Technology, taboos and social enterprise

THE Internet and mobile technology are revolutionizing how the Rwandan society operates and the potential it holds for positive change is – to put it lightly – amazing. From a social enterprise standpoint, I think a lot can be done with these ‘enablers’ to tackle a number of issues. One of these issues is the ‘taboo’ topic between parents/guardians and their children – the topic of sex. Approximately 43 per cent of Rwanda’s population is under the age of 15 and, unfortunately, Rwanda ranks at number 25 in adult prevalence rate of HIV/Aids in the world (scary!). In the absence of a cure or vaccine for HIV/Aids, educating the youth on safe sex practices is paramount for prevention. The grim reality is that socio-cultural and religious constraints are still barriers to effective sex education in Rwanda. And yet time is not on our side…This is just one example of where technology can aid in making a social difference; it can be used to tackle sexual education in a culture that does not advocate for open, publicly disseminated discussion about sex, especially amongst our youth. Technology can be exploited by way of the Internet, intranet, and mobile devices. Even in areas with low technology penetration there is the capacity to reach out to grass-root communities if there is support from the government and/or development agencies. Interactive multimedia in Kinyarwanda, gaming (edutainment), mobile and web applications as well as e-learning solutions can be coupled with programmes like One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) to reach out to Rwanda’s future leaders.An example can be drawn from an Indian tech firm that creates mobile technology such as games and messaging services to increase interest; they use creative metaphors, such as the benefits of using protection in everyday tasks unrelated to sex, and virtual games with familiar characters (Mahatma Gandhi in their case) leading the charge to a better, safer life to involve young users. At the core of this ‘social-technology’ debate is the need to create the spark that sets interest amongst youths alight; daylong seminars in stuffed classrooms for a bunch of teenagers is pure torture. There is also a need for incentive for developers: lucrative packages from the Ministries of Health and Education will boost the kind of innovation that will facilitate efforts to address these social issues. The best place to start is at universities.Sex education is just one aspect of technology for social enterprise. I focused on it because I saw a void on the topic altogether. However, innovative solutions and applications can provide an array of solutions in areas such as sustainable development, women empowerment and skills training, disaster management, and different areas of public health such as breast and cervical cancer awareness. At the end of day, there are hundreds of ways to think outside the box…Happy week folks.