Did anyone actually read the article in the Post before spouting off? The Ashaninka village raised their revenues by 10% using e-commerce to sell their organically raised oranges in Lima 250 miles (or was it kilometers) away. You don't think that 10% revenue growth is significant in a community of that size? Maybe to buy more food?
Also of interest was the mother's comment, "I may already be part of a lost generation, but my children won't be." You see, she can't read well enough to use the internet, but she's making sure her kids learn.
As others have said, South America != Africa. Much of the land is arable and many of the societies are agrarian. They are eating just fine, they just can't get above subsistence living because in the past wealth was based on natural resources. Now that wealth can be knowledge based, these countries have a hope of pulling themselves out of poverty, and rich US citizens are going to sit back and tell them they are doing it in the wrong order.
2nd. Most humanitarian organizations have discovered that communication is the first requirement. If you provide food with no way for them to ask for help if the crop fails, they just starve next year instead of this (that applies more to Africa than SA). If you provide communication, they can help themselves by learning about plumbing and why they need it, etc.
I generally enjoy/. but this thread was lead by folks who didn't read the article, don't know anything about geopolitics or economics.
BTW, they were provided with a generator (their first electricy) and a satellite dish. Do you think that maybe they can use these for other improvements as well as e-commerce, distance learning (one of them has made it to the university -- a first)?
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Did anyone actually read the article in the Post before spouting off? The Ashaninka village raised their revenues by 10% using e-commerce to sell their organically raised oranges in Lima 250 miles (or was it kilometers) away. You don't think that 10% revenue growth is significant in a community of that size? Maybe to buy more food?
Also of interest was the mother's comment, "I may already be part of a lost generation, but my children won't be." You see, she can't read well enough to use the internet, but she's making sure her kids learn.
As others have said, South America != Africa. Much of the land is arable and many of the societies are agrarian. They are eating just fine, they just can't get above subsistence living because in the past wealth was based on natural resources. Now that wealth can be knowledge based, these countries have a hope of pulling themselves out of poverty, and rich US citizens are going to sit back and tell them they are doing it in the wrong order.
2nd. Most humanitarian organizations have discovered that communication is the first requirement. If you provide food with no way for them to ask for help if the crop fails, they just starve next year instead of this (that applies more to Africa than SA). If you provide communication, they can help themselves by learning about plumbing and why they need it, etc.
I generally enjoy /. but this thread was lead by folks who didn't read the article, don't know anything about geopolitics or economics.
BTW, they were provided with a generator (their first electricy) and a satellite dish. Do you think that maybe they can use these for other improvements as well as e-commerce, distance learning (one of them has made it to the university -- a first)?
jeez.