By Alex Schlotzer:

I’ve written a lot about technology and how it can be used for social and progressive change.  All too often we’re asked to dig deep into our pockets to support charities’ fight against poverty and to break the poverty cycle. And while this is a very worthy thing to do, sometimes it can feel hollow.  The real power for communities in breaking the poverty cycle is the communication of their experiences in their own voices.

Tools like blogs, and video and picture-sharing websites, provide a platform for people to speak out to a global audience about poverty and describe their day-to-day lives and experiences.  Connecting with social media further enables people to share, connect and engage. It makes it possible to get beyond the local politicians, or biases in the mainstream media; and the international community is increasingly seeking out these experiences. And importantly it enables people to follow the experiences – the highs and lows, the victories and disappointments – of local communities in their fight to break the poverty cycle.

Technology can also make it possible for these communities to generate their own donations and incomes, enabling local communities to decide how best to use donations/income generated rather than being told how it will be prioritised. By giving voice to the voiceless, it creates something positive for those on the front line in local communities fighting the poverty cycle.

And ActionAid Australia’s Project TOTO has been illustrating quite well just how social media and technology can be used to combat poverty.  They’ve been out there empowering communities in some of the poorest parts of the world through letting them tell their stories in their own words.  And by doing so, it creates something very powerful for those expressing the stories and to those in receipt of those stories.

I strongly believe that the Internet and social media can make a difference and can help break the cycle of poverty.

This piece, written in support of ActionAid Australia’s Project TOTO latest initiative  Tech4Change Blog Day action, was originally published on Alex’s blog.

Alex Schlotzer is a straight talker when it comes to politics and loves to vent his spleen. Actively involved in Australian and international politics with a keen understanding of the dynamics of the political machine, Alex has a prolific online presence and has been a cyber activist for over 15 years. Managing editor of theangle.org, he can also be found at his blog and his exciting online project Australian Politics TV.

Tags: actionaid australia, poverty australia, progressive blogging, Tech4Change