Skip to Main Content

ICT Survival Tools in Cape Verde

in

Volunteers face a lot of ICT-related challenges in Africa that don’t exist in the US. Computer equipment tends to fail more frequently here, due to environmental factors like humidity and salt residue, and especially because of unstable voltage. When computer parts do fail, replacements are far less readily available here than at home. But one obstacle to Volunteers’ productivity with modern information and communication tools stands out – the scarcity and relatively high expense of Internet access. Below are some tools that can help you deal with these challenges and be more effective.

USB Drive

It’s indispensable. You will need one of these to travel around with your data. It’s probably a good idea to bring several from the US, because they are extremely expensive to replace in Cape Verde.

PortableApps

If you aren’t a fan of Internet Explorer, which you’ll find installed in most Internet cafes, download PortableApps and a portable version of Firefox that you can run directly from your USB drive. Having Portable Firefox remember all your passwords is more secure than typing them in at a public computer. You can back up all your bookmarks with the FoxMarks extension, so if you lose your USB drive you don’t lose your data.

TiddlyWiki

This is a fully functional wiki contained in a single html file. This is especially handy if you have a laptop at your site, since you can use the wiki without an Internet connection. Write things like todo lists, project ideas, recipes, journals, important numbers, anything. Save Internet time by writing letters to friends and family which can be copied and pasted into an email later.

Google Docs

Save your documents, spreadsheets and presentations on Google’s servers so you never lose your stuff again. Has features that even Word and Excel don’t provide, like revision tracking. Sometimes it’s the only alternative if you are at a computer without Office installed.

Netvibes

You could check your email, check four or five other Volunteers’ blogs, check Facebook, and check the headlines around the world. Or you could check a single page that mashes all these things together. If you’re at an Internet café this can save you a bunch of time, and time is money.

Linux

A free computer operating system. If your computer gets trashed, and you don't have a copy of Windows, request a copy of Ubuntu Linux and they will ship it to you for free. If you just want to try it out, Ubuntu Linux can be installed on a computer without disturbing Windows in any way.