Rather than worrying about the sustainability of the technology concentrate on the information. Remember without the information the technology has no life and only really has a passing interest before it is superseded by the next techno-fad to come along. Have you forgotten your initial aims? Like most of us who profess to be IT professionals you are a ‘Tech-head’, more interested in the technology aspects of ‘Information Technology’ than the information.

However, reading your blog it appears that one month in temptation has already got the better of you and you have already developed one database for which you yourself have expressed doubts as to its design and usefulness, and now debating whether you should be using Microsoft access or an “ Base application”. In this way I assume you hoped to work in a way that would prove to be more sustainable and harmonious. In this way I think you hoped to avoid imposing your western experience of IT into what seems to me, to be a definitely non-western organisation. You left with the best of intentions to learn about the organisation first before imparting your skills and wisdom.

Microsoft access openoffice base