GDCO%20SUDAN.pptx

Workshop on wsis 2012 th 17 may 2012 at 11:00 – 12:45

http://groups.itu.int/wsis-forum2012/Agenda/DraftAgenda.aspx

Role of telecentre.org and

Sudan telecentres in community development

Today’s world runs on Information and Communications Technology (ICT). ICT has given people the reach and power to achieve new levels of personal growth and the means to shape events, aspirations, relationships, and their futures in ways before unimaginable. Telecentres (telecentre.org) is a public place of access to the Internet and other digital technologies that help promote personal and social development which offers crucial services, skills and opportunities to people living in remote and rural locations around the world. The global Telecentre academy GTA provides Telecentre managers and operators across the globe with ongoing training, skill development and capacity building   

The Telecentre Women Digital Literacy Campaign http://women.telecentre.org/is a joint initiative of Telecentre.org Foundation and the ITU (International Telecommunication Union).. The Telecentre Women Digital Literacy Campaign is a global initiative to help empower the big mass of disadvantaged and under-served community women with knowledge of information and communications technology for personal growth and expanded opportunities for better lives.  

Gedaref Digital City Organization (GDCO Sudan) was founded in the framework of twinning (partnership) between the community of Gedaref city and the community of the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands (digital city of Eindhoven DSE). GDCO founded the first Telecentre academy in Africa (June 2008) and the Middle East and the thirteen in the world. http://community.telecentre.org/profile/AHMED  GDCO utilizes its public private partnership using ICT for community development and develops many projects. Connecting the unconnected is a big project that works with rural communities, people with disability, out of school children (e-education) and farmers. Although there are some Sudanese farmers who know and use computers regularly there are also many farmers who do not and cannot use computer as they are usually operated.   Farmers who do not read or write cannot use standard interfaces that require reading – and lack of familiarity with computer metaphors makes computers look impossible to understand.   GDCO shared an idea of the agro-mobile service with Drishtee organization in India (2008). Now GDCO works with Raising the Floor – International organization http://raisingthefloor.org/to develop an easy farm agro system which can be used in computers, laptops or mobiles.  The EasyOne Farming prototype is an experimental web page that can be accessed from any computer and, when used in kiosk mode, removes the computer’s entire complex interface and provides a simple, no-reading-required way of getting whether, weather, crop and animal prices, as well as help with crop and animal diseases or problems.  Anything pointed to is read aloud in the farmer’s native language and dialect. The program can be designed to lead toward both more advanced digital literacy and reading.  This is the first introductory form meant to be very easy and attractive to use.   It is currently a concept in development and not fully functional.

Panellists:

•     Mr. Miguel Raimilla, Executive Director Telecentre.org Foundation

•     Mrs Susan Schorr, ITU the Partner of Telecentre Women Digital Literacy Campaign

•     Mr. Ahmed Mahmoud Mohamed Eisa, Chair of Gedaref digital city organization Sudan

•     Mr. Gregg Vanderheiden, Co-Director, Raising the Floor – International and the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure Project.  He is the initiator of the EasyOneFarmer project in telecentres in partnership with GDCO