Scope
The association Vox Humanitatis is focused on developing opportunities for less resourced cultures, so that they can be perceived by their native bearers as an element of dignity and an opportunity for social promotion. Thus it is establishing a “virtuous circle” that can help reinforcing cultural diversity, while at the same time spreading “knowledge about the other” and tolerance among different native communities. This includes peculiar communities that do not have an ethnic base, like sign-language communities and the likes.

The general goal is to help the undergoing planet-wide economical process use cultural diversification as an economically viable environment, so that the urge for survival of local cultures and the general economic growth can be harmonized.

Vox Humanitatis works based on a no doubled effort principle: whenever an issue is already addressed by a similar institution, Vox Humanitatis will always try to support the existing process.

Practical Goals

Among our practical goals are:

• efforts to widen the technological offer for less resourced cultures. This includes:

• localization
• cultural localization (e.g. graphic symbols that are understandable to a given culture, rather than standard imported sets , transporting a scene described into a different cultural context);
• home banking and mobile phone technology localization
• support for better telephone and internet connectivity

• support a wider information network in native languages

• development of independent news sources in native languages
• development of an internet based market for literature in the language

• support to easy alphabetization in less resourced languages

• co-operation with the projects of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF)
• creation of a truly multilingual dictionary with Ambaradan
• open-source videogames localization
• voice based technologies

• support to sustainable commerce, like

• e-commerce for local artisan based production
• support for traditional production techniques and their documentation
• help with logistics (distribution, export techniques, etc.)
• help with procedures (electronic payments for disadvantaged ares, etc.)
• e-commerce procedures for disabled buyers/sellers
• tourism focused on local cultures

• support for a world wide knowledge bank about

• cultural traditions and mindset
• linguistic and historical elements defining culture
• shared marketing and management tools

The last point is strategic for breaking the insularity that currently semms condemning many a culture to a slow death. By giving to less resourced cultures a structure in which they can meet, co-operate and manage their own interests, Vox Humanitatis strives to attain a situation in which we can help the world to know and appreciate its own wonderful internal variety.

Weblinks

• Wikimedia Foundation
• UNESCO