyone who made a living helping the 3rd world in the past 40 years, it is a current of cynicism and doubt that opposes nabuur and everyone far too polite to make note of it

I honestly believe there IS a solution that provides for nabuur to be a great success that would promote the village representatives to be enthusiastic participants. I am telling you in all seriousness and sincerity that this can be done and fairly easily if you can convince the village representatives that they will receive benefit, or that their communities will receive benefits. There is a simple and powerful solution to motivating the 3rdworlders - all one has to do is to provide real opportunity i tell you good siegfried they will come at you by hundreds and thousands

let me know what you think about what I have been saying -

Best wishes from Taxco. Come to visit, Siegfried; when you can. Friends!