Abby Walker


Web in Developing Countries

	The Web in Developing Countries is yet another way in which the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.  While, not all people of Developed Countries have regular access to the Web, the majority does.  People of Developing Countries simply do not have access to the Web for a vast, complex number of reasons, the number one reason being cost.
	While Internet software might be free, a user still has to own and maintain a computer, which needs electricity to function, (very expensive), along with some way in which to connect to the Web, the primary mode being the telephone.  The telephone is also very expensive, and along with the electricity, is highly unreliable.  Often times the information on the Web is not in a user's first language, which restricts Web use to only the educated.  Education in Developing Countries is also expensive.  Families cannot afford to send their children to school, their time is better spent working, making money.  In some cases, the Developing Countries government's might limit access to the Web, so as to restrict the amount of exposure to the Western world.  The list of challenges facing Web use in Developing Countries could go on and on, however, the situation is not completely hopeless.
	Access to information, via the Web, could ultimately aid people of Developing Countries in their daily struggle for survival.  However, the Web cannot make a difference if the people are not motivated to use it.  They believe that their time and energy is best spent doing physical labor, so that their family will not starve, whether that be tending to rice, or sewing Gap jeans, the resources are simply not available.
	Saano Kati is a four year old from a small village outside Pokhara, Nepal.  Kati is from a subsistence farming community; they plant only what they will eat.  Although, Kati is very young she is already expected to help around the house.  Chances are Kati will not attend school - her hope for survival lies in her parents' ability to arrange a marriage for her.  If she ever learns to read, it will be Nepali script, not English, severely limiting Kati's access to the Web.
Meet Hector Renaldo, three, from Monsenor Romero, a small village outside of Soojetoto, El Salvador.  Hector's family lives in small concrete home built by Habitat for Humanity.  Unfortunately, the house is too expensive, and will most likely be repossessed by Habitat along with the families' farmland.  Hector's only hopes of ever seeing a computer lies in his ability to make the national soccer team, which would allow him to attend the University for free.  Hector and his family have bigger things to worry about than the Web, such as where is the next meal coming from.
Kati and Hector's stories are not unique.  People all over the world struggle daily to survive, and the Web could be the answer to healing and stopping some of the problems.  Although, the problem most likely will not be solved in the near future, there are however, some simple things to keep in mind when designing a Web page, so that users from Developing Countries can have a slightly higher success rate when visiting the Web.  For example, since time is precious to the user, consider writing programs in HTML, Java applets simply take to long to load.  Incorporate simple graphics, which will not be offensive to users of other cultures, remembering to support the alt function in case the user's browser will not support graphics.  On the whole, try to avoid users having to download anything, as this often takes too much time.  However, if downloading something is necessary, include the file size, as this will aid users in deciding whether or not to download.  For more suggestions on creating an internationally friendly Web page check out Jakob Nielsen's page.