Dgroups

Dgroups - Development through dialogue ^[1] - was set up in 2002 as an online platform offering tools and services that bring individuals and organisations together in the international development community. Today, Dgroups is a partnership of organizations committed to: 1)Provide open and accessible Internet spaces and services where members of the international development community can safely share information, collaborate and engage in dialogue and networking; 2)Support the international development community to mobilize and apply its collective knowledge and expertise.

Dgroups started as a joint initiative of seven development organisations: Bellanet/IDRC, the Department for International Development (DFID) (DFID), the Institute for Connectivity in the Americas (ICA), the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), OneWorld, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). These organisations were looking for an online communication tool that would suit their needs for target groups in the developing world, as well as other development practitioners worldwide. As none of the existing knowledge sharing applications were considered suitable, they decided to join forces and build their own system starting from an existing Bellanet platform ^[2]. Launched in 2003, Dgroups has been designed and developed keeping in mind low-bandwidth users. Thus exchanges occur mainly via e-mail.

The organisations participating in the initiative considered Dgroups as a global public good and committed to support it through the Dgroups Partnership. Financially supported and managed by its members, the Dgroups Partnership exists to mobilize and share the resources, experiences, and knowledge of the partners, members and participants, to achieve more effective (open and inclusive) development work. It facilitates online dialogues and collaboration through an accessible, easy-to-use platform tailored to the needs of the development community, and by promoting effective electronic networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing^[3].

After having grown and matured in Bellanet/IDRC as a project, in March 2009 Dgroups members decided that a legal entity was needed at the heart of the partnership and the Dgroups Foundation was established in the Netherlands. The Dgroups Foundation now governs the development and running of the platform and related online services.

To date, the Dgroups platform offers online tools and services needed to support the activities of a team, a group, a network, a partnership or a community. Dgroups is also a place to find groups who are interested in international development topics. It counts 2128 active communities, with around 126.723 registered users. It delivers around 400.000 email messages each day, half of which are exchanged with and within African countries.

As of October 2011 the Dgroups partnership counts 22 organisations:

• Alfa Redi
• CIDSE
• Context
• Department for International Development
• EADI
• European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM)
• FAO
• Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
• The Global Mechanism
• Helvetas
• Hivos
• ICCO
• IICD
• INASP
• Natural Resources Institute
• Royal Tropical Institute (KIT)
• Rural Water Supply Network
• Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
• Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV)
• South Asia Partnership International
• Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)
• UNECA

Notes

1. ^ Akinsamni et al 2007, p.49.
2. ^ Cummings 2008, p.15
3. ^ Akinsamni et al 2007, p.51,

References

• Sarah Cummings. 2008. Development through dialogue: report of a research initiative. KIT Working Paper I1
• Andrea Carvajal, Odilia Mayorga, and Boru Douthwaite. 2008 Forming a community of practice to strengthen the capacities of learning and knowledge sharing centres in Latin America and the Caribbean: a Dgroup case study. Knowledge Management for Development Journal, Vol 4, No 1
• Giacomo Rambaldi. 2007. Using a dgroup with third party online applications for a cause. Knowledge Management for Development Journal, Vol 3, No 1
• Titi Akinsamni, Andrea Aranguren, Manju Chatani, Nynke Kruiderink and Theresa Stanton. 2007. Development through Dialogue. A showcase of Dgroups from three perspectives; institutional, project and capacity development level. Knowledge Management for Development Journal, Vol 3, No 1

External links

• DGroups home page
• DGroups Help pages
• DGroups Blog