About

I’ve worked at the intersection of community development, participatory media, rights-based approaches and new information and communication technologies for almost 20 years, starting in El Salvador where I spent the 1990s.

This has included being involved on the ‘field’ side in translation, communications, programs, grants, administration, management, disaster response, youth media, and ICT4D. On the US side, I’ve worked on major and planned giving, program development, youth engagement, development education, research, strategy and innovation. I’m an anthropologist by degree and a participant observer by nature.

Areas of interest and focus at the moment:

open development, transparency and accountability, aid transparency, and participatory governance
child migration and ICTs
gender and ICTs
ICTs and urban spaces
mobile technologies and youth workforce development
new technologies in the M&E process
communication for development (C4D)
ethics and stereotyping in development communications and the media in general
how new technologies and the shifting global sands are disrupting/impacting aid and development work

I’m currently working with Plan International USA, consulting with the mEducation Alliance, and serving as a special advisor to the Rockefeller Foundation’s Evaluation Office. I manage New York City Technology Salons and am a co-founder of Kurante. I’m a trusted friend to Project Restart and TechChange and serve on the board of the kiwanja Foundation. I’m part of the Visualizing Humanity project, which questions representation and stereotypes in the use of images of people in the so-called ‘developing’ world. Non-work-related obsessions include capoeira, barefoot running, and healthy food.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly my own. They do not represent the views or opinions of my employers or affiliates, past or present.

Contact me at lindaraftree [at] gmail [dot] com or @meowtree. Please be patient if I don’t respond immediately.

20 Comments »

20 Responses

on February 10, 2010 at 12:50 pm | Reply Elisa Hebert

WP – Better! Nice!
- on February 10, 2010 at 6:45 pm | Reply lraftree
  
  thanks Elisa! I feel like I finally graduated from blogging pre-school…
on February 12, 2010 at 9:43 am | Reply Teddy

hello,

I love your blog. Am also involved in the same area at the coastal region of kenya and I want to see how I can Use ICT to share and generate knowledge. We can get intouch Ias I could greately benefit from your experince. I could offer my email address if its ok
- on February 12, 2010 at 5:20 pm | Reply lraftree
  
  Hi Teddy, thanks for reading! It would be great to connect about ICTs in the coastal region. It’s fine if you send me your email.
on April 16, 2010 at 5:51 pm | Reply Neil

New blog looks great, Linda !
on July 6, 2010 at 9:12 am | Reply samuel

i like about this web site
on September 28, 2010 at 2:09 pm | Reply Blurring Borders » Blog Archive » Help Crowdsource the Availability of Prepaid Mobile Internet in Africa

[...] initially sought. In particular, the complicated nature of Africa mobile Internet was explained by Linda Raftree from her personal experience. Katrin Verclas, of Mobile Active, provided the initial introduction, [...]
on October 11, 2010 at 12:00 pm | Reply Ben Tremblay

People sometimes get /amazingly/ offended and upset when I incorporate *blink* into online conversation.
Now I can say, “It’s no big deal. It just means something like ‘Wait, what?’”

thanks for this
and for the blog
stay well

ben
on November 19, 2010 at 4:47 am | Reply Harris S. Momoton

lraftree
I am getting so impressed about you and your activities. You are such a great innovitor. As I said, I need some partnership link with you. I need similar development for Liberia. The facts that You can leave your country to go to the remote parts of Africa and sit with African to help change their mind, It mean you are truly a African savior. I am so impressed about. Keep the good and God will help yoouu to achieve your goals.
Harris
- on November 20, 2010 at 8:07 am | Reply Linda Raftree
  
  Hi Harris and thanks again for the kind words. However I would say that you are doing more for the continent of Africa than I am with all of your efforts to train the youth in Liberia. I really congratulate you for that work and encourage you to keep it up! Have you contacted Computer Aid in Liberia? or Plan Liberia? You can probably find their contact information by doing a Google search to see if they are working on any programs in your district or if they would be interested in hearing more about what you are doing. Best, Linda
on March 6, 2011 at 9:05 pm | Reply Cristina

Very interesting blog!
on April 25, 2011 at 8:20 pm | Reply Edmund Sama

I find your blog very interesting and you are just a wonderful multi-talented individual intervening in different aspects of human life.
Let me give you a typical Bafut interpretation of your Blog title Wait, What?
N yu’u ta ke? meaning, Take action.
Since you are focusing “on integrating new information and communication technologies (ICTs) and social media into community development programs and communications initiatives to improve impact, reach and quality, and to offer tools that can help increase youth participation and voice at local, national and global levels”, would you mind considering using video phone technology for distance learning progams? This is an area of interest to me and we could share ideas.
- on April 26, 2011 at 6:03 am | Reply Linda Raftree
  
  Thanks again Edmund for the comment, I really appreciate it! Are you using video phone technology for distance learning now? At what level? Primary, secondary or higher education? How has your experience been?
on July 17, 2011 at 1:35 pm | Reply Leila

Hi Linda, you may remember me from the writing workshop in kenya earlier this year. I wanted to let you know that I finally got round to starting a blog – you might find some of it interesting and hopefully not too cynical! http://kitchenaid.posterous.com/
I read yours with interest. Take care!
- on August 8, 2011 at 9:30 am | Reply Linda Raftree
  
  Hi Leila! love your blog! have left mine a bit dormant this past month or so… too much going on…. hope you are well!
on August 8, 2011 at 9:21 am | Reply Elin Wallberg

Hi Linda,
Working in Plan Sweden with Corporate Engagement in the Programme Department. Trying to learn more about ICT4Dev and Plans work in the area and came across your blog. Understand you are a key person in the field
Cheers
Elin Wallberg
- on August 8, 2011 at 9:30 am | Reply Linda Raftree
  
  Hi Elin – look forward to working together!
on October 11, 2011 at 2:51 pm | Reply Sarah H

Hi Linda – I think you have a fabulous blog! You and your colleagues may be interested in this: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/onlinediscussion/
on February 2, 2012 at 12:51 pm | Reply Luis Enrique Manzur Avalos

Hola Linda.
La felicito por su blog esta muy interesante, especialmente lo referente a El Salvador. Agradecería me enviara su dirección de correo electronico.

Atentamente

Luis Manzur
on March 6, 2013 at 7:39 pm | Reply Deborah Strickland (@deborahs)

Amazing examples of how networking technologies can make such a difference to people in remote areas, and living in very difficult situations. I’ve been researching how different organizations are using mobile technology to develop services to alert and educate people. I never knew the power of something as basic as SMS. I did chat with FrontlineSMS recently and saw what a difference a small organization can make.