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CONTENTS

1. Project Spotlight: SKS Smart Card/Handheld Project, India

2. New in the Digital Dividend Clearinghouse: Prefeitura.SP and Telecentros (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

3. Meet the Newest Member of the Digital Dividend Team: Jorge Pedreira

4. Make the Clearinghouse Work For You! Searching for Projects

5. Make the Clearinghouse Work For Everyone! URLs & E-Mails

1. Project Spotlight: SKS Smart Card/Handheld Project, India

In the developed world, handheld PCs seem to have become no more than fashionable organizers. What about digital "smart" cards? Just a way to tuck everything into your purse. But in Medak, one of the poorest regions in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, these hi-tech devices are being explored as a cost-saving alternative in microfinance--and may thus have a central role to play in raising living standards in the area.

How can you help feed the poor with $300 handhelds? Hear Swayam Krishi Sangam (SKS) explain

2. New in the Digital Dividend Clearinghouse: Prefeitura.SP and Telecentros (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

6 new projects have been added to the Clearinghouse since our last Digest. Among the highlights are two complementary e-governance projects in São Paulo, Brazil...

Prefeitura.SP is the online portal of the São Paulo city government. It contains a wealth of information, including all types of social services offered and a list of government agencies' contact information. It encourages participation in government by including town meeting schedules, a step-by-step guide on how to participate in making the budget of the city, and informal online polls on city services. Read more

To ensure that all citizens have equal access to the portal and its advertised services, the city government of São Paulo has also begun to build free-of-charge telecenters for poor and excluded communities to use. In the first year, 40 Telecentros, each equipped with 20 Internet-enabled computers, will be installed in parts of the city that are most lacking in access. Read more

*You can view and comment on these and other projects when you visit the Clearinghouse

3. Meet the Newest Member of the Digital Dividend Team: Jorge Pedreira

"Hi! My name is Jorge Pedreira, and I'm the newest member of the Digital Dividend Project with the World Resources Institute. I'm originally from Puerto Rico, but I've been living here in Washington, DC for 6 years, where I studied International Relations at American University. I hope I can be of great help due to my knowledge of Spanish and ICT issues."

"Hola! Mi nombre es Jorge Pedreira y soy el miembro mas nuevo del Digital Dividend Project con el World Resources Institute. Soy originalmente de Puerto Rico, pero he estado viviendo por los ultimos 6 anos en Washington, DC, donde me especialice en relaciones internacionales en la American University. Espero ser de gran ayuda debido a mis conocimientos en espanol y en asuntos de informatica y comunicaciones."

4. Make the Clearinghouse Work For You! Searching for Projects

The Digital Dividend Project Clearinghouse connects you to more than 600 projects worldwide. Fortunately, finding the specific project you're interested in is easy thanks to the Search Page, where you can hunt based on activity, location, sector, managing organization, funding type, or any combination thereof. The recently added Keyword Search feature provides more specificity, allowing you to search the text of project descriptions directly.

To find a project that interests you, click here

5. Make the Clearinghouse Work For Everyone! URLs & E-Mails

Information on the Internet changes frequently. Links to articles or resources that are active one day are often gone the next. The Digital Dividend Team regularly audits the information in the Clearinghouse to make sure that the URLs, e-mail addresses, and related documents are up to date, but if we've missed any, we'd appreciate you letting us know.

To report a broken link, e-mail us -- we'd be happy to update it.