Question Box helps people Google can’t reach

Millions of people in the developing world lack internet access and the ability to ‘Google’ an answer to their questions. Question Box provides a simple solution.

Originally published by Yadira Gutierrez, Mercy Corps Global Envision / February 14, 2012

For millions in the developing world who can’t just “Google it,” a box is providing the answers.

To begin, users push a green “talk” button on the metal intercom box and ask a question in their local language. An operator in a larger town with more Internet bandwidth will look up their questions online and relay the answers to the caller. The red button ends the call.

The Question Box was created by Open Mind, a nonprofit founded by Rose Shuman in partnership with the Grameen Foundation.

Internet access is not given a second thought in the developed world, but for billions around the globe, the Internet is far out of reach.

“Question Boxes leap over illiteracy, computer illiteracy, lack of networks, and language barriers,” according to Shuman and fellow organizers. “They provide immediate, relevant information to people using their preferred mode of communication: speaking and listening.”

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Question Box Answers Questions In Remote Villages That Can’t Just Google It

Question Box Founder Rose Shuman recently visited the Broadcasting Board of Governors in Washington, DC, home to media outlets such as Voice of America. In this video, Rose discusses what Question Box is, and how it is used in communities.

SAfm host Michelle Constant recently interviewed Question Box founder Rose Shuman live on the radio.  Tune in below and hear the latest!

SAfm Question Box interview

Question Box was featured in Southern Innovator, a new publication of UNDP that profiles some of the most innovative ideas coming out of the global South. We were pleased to see many friends in the sector profiled as well, such as Ushahidi, Medic Mobile, and TxtEagle. Take a look at the magazine, as it is a great primer on ICT and mobile innovation from around the globe.

Idealist has just added Question Box and Open Question to their Idea File. Check out the complete article!  Here’s an excerpt:

Why we’re adding it to the Idea File

• Circumvents the limitations of the web. If you’re like me and speak one of the top ten languages on the internet, then you probably take for granted that we have access to an incredible wealth of information with just one click. But the world has 1,000+ languages, and Google is available in “nearly 40″ of them.
• Gives most everyone access. Reaches people on the margins: the illiterate, women who are excluded from communication, the visually impaired, and those who are too poor to even have a mobile phone.
• Provides employment. Operators have the opportunity to use their language skills, and make some money while they’re at it.
• Utilizes local knowledge. In many villages, knowledge is passed down from generation to generation, or neighbor to neighbor. Question Box not only places values on its importance, but helps capture it for future use.

International Trade Forum asked Question Box Founder Rose Shuman to write an article detailing how our service and philosophy relates to Aid for Trade.

Question Box: Crossing the digital divide

BBC Digital Planet recently featured Open Mind-Question Box for a second time, interviewing Open Mind-Question Box Founder Rose Shuman and Open Mind India Chairman Dr. Nikhil Agarwal.

Listen to the interviews and discussion -  click the link below:

QB BBC interview Sept 2010

Rose & Nikhil emphasized using technology that local populations are already familiar with, so that development organizations can focus on their initiatives and not on teaching new technologies. Rose unveiled upcoming plans to launch an online guide that will teach community organizations how to start their own live, local-language hotlines. The BBC announcers lauded the Question Box initiative, saying “It was a good idea when it started; it continues to be a good idea.”