In this highly sophisticated world, the role of technology is massive. Nowadays, technology allows anyone to do things, which once were unimaginable or impractical, so easily. In developing or under-developed world, technological innovations could deliver far more services to improve the lives of millions.

From allAfrica. Story by Mengisteab Teshome.

For instance, less well-off people in such areas have started providing adequate information about the standard of life they lead using Smartphone. They diagnose their own level of poverty in 30 minutes using the device. A family in a poor slum or a rural village has the capacity to take stock of its own situation. Traditionally, it has been government social workers who administrate and process such surveys.

The technology called Poverty Stoplight do the opposite. Here, a family assesses their level of poverty in 50 specific indicators, and the results are visualized in a dashboard for the family to use. So, instead of being an index for policy-makers, the Poverty Stoplight is a tool for a very different kind of decision-maker: the head of the household. Once that household’s deprivations are visualized in the dashboard, the family creates a customized plan to prioritize their problems and overcome them with the help of existing resources in the community.