PROJECTS FROM POOR AREAS OF THE WORLD QUALIFYING FOR FUNDING






  “ChasquiCentros – New Generation of Telecentres”
Fundacion Chasquinet, Ecuador
 Project Chasquicentros is innovating the reality of today’s telecentres through its ambitious concept of integrated-service telecentres or ChasquiCentros. ChasquiCentros are centres of community ICT access, training and development, computer maintenance, repair and recycling, and hands-on ICT project support. These centres are pioneering the one-stop-shop for e-inclusion, providing ICT solutions, advice and implementation centre for schools, municipalities, NGO’s and other social sector organizations; so contributing to diminish the lack of ICT skills whilst at the same time creating much needed employment opportunities in poor areas of Ecuador.

  “Bangladesh Global Connections and Exchange Project”
Relief International – Schools Online (RI-SOL), Bangladesh
 The Bangladesh Global Connections and Exchange Project is a great example of the role NGOs and schools can play in the battle for e-inclusion. The project's main goal is to increase global dialogue and educational opportunities by installing computers with Internet access in schools, and to develop training and learning projects for teachers and students. The project is the largest of its kind in Bangladesh, with 28 operating telecentres that are often shared by neighbouring schools and community, thus reaching tens of thousands students, plus their teachers and surrounding communities.

  “ICT Resource Learning Centres for Management and Business Education in Regional Areas of Uganda”
Makerere University Business School, Uganda
 Project ICT Resource Learning Centres for Management and Business Education in Regional Areas of Uganda is of critical importance to tackle the absence of ICT facilities that exacerbates the general lack of access to quality higher education resources in the peripheral regions, especially the war-ravaged North, of Uganda. By using an internet satellite network, the Makerere University Business School (MUBS) in Kampala will enable highly disadvantaged, but academically able young people, to cross the digital divide and access learning resources until today only available at Kampala.

  “Chatting with My Best Friend”
Equal Access Nepal, Nepal
 “Chatting with My Best Friend” is the pioneer of youth-for-youth radio programme in Nepal, imparting knowledge and life skills to young Nepalis, with the specific objective of preventing HIV/AIDS infection and empowering them to deal with their problems. Other themes include study career concerns, unemployment & vocational training, conflict situation in Nepal, etc. The committed team of young producers receives between 1200 and 1400 letters per month, allowing Nepalese youngsters to share their views and ideas openly. The project has created a large network of listeners clubs, a monthly magazine and has been replicated internationally (Laos).

  “Connecting Slums through Telecentres”
SIDAREC, Kenya
 Project “Connecting Slums through Telecentres” is successfully responding to the challenge of e-inclusion within the slums of Nairobi. It has created telecentres that cater particularly for children, youth and women who are marginalized socially, culturally, economically and politically. The project has implemented wireless connectivity within the slums and has designed programmes for community development, including a library, the publication “Slum News, and recording studio. Young slum people are trained to help run the projects and they use the Internet to do research work for their studies and to look for markets for their products, thus helping curb poverty.

  “Computer and Internet Access”
Adcome, Camerun
 This project is innovatively bridging the digital divide by providing computers to create multimedia Internet-connected centres in schools in both urban and rural areas of Cameroon. The project implements an effective programme, training students to acquire useful skills that will help them in their studies and subsequent search for employment. Schools are provided with VSAT or wireless system connectivity and an engineer to train the students and to maintain the equipment. Since 2002, about 20 multimedia centres have been created, benefiting some 30,000 students from access to Internet, including in the country’s remote areas.

  “IkamvaYouth”
Ikamvayouth, Makhaza, Khayelitsha, Sud Africa
 Project IkamvaYouth is an imaginative force for e-inclusion. It works to improve the quality of education and post-school opportunities of disadvantaged youth by implementing e-literacy and digital media, career guidance and life skills training. IkamvaYouth is trying to tackle a critical problem among disadvantaged black youth, namely, that the majority do not graduate with grades good enough to take advantage of post-school opportunities. IkamvaYouth is run by a network of volunteers and make use of partnerships with libraries for the computer centres. Not surprisingly, it has grown from its original place in Khayetlisha to add two subsidiaries in the Eastern Cape.

  “Inclusion Digital para la Inclusion Social”
CDI, Uruguay
 Project “Inclusion Digital para la Inclusion Social” is leading the battle for e-inclusion in Uruguay, having created a network of 30 centres of Citizenship and ICTs, particularly addressed to low-income communities. The centres foster the democratization of ICTs as instruments of social inclusion that not only open opportunities for jobs and better income but, also, for access to new sources of knowledge and spaces for socialization. So far the centres have trained about 11,000 students and have a capacity to train 4,000 students a year on ICTs and themes such as interactive graphic design, pedagogical methodology, marketing and telework, etc.

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