After meeting for the second time with staff at BERDO, I am energized, hopeful, and daunted all at once.

The office is full of energy and the organization appears to be in a state of growth as construction for their new office moves forward. Construction is done by hand – with few safety standards, if any- and the workers milling about add to the festive atmosphere.

Moreover, I learned today that they have two branch offices in addition to their office in Dhaka and operate a successful revolving loan fund for income generating activities. Already, I feel that my brief time with BERDO has opened up new and exciting areas to work. I am elated by the idea that these revelations will continue- and that I will have the opportunity to travel to their rural offices to meet more staff and clients in other areas of the country.

At the same time, I feel that it will be a daunting challenge to adopt my ideas about technology to the particular situation of an NGO in Bangladesh. The fact is that electricity regularly goes out- a new law mandates that shops close by 7 pm (rather than staying open until 10 or 11 PM) to limit demand for energy. Internet connections are slow at best, if the connection is operable at all.

Amid it all, I find myself asking: what strategies will truly work best or work at all?