We live in an increasingly digital world. While not every individual in the countries where USAID works has direct access to digital technology, we would be hard pressed to find anyone whose life and livelihood are not impacted in one way or another by digital technology.
In its first Digital Strategy USAID recognized this “rapid development and adoption of digital technology” as having “the power to spur economic growth, improve development outcomes, and lift millions out of poverty.” Yet despite the potential, it is not always obvious to USAID staff if or how there may be a role for digital technology in their projects and programs.
This tool seeks to provide a simple framework for determining if digital technology may be useful for certain scenarios. It will not answer exactly how digital technology can be used for each case, as the answer is always highly contextualized. However, it will help to point you in the right direction, no matter where you are in the program cycle. For more help with the how, you can reach out to one or more of the many resource people listed at the end of this document.