When OMPT goes out to complete a project, we only get the chance to work with members of the local community for a few days, but what happens after we leave? The impact of video education and ICT4D (information and communication technologies for development) remains positive and impactful far past the end of our workshop. We love hearing back from partners that we have worked with in the past who are still implementing technology to educate and promote positive behavior change. 

What are we talking about when we use all of these abbreviations? One Mobile Projector Per Trainer (OMPT) is a nonprofit non-government organization (NGO) that works with other International Organizations (IOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on projects that promote information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D).

Ethiopia is one of the world's least developed countries and has encountered food insecurity for its population routinely. The government and numerous NGOs have attempted to eradicate hunger through government programs and land cultivation. In July 2019, OMPT is teaming up with Arba Minch University in southern Ethiopia to teach Ph.D. students how to create videos aimed at improving mother and infant nutrition.

We are excited to announce that we have brought on two new program interns that will be helping with tasks from research to project planning and everything in between. John Acevedo and Nadia Torkman are already hard at work here at OMPT. Both well-versed in international relations, they bring a lot to the table and will serve important roles here.

As a recent International Studies graduate of Chico State University, OMPT intern Carli is passionate about how technology can impact the future of marginalized communities around the world. As this week is UNESCO’s Mobile Learning Week, we thought it would be a great time to learn more about where she got her start, her excitement for technology in developing nations, and what she thinks might change the world.

Technology has always been at the forefront of human development. It took human civilization from hunter-gatherer to agricultural, developed modern society through the Renaissance and lead the Industrial Revolution.

One of the most common uses of OMPT’s video technology is to promote behavior change. Changing behavior can be a critical step in improving the lives of those in desperate situations. It’s also one of the most cost-effective ways to save lives and improve standards of living.

Applications of ICT4D are varied but generally fall into one of three categories: agriculture, education/literacy or health. OMPT, as an ICT4D organization, has projects in each of these categories.

What is ICT4D? ICT4D stands for Information Communication Technologies for Development. OMPT is an ICT4D organization, one of many that use modern communication technology to improve the lives of people living in developing nations. ICT4D isn’t a new designation—the field has been around in some form or other since the mid-1950s though the development of the internet. In more recent years, the growth of mobile networks and alternative energy sources have vastly increased the ability of ICT4D groups to effect change throughout the world.