Technology Assistance Project
“My involvement in this [technology assistance] project has been of tremendous help; I can recall how we had a series of meetings about what could work for me and my people in terms of technology. I must say that the support from the Re-evaluation Foundation helped me to stay connected, have good sessions and aid my re-emergence.”
— Urbain Bamana, Accra, Ghana
Although the Re-evaluation Foundation had provided some technology assistance to the RC communities prior to the emergence of COVID-19, we dramatically increased our funding of technology assistance projects after the onset of the pandemic. This has proved essential to ensuring the broad participation of Re-evaluation Counseling community members from around the globe.
The funding has consisted of three primary components:
- Online audio and video web conferencing platforms
- Data packages
- Technology hardware and related equipment
Online Audio and Video Web Conferencing Platforms
To enable local communities to easily transition workshops, classes, and support groups to an online, instead of in-person, format and to support large international webinars, workshops, and conferences, the Foundation purchased eighteen licenses for online audio and video web conferencing platforms.
Data Packages
Without data packages that support wi-fi usage, many people (especially from across Africa) would not have been able to join events on the audio and video web conferencing platforms. Therefore the Foundation has funded data packages for those Re-evaluation Counseling community members who otherwise could not have afforded to purchase them.
Technology Hardware and Related Equipment
As more and more of our meetings moved online, we had to try to address the digital divide within our limited financial capabilities.
After consultation with RC leaders in Africa and Latin America, we initiated Phase I of a plan to make technology hardware and related equipment available to our communities in the global South in 2022. We identified technical needs for those in positions of leadership within the RC communities (specifically, Regional Reference People, Area Reference People, Teachers in Developing Communities, and Tech Hosts for RC activities) and the equipment needs associated with those positions, which included laptops, UPS/powerbanks, Wi-Fi Routers/MiFi, rechargeable lamps, and smartphones. As of May 2023, approximately seventy RC leaders have have received equipment for their use while in those positions..
Phase II of our technology hardware and related equipment plan is in process in 2023 and centers on certified RC teachers who will be participating in approved RC leadership development programs. This effort is intended to build RC leadership capability in targeted regions, initially in Africa. The equipment provided includes UPS/powerbanks, Wi-Fi Routers/MiFi, rechargeable lamps, and smartphones. As of May 2023, approximately one hundred people are participating in well-thought-out and -facilitated RC leadership development programs with the necessary technology.
Total expenditure on technology assistance for the RC communities in 2022 was approximately $250,000.
The Foundation recognizes that funding for technology assistance projects benefits everyone in the RC communities.
“I have participated in RC events since 1992–for the most part, with others born and raised in the United States. In recent years, the participation of people from Africa and other continents has meant I see and hear from them directly, person to person. Their stories hit home. I have the opportunity to build personal relationships with people who might have been just voices in a newspaper story.”
–Lisa Saaf, Michigan, USA
