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Sharing Information and Communications Technology Knowledge
NetHope provides forums for member agencies to document and share their field experiences regarding
the effectiveness of their telecommunication technology and to suggest ways to improve future
delivery of services.
In regularly scheduled teleconference calls, members review existing projects and update each
other about the status of various initiatives. NetHope records these teleconference calls into
our knowledge management system, a database that can be searched for specific information and
discussions on-demand. This system helps us to institutionalize our membership’s collective
knowledge. Significant knowledge-sharing also occurs during NetHope’s annual meetings, where
participants discuss mutual needs and challenges and build stronger relationships.
Facilitating Use of ICT Through Testing and Managing
the Deployment of Communications Infrastructure
NetHope tests and then manages the deployment of communications infrastructure to provide
member agencies with access to the Internet at remote project sites where relief and development
operations are carried out. By NetHope initiating the gathering of information about potential
deployment sites and then piloting programs to test the feasibility of different solutions,
members focus on the implementation needs of various regions. NetHope's support may include
obtaining low-cost satellite, wireless and terrestrial communication facilities, and managing
their deployment in developing countries where the absence or poor quality of conventional,
land-based telecommunications infrastructure is an obstacle to carrying out members’ humanitarian work.
Collaborating and Sharing Best Practices
Through NetHope’s coordination, member agencies improve their ability to work productively with one
another, around the world and across multiple parts of their agencies, such as headquarters, country
and field offices, and actual project sites.
The collaboration among members following the December 2004 tsunami illustrates one benefit to
communities in need when charities make efficient use of innovative technologies and work together to
coordinate their efforts on the ground. The NetReliefKit (NRK), provides data and voice connectivity
in a ruggedized suitcase. NRK was still in the trial phase, scheduled for early field tests in Africa,
when the tsunami struck. Within hours, members began to receive reports about the enormity of the disaster
and the urgent need to respond quickly and effectively. Effective emergency response requires the immediate
deployment of a response team to assess the needs and determine the scope of the relief, after which
headquarters staff gather the resources needed. This process requires rapid and reliable communications,
and where a natural or man-made disaster has devastated communities whose infrastructures were already
limited, the challenge is severe. Through the teamwork of NetHope member charities operating across the
globe and coordinating on the ground, the NRK trial units were hand-delivered from USA to the neediest
sites to support relief workers. The NRK provided a critical near-term solution until longer-term
communications can be rebuilt.
The teamed response was possible because NetHope coordinated daily conference calls among members
to share information about technology needs and strategies for implementing solutions, thereby avoiding
wasted or duplicated effort. NetHope expects that the interactive learning and information-sharing will
lead to greater coordination in field operations and improved response times for delivery of humanitarian
aid and services, not only for member charities but (through the knowledge management system discussed
earlier) for the broader nonprofit sector as well.
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