Where there is no tech support: A practical guide for promoting information technology in Africa

This book presents a discourse on what to consider when you think about providing computers (or any foreign technology) into an African school, village, business, or government office. There are many obstacles that I wish I hadn't overlooked in my two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1999. You would think I'd learned it the first time, but I returned to West Africa two years later in 2003 and made a whole new batch of mistakes.

I hope that my stories will help others be more successful. The most important lessons are about sustainability. Technology only works when local people are given the keys (training), the new thing actually makes life better (relevance), and they hold themselves accountable for keeping it running. I spent much of my time trying to identify the needs of the community (not what the school principals or Peace Corps Admin thought) and work with others to meet those needs. In the process I did leave a few successors who were able to solve future problems with success.