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Digital Dividend Digest vol. 29
September 17, 2003
CONTENTS
1. New "What Works" Case Study Released:
AKASHGANGA's
IT Tools for the Indian Dairy Industry
2. New
in the Digital Dividend Clearinghouse: Open Knowledge
Network, Sao Mai Computer Center for the Blind, and Business
Information Services
3. Special Opportunities: ICT
Toolsets Initiative, Reporting on Information Society Awards
& Reminder about Upcoming ICT-4-BUS and ICT Stories Competition
Deadlines
1. New "What Works" Case
Study Released: AKASHGANGA's
IT Tools for the Indian Dairy Industry
The first in a series of "What
Works" case studies to be released, the AKASHGANGA
case study focuses on the use of appropriate technology to
increase efficiency and productivity in dairy cooperatives
in rural India. With a portfolio of products, Shree Kamdhenu
Electronics Private Ltd. (SKEPL) provides integrated solutions,
marketed under the brand name of AKASHGANGA, that automate
the milk collection process. The system not only minimizes
handling and increases efficiency, but also increases transparency,
reduces processing and waiting time, and creates a basis for
improving the quality of the milk produced.
Read the executive
summary or the full
case study (PDF).
2. New in the
Digital Dividend Clearinghouse: Open Knowledge Network,
Sao Mai Computer Center for the Blind, and Business Information
Services
Seven new projects have been added to the Clearinghouse
since our last edition of the Digest. Among the highlights
are:
Open Knowledge Network:
OKN is an initiative linking grassroots organizations
across the South. Its goal is the creation and exchange of
local content among development practitioners in order to
increase the capacity and impact of development projects.
Focus areas of the Open Knowledge Network include health,
agriculture, education, and sustainable business.
Sao Mai Computer Center for the Blind:
Vietnam's Sao Mai Computer Center is extending the benefits
of ICTs to the disabled community through educational and
vocational training for blind students, as well as providing
valuable social and cultural activities that were previously
inaccessible to the disabled.
Tanzania's Business
Information Services (BIS) provides agricultural price
information to rural farmers in Tanzania. In doing so, BIS
enhances farmers' bargaining leverage when they take their
goods to market. Without accurate third-party price information,
these farmers are more vulnerable to middlemen who use their
access to market information to pay below-market rates for
commodity produce.
3. Special Opportunities: ICT
Toolsets Initiative, Reporting
on Information Society Awards, & Reminder about Upcoming
ICT-4-BUS
and ICT Stories Competition
Deadlines
ICT
Toolsets Initiative: The Open Society Institute's Information
Program has issued a request for proposals for a new grant
program. The ICT Toolsets Initiative seeks to advance open
society principles and practices by funding the development
of software tools specifically designed to meet the mission
and objectives of civil society organizations and actors.
Please send all project proposals to toolsets@osieurope.org
by the deadline of September 30, 2003.
Global Knowledge Partnership and The Panos Institute announce
the Reporting
on Information Society Awards. The awards aim to encourage
and recognize thoughtful and incisive reporting on developing
countries' progress in becoming "information societies."
Four US$2,000 awards will be made to developing country journalists
who go beyond descriptive reporting and analyze broader issues
such as the social impact of ICTs or national and global communication
policy issues. The deadline for submissions is October 15,
2003. To submit work for consideration, send a clipping, audio
or video tape, transcript, or Web reference to award@panoslondon.org.uk,
or by post to: Kitty Warnock, Panos Institute, 9 White Lion
St, London N1 9PD, UK.
Reminder: The deadlines for ICT-4-BUS
and ICT
Stories Competition submissions are coming up!
ICT-4-BUS
is a program to improve the competitiveness of small- and
medium-size enterprises in the Latin America and Caribbean
region. ICT-4-BUS is accepting proposals for its "Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) Innovation Program for
E-Business and SME Development" competition. The deadline
for applications is September 22, 2003.
ICT Stories
Competition seeks to spread best practices and knowledge
through the sharing of ICT project stories. The deadline for
submissions is September 26, 2003.
For more information on these and many other special opportunities,
browse to the
Resource Marketplace.
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