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CONTENTS

1. Digest Celebrates One Year Anniversary!

2. Lessons from the Field: Geographic Distribution of ICTs

3. New in the Digital Dividend Clearinghouse: Kerala's Rural Development Network, Computer Based Functional Literacy, and Swayamkrushi Microfinance Computerization

4. Special Opportunity: Acacia ICT R&D Grant

5. Preliminary Survey Results: Internet Access in Developing Countries

1. Digest Celebrates One Year Anniversary!

Digital Dividends is celebrating the release of the first issue of the Digital Dividend Digest which went out exactly one year ago today. In the past year, the Clearinghouse has grown by 243 projects, 57 of which we have highlighted in the Digest. The Resource Marketplace has added 47 new resources, 11 of which we have highlighted here. The Digest has brought 29 special opportunities to its readers, as well as publicized 16 new reports produced by Digital Dividends, including our "Lessons from the Field" series, Project Spotlights, and Case Study series.

We thank you for your interest in Digital Dividends, and our Digest, and look forward to continuing to bring you valuable information through this newsletter!

2. Lessons from the Field: Geographic Distribution of ICTs

ICT-enabled projects are spreading rapidly throughout the developing world. Their growth, however, is not evenly distributed across regions. This article highlights the geographic distributions of the more than 800 projects that the Digital Dividends project tracks in its Clearinghouse. Read more

3. New in the Digital Dividend Clearinghouse: Kerala's Rural Development Network, Computer Based Functional Literacy, and Swayamkrushi Microfinance Computerization

Twenty new projects have been added to the Clearinghouse since our last edition of the Digest, all of them located in India. Among the highlights are:

Kerala Rural Development Network: The Rural Development Network (RD-Net) in the Kerala District of India seeks to bring information and access to the poor in all of the state's rural localities. Combined with the Kerala Government Portal, RD-Net will allow those in even the remotest areas to access government data, apply for loans, and submit grievances.

Computer Based Functional Literacy: The Tata Group's computer-based functional literacy program (CBFL) uses a mix of multimedia presentations, educational software, and flashcards to teach local adults how to read and write. Based on advanced theories of cognition, the program was originally taught by retired teachers and literacy advocates and is now recruiting graduates of the program as teachers.

Swayamkrushi Microfinance Computerization: The Swayamkrushi Women's Development Mutually Aided Cooperative Thrift Society (SWC) is computerizing their microfinance operations for greater efficiency. With the installation of five computers, the women have been able to reduce the amount of paperwork needed to run daily operations. Through the effort, the women are learning basic computer skills and using the computers to read the news online and learn more about government programs.

4. Special Opportunity: Acacia ICT R&D Grant

The Acacia Initiative has announced its first ICT R&D Grants for 2003-2004. Applications are open now for interested organizations from developing regions in Africa. The main objective of the grants program is to promote an active ICT research environment in Africa for issues related to ICT-based development applications, policy research, and the impacts of ICT in Africa.

Small grants of a maximum of $30,000 CAD each will be awarded on a competitive basis to successful organizations from the African region. The deadline for submission of detailed proposals is September 1, 2003. For more information, click here

5. Preliminary Survey Results: Internet Access in Developing Countries

In an earlier issue of the Digest, Digital Dividends published a survey aimed at gathering on-the-ground data about the cost and usage of Internet access in developing countries (volume 21, April 23, 2003). We are pleased to report preliminary results of this informal survey in the current edition of the Digest.

We are continuing to take responses to our survey online. Aggregate results thus far can be found below. Thank you to all who participated!

1. Where do you live?

Asia/India: 60%
Africa/Middle East: 20%
Latin/South America & Caribbean: 8%
Eastern Europe: 6%

2. How many hours do you spend on the Internet per week?

(Many of the respondents reported that they use the Internet for work, often indicating a high number of access hours per week.)

Average: 22.1
Asia/India: 18.9
Africa/Middle East: 9.6
Latin America & Caribbean: 40 (sample size = 4)
Eastern Europe: 50 (sample size = 3)

3. How much do you pay for your Internet access per hour (USD)?

Average: $0.97
Asia/India: $0.74
Africa/Middle East: $1.68
Latin America & Caribbean: $1.99 (sample size = 4)
Eastern Europe: $0.30 (sample size = 3)

4. What services (e.g. e-mail, chat, news) do you use most often?

E-mail: 90%
News/Research: 48%
General Web browsing: 44%
Chat: 24%
Business/Commerce: 16%
Activism: 12%

In addition these data, various respondents shared their stories about Internet access in developing countries. We've included two of these testimonials below.

From a Subscriber in Nepal: "I worked on an Internet project in Nepal. When we arrived in Butwal, where the project was based, there was one server and two Internet cafes. The cost was 100 Nepali Rupees (about USD $1.15) per hour at the cafes. We had more issues than I care to mention! It made teaching Internet use a rather interesting prospect! It used to take us 40 minutes to log onto the Yahoo! home page.

"Over the ten months of the project we watched the rapid development of Internet services in the local area. There were three servers with the promise of another to come and the prices at the Internet cafes dropped to 25 NPR/hour (USD $0.30).

"We were hoping to set up an Internet hub of sorts, with access points at key areas. However we had to let go of this idea as the infrastructure could not support it. Communities that were located just a few kilometers outside of the main road used a telephone system that was not capable of transferring digital data. However, with the speed that the technology is developing, I am sure that it won't be long before some of these issues are resolved. I am recording some of my findings on my Web site (http://www.pol-bridgingthedivide.com/dissertation.html)."

From a Subscriber in Zimbabwe: "In relative terms, Internet costs are much higher in the third world than in developed countries. Furthermore, browsing is often simply too slow and/or impossible to do productively. Usability is also a test of one's patience, which is a direct result of slow speeds and frequent interruptions. For example, getting into Hotmail is often feasible only on the weekends or early in the morning.

" The West is heading towards broadband, effectively pulling away from the third world and exacerbating the digital divide. Even NGOs design Web sites that are impossible to access given third world infrastructure constraints. The solution may lie in Web services, which must be lightweight and efficient. One suggestion is that all Web sites have an alternative text-only version that would be appropriate for low bandwidth connections."