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most of us would agree have high access to technology also have great inequality. Is inequality the same as poverty? Not necessarily, but it is worth pointing out that the overwhelming amount of technology in the United States which is fairly widely available in public schools, at least in contrast to many countries in the world does not seem to have alleviated poverty in one of the most affluent countries in the world.

Finally, what we mean by technology affect the answer to the question at hand. To many Americans, technology means iPhones, Google Earth, and all-in-one copy machines. But Wikipedia calls a strict definition of technology "elusive", and includes as examples "material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware, or utensils". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Technology)

That definition would include the Hippo Roller (http://www.hipporoller.org/), an innovation which many at first glance would not be inclined to categorize as technology. The Hippo Roller which I learned about courtesy of Beyond Good Intentions (http://www.beyondgoodintentio ns.org/), a soon-to-be released documentary which seeks to anser the related question "What really works in international aid?" reduces the workload women and children in the developing world who travel long distances to collect water on a daily basis. Aside from alleviating a physical burden, this invention also saves time and energy which can be better put to use in, say, school for children or income-generating work for adults. Of course, if there are no schools, or tuition is too expensive, or culture encourages parents not to educate daughters, the impact of the Hippo Roller will be less drastic. But it could well make a difference because it addresses a real and specific problem in the communities where it will be used.

The Hippo Roller is also provides a colorful example of what is perhaps the most important point: no one would expect the Hippo Roller to reduce poverty in inner-city America. Perhaps similarly, we should be cautious about expecting what works in the US or what we believe works - to have magical results in widely different contexts.

Technology can play an important role in reducing poverty, but technology alone is not enough.

Learn more about this author, Katie Rice.
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