ICTs in Telecenters... page 1 2 3 4 5


TELECENTER ACTIVITIES
The power of information technology can be focused in many different directions. While some telecenters function as sources of general information pertaining to a variety of topics, others offer specific activities based on the managing organization setting them up or the particular clientele they are meant to appeal to. Several such examples worth highlighting are listed below.

Agriculture
Nearly two-thirds of the labor force in low-income countries is employed in the agricultural sector, mostly in isolated small family farms that have comparatively limited involvement with markets, and limited access to information. Many telecenter projects help address these needs. The Central and Satellite Agriculture Information Centers, for instance, provide farmers in central Jamaica with accurate and up-to-date agricultural information. In India, ITC Ltd. is building an internationally competitive agriculture business by empowering, not eliminating, the independent small farmer. Through it's e-Choupal Internet kiosk network, farmers are not only provided with all the information and services they need to enhance their yield, but can also sell their produce directly to ITC, thereby eliminating the middleman, and bringing higher profits to both ITC and the farmers. Complimenting the kiosks are unique portals aimed at soy, shrimp, and coffee farmers. In a similar initiative, EID Parry, an agricultural company in Tamil Nadu, has set up a network of "Parry's Corners" through which farmers can access its IndiaAgriline portal.

Education
Capitalizing on shared needs and infrastructure, several telecenters have been set up on school campuses through a unique public-private partnership model. In these examples, the government provides entrepreneurs with space in local schools to set up a computer lab, which they are then able to use for commercial purposes outside of school hours. In Tamil Nadu, the Elcot Schools Program has used such a scheme to wire up all 1,200 secondary schools in the state, producing an average of 40,000 computer- and Internet-literate graduates a year. Another similar project in India, Indira Soochna Shakti, is providing four years of IT education for free to a quarter million school girls in all 1,605 government high schools in Chhattisgarh, a state that is predominantly rural and tribal in character, and where 35% of the population is illiterate and 40% live below the poverty line. In a similar project, thirty-four centers have been setup in schools in Bangalore and the surrounding rural areas by the Azim Premji Foundation. Computer training is provided to the students at no cost to the school by an entrepreneur who is allowed to use the computer lab as a for-profit telecenter after school hours. In other cases, a single telecenter is set up to improve the quality of education in several schools. The Sappi Kwa-Dukuza Resource Center in South Africa, for example, is providing digital, technical, and academic resources to some 78,000 students in surrounding schools.

Business Development Services
Some telecenters provide businesses and entrepreneurs with assistance and resources, such as software, mentoring, training, and funding. These services go beyond basic business support services, such as access to a fax or copy machine. One such example, BusyInternet, is promoting the development of Internet-related skills and programs in Africa through the construction of high-tech business incubators that provide individuals and businesses with the expertise and resources needed to expand their traditional businesses into e-commerce and other Internet-related activities. Similarly, the Association for Support to Women Entrepreneurs (ASAFE) is providing its membership of 3,000 entrepreneurs with information and communication technology access and training through its Cameroon-based cyber boutique.

E-Commerce Services
The Internet connection offered by telecenters helps to facilitate e-commerce activities. In Robib, Cambodia, the ability to market products through the VillageLeap.com portal has supported the creation of a small woven-silk industry in the village. In India, the S.Kumars Group is setting up community kiosk franchises in over 1,000 cities, through which people can access the S.Kumars e-commerce portal. Several multipurpose community telecenters, including both the Asante Akim and Rajkot MCTs, also promote e-commerce services.

E-Governance Networks
Several state governments in India are installing kiosk networks in order to make e-governance services available. The Akshaya Project in Kerala is expected to set up a network of 9,000 information centers in the state, generate about 50,000 employment opportunities and create investment opportunities of around US $100 million, all within a time span of three years. The All India Co-ordinated Program (AICP) has already set up over 3,200 affiliated information centers engaged in training, servicing, and production throughout 25 states in India. The e-Seva network in Andhra Pradesh already includes over 30 centers that serve as one-stop shops for dozens of state and central government services as well as those of some private sector utilities. Other government-sponsored telecenters are being set up in China, Mexico, and the Solomon Islands.

Another interesting model has been tested on three continents. The governments of Pakistan, South Africa, and Brazil have all helped set up Internet kiosks in post offices. These projects take advantage of the post offices' penetration into rural areas, their physical infrastructure, as well as their already established role of providing information to communities.

Private companies, too, are bringing e-government to the people. Drishtee provides market information to Indian farmers, and has created a Web-based citizen-government interface to provide public administration, education, and healthcare services. In less than two years, Drishtee has demonstrated its concept in over 90 kiosks across five Indian states. The Publinet Project in Tunisia is setting up public Internet centers in every part of the country through a public-private financing plan. For the first 100 such centers, the government has contributed grants covering half of the cost of the equipment.

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