Value of information measured by impact

by Lalin Fernandopulle

The objective of information communication is not only to provide information to people but also to change their behaviour and encourage them to participate in community development activities, said Director Media Communications Japanese Organisation for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP) Atsushi Yoshino.

He was addressing a seminar on 'Innovations in Information Communication for Development' at the World Bank office in Colombo on Wednesday.

The value of information is measured by the impact it makes on the receiver and not by the price of appliances and formats used, or by the senders of the information", Yoshino said.

An organisation that plans to implement a project should understand the needs of the community and the maximum impact the project could make on people before paying attention to details of the application of Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Behaviour change communication is an indispensable component for non- profit making projects.

To achieve the objectives of a project the non-profit sector needs to be innovative and regularly update the technology. "The commercial sector has made great advancements in the ICT sector and marketed their products and achieve their goals faster than the non-profit sector which still employs the same strategies and theories of the 20th century", he said.

If the issues affecting the development of ICT in the non-profit sector are not addressed then the digital divide will overshadow development and international cooperation.

The 'Digiplan', the name given to ICT development by the JOICFP has two technical components namely the 'assertising technology' and 'multi-solution' technology to give value to past records as information assets. JOICFP, a Japan based NGO set up in 1968 focuses on population and reproductive health to improve the health of men, women and youth of developing countries.

The organisation helps countries with family planning, maternal and child health.

For over 20 years JOICFP has promoted the health of individuals through the Integrated Approach and has benefited over 10 million people. The organisation not only responds to reproductive health needs but also eradicates poverty.

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