Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Despite facing interconnection problems
with the incumbent Bangladesh Telegraph and
Telephone Board during the early years of its
operations (Bhuiyan, 2004) which started in 1997,
the program had grown to more than 260,000 VP
operators in over 50,000 villages in 439 Upazi-
las (sub-districts) of the country by mid-2008.
This initiative is acknowledged as a sustainable
development tool by governments and develop-
ment agencies such as the World Bank, the United
Nations, the International Finance Corporation
and USAID.
The VP project in this study is located in the
Goma- Krisnokathi village, Barisal district, in a
remote area of Bangladesh, some 420 km south of
Dhaka The area of the village is approximately 16
sq. km. and it is surrounded by 3 rivers, and 3-4
canals. The village has only one land phone line.
The population of approximately 6,000 live in
some 550 households, 60% of which are Muslims
and the rest are Hindus. With the skills of most
residents limited to basic agricultural skills, the
major livelihood for males is in the agricultural
sector (80%) and fishing (10%), with the remain-
ing 10% occupied in the service sector. Many of
the villagers work outside the village. Most of
the women are housewives, however some are
involved in poultry, the mobile telecommunication
business, sewing and making handicraft products.
Almost 90% of the villagers are landless and live
under the poverty line, depending on landowners
for their living. The average income for men is
approximately 3,000 taka (USD 43) per month,
corresponding to an annual income of USD 516,
which represents 40% of the estimated per capita
GDP in Bangladesh in 2007 (CIA, 2008). Their
income varies with the seasons. In the harvesting
season, they earn much more compared to the
rainy season.
tive research tradition. The interpretive approach
advocates the development of understanding
of human behaviour by considering surround-
ing contexts (Walsham, 2002). It is therefore
a suitable framework when there is a need for
explorative research to understand complex hu-
man behaviour (Evert, 2003). Previous studies
have not adequately addressed these aspects with
respect to impacts of ICT in the social context of
rural women in Bangladesh. The use of an inter-
pretative methodology in the absence of primary
data when theorising a problem is supported by
Menou & Potvin (2007): statement, 'One cannot
overemphasize that the kind of data, especially
those which are needed for building indicators
and the indicators themselves have to be selected
from the beneficiaries perspective and with their
participation, e.g. through a grounded theory
approach'(p. 17).
Primary data were collected from six (6) female
operators of the VP project and three (3) female
users of the GPCIC project through focus group
discussions and personal interviews. Participants
were selected on the basis of their willingness
to take part in interviews and the availability of
the field investigator's time during a one month
field visit in the two villages. The most common
characteristics of the six female operators are as
follows:
1. they are married and are in the 30 year age
range,
2. their average monthly income is less than
USD 100, and
3. they are directly or indirectly involved in
agriculture or business.
The research findings are presented in a story
telling fashion to identify emergent issues from
interview transcripts. Listening to their stories
gives us an insight into how they interpret ICD4D
or ICT-led development from their perspective.
Research Design
The methodology adopted in this research is
based on an interpretive approach in the qualita-
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