Social Change
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Social Change
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Five Asian Countries Start Using ICT for Community Empowerment

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Summary

The use of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) in non-formal education programmes to foster participation of disadvantaged people in literacy, basic education and continuing education activities is at the centre of projects in Indonesia, Lao PDR, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan that UNESCO's Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) has launched with funds from Japan.


In Lao PDR, the project is focusing on improving village incomes amongst rural youth in Namon Nuea and Chahom villages in Vientiane province. Under the project, the Non Formal Education (NFE) Department intends to strengthen community learning centres (CLCs) to serve as resource centres where ICT equipment is used to disseminate news and information in various areas, including life skills and income generation.


In Sri Lanka, the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement is striving to establish multi-purpose community telecentres for community development in Rathnapura, Gampaha and Kuliyaputiya districts. Project activities include the development of community databases and the dissemination of appropriate information to villagers and entrepreneurs through Sarvodaya's Mobile Multimedia Unit.


In Thailand, under the Northern Regional NFE Centre, the project intends to develop inter-village connectivity and empower the members of rural communities, particularly youth, who want to use ICT as a tool for community development (especially in the areas of family accounting, community savings and community store accounting).


In Uzbekistan, the project aims at facilitating the application of ICT for community empowerment in Samarkand, Andijon and Bukhara. Under the project, the National Commission of Uzbekistan for UNESCO is striving to develop community databases and documentation for community planning and management.


In Indonesia, the Directorate General of NFE and Youth is planning to introduce an ICT-based learning model to CLCs in Central Java and South Kalimantan. The planned activities include community data collection using the PRA approach through CLCs and a programme using the Internet to enable greater access to data and improved information flows between local communities and the Government.


Click here for the full article online.

Source

The SANTEC Weekly Newsletter, April 2004 Information Update No. 4.