Divided City: Information Poverty in Nairobi's Slums.

• Author: Warah, Rasna

"I was born in a slum, I live in a slum, I will probably die in a slum, and if there is a slum in heaven, then I will most likely end up there too." These were the words of a member of the public who was invited to a forum organized by Kituo cha Sheria and the Kenya Human Rights Commission to discuss how the poor in Kenya can obtain access to justice. I was there because access to basic human rights is increasingly being linked to access to information, and exploring this link among Nairobi's urban poor was the focus of my post-graduate research.

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In the last few years, more and more development agencies have recognized that knowledge and information can mitigate risk and improve the livelihoods of the poor. Not knowing about their rights, what services they could access, plans for their areas, or the options for tackling certain problems put the poor at a disadvantage and increase their vulnerability. One study in India, for instance, found a high correlation between access to newspapers in a region and the ability to avert floods or droughts.

The Internet is also prompting a sea change in international development thinking. Many Governments, donors and multilateral organizations are radically reshaping their policies in the new information age, and this has led to the "informationalization" of development initiatives.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are now seen as the key to economic development and as tools of political empowerment that can transcend traditional North-South, rich-poor divisions.

Nonetheless, there is also a growing debate among development practitioners about whether the claims for ICTs, and the Internet in particular, are exaggerated. The discussion centres on prioritizing needs: how important is the Internet in an area without safe water or telephone lines? Given a choice, will a rural hospital accept a free computer or free medicine? Some organizations are sceptical about prioritizing Internet access in an environment where access to basic infrastructure is a bigger problem.

The real question, however, remains whether access to ICTs will itself be a weapon against poverty. This is debatable, but evidence shows that when ICTs are placed in an enabling environment and adapted to the needs of those who use them, they can improve livelihoods. In Bangladesh, for instance, GrameenPhone Ltd. has helped thousands of poor rural women earn a living and improve mobile phone connectivity in the remotest parts of the country. In Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Viva Favela, a donor-and private sector-funded web site devoted exclusively to the interests of the slum dwellers, has...