Today, the internet has become so essential to everyday life and democracy that a few groups are claiming that it’s a human right. It’s even more important in poorer countries where simple answers provided by, say, Google, can mean so much to an uneducated population without access to doctors. That’s why Rose Shuman started Question Box, a simple idea with big implications for the developing world.It works like this: A call box is placed in the middle of town. When the residents have questions, they simply pick up the phone which is connected to an operator fluent in the local languages, who then does a quick internet search for them and gives them an answer. It might not seem like the biggest deal but, as Shuman told GOOD, in a town where people can’t afford computers, it can be life-saving:A lot of parents in the developing world accidentally kill their babies while trying to treat diarrhea. Many mothers stop feeding their child or withhold water. It seems like a logical solution, but the baby needs to stay hydrated above all else. The best strategy, easily explained by phone, is to boil the water, and administer a few other basic remedies. But if an uneducated mother in a rural village doesn’t know anybody familiar with the treatments and the nearest clinic is half a day away, she may have no one to ask. A box on a wall is a great leap forward.Another example she gives is a farmer asking the operator how much potatoes are selling for in the city so he can negotiate fairly with the middlemen. At first, the system wasn’t perfect; some villages in places like Uganda were just too spread out to have one local operator who knew all of the relevant languages.Soon, however, Shuman, with the help of her larger group Open Question, started providing software and training to each community so they could set up call centers for any purpose. Now, hopefully, the program will keep expanding so more people can successfully remedy basic health problems and farm more efficiently for their families.Connections
Photo:GOOD, via Open Question
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