Re: [GKD] Rural Wireless Takes Off in India

[Larry Njungu]

Gee! This is great and I missed it. I came across it only when I was
going through the archives on this post.

While appreciating the great ICT strides being recorded in some
developing countries like India, which I believe has been very
privileged, I still greatly bemoan the digital divide in ICT existing
between developed and developing countries, worse still among developing
countries as indicated by the Indian news.

What is of concern is that where as villagers in India are able to
interact using advanced internet connection, urban dwellers in most
african countries, Zambia in particular, still do not have access to the
basic computer.

To really close or narrow this ICT gap, brethren, we really must
restrategise. Has any evaluation even been done ever since this "closing
the ICT gap initiative" began?


Larry



Simon Woodside <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org/content/news/index.cfm?key=893

> Over 200 rural villages in India's Maharashtra state have formed a
> wireless Internet cooperative, establishing 50 wi-fi "hotspots" in their
> communities. The co-op has managed to raise more than $400,000 (RS20
> million) to expand the reach of wireless Internet locally. Maharashtra
> is not alone, however; communities across rural India have begun
> embracing wi-fi, recently legalized by India's government. At a recent
> technology conference in Bangalore, India, speakers suggested that these
> rural communities were actually ahead of the curve in terms of wi-fi
> deployment when compared to their urban Indian counterparts. Given the
> lack of communications infrastructure in much of rural India, wi-fi is
> quickly filling a niche as more villages desire to go online. Some
> Indian companies, though, have invested in deploying fiber optic lines
> to rural areas, but much of this bandwidth is unused; experts suggest
> that these companies should partner with communities to further expand
> "last mile" Internet connectivity throughout rural India. 


SOURCE: InfoChange India
AUTHOR: The Hindu Newspaper





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Re: [GKD] RFI: Computer Donations To The Third World

[S Woodside]

What about importing to small businesses instead? instead of donating
the computers, provide them at cost to small business owners who can
resell them and provide support services?

simon

On Monday, June 23, 2003, at 12:29 AM, Raju Dev Acharya wrote:

> I totally agree with Guido Sohne. In Nepal I can buy a new PIII for
> US$300. Also importing PC for distribution into the country takes a lot
> of time and effort  due to the never ending red tape and can take
> months. This increases the cost of the PC if the cost incurred in the
> host country is added to the total cost of the donor.
>
>
>  "Guido Sohne" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> I was in a thread elsewhere that discussed this same issue and I also
>> thought that shipping used PCs makes perfect sense. The problem is the
>> actual cost of the used PCs when other overheads are taken into 
>> account.
>
> ..snip...
>

--
www.simonwoodside.com -- 99% Devil, 1% Angel




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[GKD] eLearning and Development Publication

[Edgar Wang]

eLearning and Development- Publication

"Crystal Network for Training and Learning Media", a service project of
the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
implemented by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), offers
a cost-free brochure about eLearning and development cooperation to
interested organisations and individuals.

The publication deals with relevant aspects of eLearning as well as with
specific issues related to developing countries and development
projects, covering subjects like:

* The development of the eLearning industry in the US and in Germany
* Emerging knowledge networks in the South
* ICT-based knowledge building projects in the South seen from the
German perspective
* Training institutions using eLearning in Germany and Southern Africa
(case studies)
* Technology minimalism for sustainable projects (case study)
* Strategic consultancy issues
* Basics of instructional design

The brochure is the result of a symposium organized by "Crystal" and
Hoffmann & Reif Consultancy in October 2002, that brought together
eLearning and educational experts, representatives of major German
organisations of development cooperation (German Agency for Technical
Cooperation GTZ, InWent Capacity Building International etc.) and
project managers from local partners from the South. It is based on
presentations given at the workshop, which have been updated for this
publication.

Everybody interested in the above-mentioned topics is welcome to send a
request for delivery by e-mail to Uwe Reutter ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). The
entire brochure as well as the single contributions may also be
downloaded from the Crystal website ,
where you will find more information about Crystal's mission and its
activities.



Edgar Wang Media Consultant

Nahestr. 23
D-53332 Bornheim

Phone: 0049 - (0)  - 81849
Mobile: 0049 - (0) 170 - 2037 649
Fax: 0049 - (0) 1212 - 510 600 600




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[GKD] CONF: Int'l Tech Support for NGO's (6/25/03)

[Fossler, Julie]

*
The InterAction ICT Group cordially invites you to:

"eRiding and the International NGO Community: 
International Tech Support Challenges, Issues and Solutions"

Wednesday, June 25 from 10am-noon
InterAction Conference Room
1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Suite 701
Washington, DC

This event is open to the public and we encourage you to distribute this
message to others. If you wish to participate by conference call,
please contact Julie Fossler at <[EMAIL PROTECTED] >for dialing
instructions. http://www.interaction.org/ict/events_ict.html#eriders
*

The InterAction Information and Communications Technology Group
cordially invites you to attend this event from 10am to noon on
Wednesday, June 25. Sponsored by the Markle Foundation, this event is
part of a global initiative committed to increasing the impact of
information and communications technologies to achieve development
goals.

*
THEME: INTERNATIONAL TECH SUPPORT
*
A brief visit to nearly any NGO office in the developing world reveals
the sense of isolation in which international NGOs typically operate,
cut off from mainstream communications, information and resources taken
for granted throughout much of the North.  The loss of valuable time and
talent to daily inefficiencies and work stoppages rooted in tech
problems is palpable.  The funding community does its part to address
the issues, but can only meet a fraction of the needs, lacking
resources, a support infrastructure on which to respond, and the
inability to assess technology needs in a reliable and meaningful way.

The Circuit Rider Movement in the United States has emerged as a
cost-effective means of mission-driven technology support for
nonprofits, its design rooted in "techies" with wide ranging technology,
assessment, planning and communication skills; practice models that work
in tandem with the staff and mission of nonprofits to control costs and
ensure that only appropriate technologies are employed, and a
fundamental commitment to freely sharing ideas, resources and tools.

Promoting eRiding - as it is being called - in nations around the world
is seen as an important next step in the Circuit Riding movement's
growth, especially for international and local NGOs in the developing
world.  The support costs are low and the relative impact is high, with
the "shared and roaming" support aspects of eRiding particularly
effective means to transfer knowledge and skills.

*
PANEL PARTICIPANTS
*
Join Joan Fanning, Executive Director of NPower; Teresa Crawford, Technical
Director of the Advocacy Project; Ric Plaisance, Program Manager for
NinthBridge and moderator Melissa Pailthorp, Executive Director of
Aspiration as they provide a background on the eRider movement, its
international development strategy, a summary of its current initiatives,
and its potential for promoting the effectiveness of international and local
NGOs in performing their missions.

*
RSVP & LOCATION
*
This event is open to the public, and we encourage you to distribute
this message to others.  RSVPs are not required but would be appreciated
and can be sent to Julie Fossler at [EMAIL PROTECTED]

CONFERENCE CALL ACCESS:  If you are interested in conference calling in,
just send me an email ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) by cob today and I'll
send you the number/passcode.  If you decide to participate at the last
minute by conference call, please call the InterAction front desk
Wednesday morning at 202.667.8227 and they will give you the number to
dial-in to and the passcode.

InterAction is located at 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 701 in
Washington, DC.

*
If you have questions or comments related to the InterAction ICT
initiative, or no longer wish to receive mail from this list, please
email Julie Fossler, ICT Manager, at [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Julie Fossler
Manager, ICT Working Group
InterAction
www.interaction.org/ict
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(202) 667-8227, ext. 136
Campaign Flash! http://www.interaction.org/images/campaign_HK.swf




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Re: [GKD] RFI: Computer Donations To The Third World

[Maartje Op de Coul]

Does anyone know if there are computer donation programmes that go
beyond one-off donations? What if after a while people using donated
computers need  upgrading and/or replacement? Who takes responsibility
for meeting with the  created (long term) expectations of using
computers?

Maartje Op de Coul





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