Asia is home to more than half the world’s population. The region is a powerhouse of creativity, technological innovation, human and natural resources, and is a powerful player in the global economy. Yet, Asia is also home to some of the world’s poorest countries. There continues to be a large, and growing, number of people who live in abject conditions of poverty, without education or literacy, often in remote areas, and nearly always in areas with little or no modern communications infrastructure. Poverty is a deprivation of liberty reflected, not just in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but also in inadequate access to a range of services such as health, education and security. A defining characteristic of poverty is lack of access—access to clean water, basic healthcare, education, economic resources, social assets—lack of access to opportunities for development.

Many in the developing world are caught in a cycle of poverty and lack of education that is the root of devastating, endemic problems such as high infant mortality rates, disempowerment of women and girls and the spread of HIV/AIDS. Poverty comes in many guises and has numerous faces, but one factor is constant—people in poverty want to find ways to get out of it. Two resources that are critical to the alleviation of poverty are Education and basic Information on a range of development subjects.

Timely access to vital, up-to-date information that is relevant to the lives & challenges of poor communities is a critical means of empowering people with tools to improve their circumstances. Equal Access’ methodology and technology applications are designed to target a range of development challenges by addressing the underlying debilitating factor of poverty through information and education.