Through class readings and discussions, we’ve grown to understand that the growth of the Internet (and all the other sectors that have grown because of it) has clearly not benefitted all countries and communities. In fact, in most cases, it has widened the divide between rich and poor and between powerful states and fragile ones.

Still, whether it’s through cognitive dissonance or unbridled optimism, I like to find ways in which people use new technologies in order to improve the quality of life in communities that need it most. This week I read about a couple of ways that small companies are seeking creative solutions to age old problems.

The first one is an app that connected Indonesian citizens to a network that allowed them to find resources and relief in a post-natural-disaster period. Because of Indonesia’s vulnerability to natural disaster, this kind of tool could provide a huge benefit to its residents. Another project, also funded through the international development program, Amplify, involves using tech to map slums in South Africa, giving families without an address a way to clearly place themselves and opening the door for emergency access to health care. Both of these projects use modern tech to help fill gaps when infrastructure is lacking. Although they might not end the problems that weak infrastructure has caused, they create a temporary means of relief for communities that need it most.