Local Content Development for improving rural access to telecommunications services

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Permalink Reply by Alan Foo on January 19, 2010 at 2:17am

Yes, we do agree fully with you about local content developments for sustainable initiatives.

It is a bad idea to depend on the market for contents as in the long run it is just not viable nor feasible for nationwide rollouts.

That is exactly our initiatives. We provide the contents(the fish), the tools(the fishing rod) to create contents and the boat (the entire simple ecosystem of homework).

Schoos, telecenters, kindergartens , and universities can have it for free ... from us.

Alan
www.paperlesshomework.com

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Permalink Reply by Abubaker Ntambi on January 20, 2010 at 5:05am

Dear Alan, thanks for the contribution. You are right indeed. most of the developing countries' content development initiatives/solutions are not sustainable due to many issues, including the ones you highlighted. what interventions would you recommend that are aimed at ensuring that content development interventions especially in developing countries flourish?

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Permalink Reply by Felix Muchiri Waweru on January 19, 2010 at 2:18am

True, that is why Kenyan government has started a 'PASHA' brand to reach the community at large. PASHA is a swahili word meaning 'pass it forward' or 'transfer'. The private sectors have also not been left behind as they've rolled out Kiosks as digital villages. These projects are targeting the rural communities in effecting their services through e-government, e-learning, content building plus other ICT added values. For more www.ict.go.ke or www.pasha.co.ke This projects are start-ups.

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Permalink Reply by Abubaker Ntambi on January 20, 2010 at 5:08am

Bwana Felix. thanks alot for your contribution. However, my other concern would be for you to share with me and perharps the group how the PASHA brand not only involved local communities but how content is being delivered to them and the mechanisms being employed in such interventions.

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Permalink Reply by Felix Muchiri Waweru on January 25, 2010 at 1:38am

Sorry for the delay in responding. Thanks to all replies in this thread

The pasha centers are to be run by private entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs will get training in business and information technology under a free certified training programme offered in the Kenya ICT board. The 'PASHA' project, overall is structured in four levels: to offer training, to offer a bandwidth capacity subsidy, to offer IT support to centers and to provide a revolving fund.

There are three models of the centers, Basic, Standard and Advanced. Each models differs according to the services they provide. Through the standard and advanced centers, Kenyans will be able to access government services such as NSSF statements, driving licence application forms, police extracts among others. Others core services offered includes Media nodes, Health nodes.

These nodes will collect information on current activities in the rural communities as reported by the locals through audio, video means. In case point, In Mwea distrct, an outbreak of blast in rice would allow the extension officers to visit the centers for secondary information considering the nodes were used to gather information about rust from Farmers who visited the centers for consultation. This will enable prompt attention to the problem. Health nodes will link the farmers to Doctors or Vet within and without to get faster attention.

The entrepreneur would make a video, audio report of the major activities may it be social, political or economical within the community and relay the same to the necessary bodies e.g media hse, government admins plus others. These are some of the examples of content building within the community.

The private sector thro Kenya Data Network are offering a package to land-lords living within this community to enable internet within their building at a resonable package to offer e-services an collect content which can be shared at KDN's portal. There's a renumaration agreement btwn the two parties.

Also a pasha forum will help entrepreneurs to interact online with other entrepoereneur of different locations. One of the criteria for selection of entrepreneur is that you have to be living in this rural communities. This initiates a sense of ownership for you and within the community and hence success.

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Permalink Reply by RANABIR DAS on January 19, 2010 at 8:24am

I think you will have to consider Local Content idea generations or local demand.

Local Content design and implementation needs to be done at a central location where ICT based tools and manpower is available to give shape to the requirements. On development, these will have to pushed through the ICT network through a central located Data Center. All telecenters will be hooked to the DC via VSAT.

Again, for local content design, agricultural or fishery or Diary intstitute or suitable skill development centers etc will assist in giving shape to the contents which can then be converted to elearning material.

There are other value added services which can be provided through Mobile phones. Weather information, seasonal or planting information, crop diagnostics or seasonal diseases prevention etc. If mobiles are not available then consider the ICT based telecenters. Again it has to be pushed through the central DC.

Hope this helps.

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Permalink Reply by Abubaker Ntambi on January 20, 2010 at 8:41am

Hi Ranabir, your contribution was good. i found interesting ideas on what we intend to do. In uganda, we intend to concetrate on gathering already existing content such that we transform it into a user friendly manner/format then deliver it through appropriate mechanisms to the local communities who need the information critically. My question then is, do wqe need to do a needs assessment before actual implementation? and if so, what key questions would the needs assessment set out to answer?

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Permalink Reply by RANABIR DAS on January 21, 2010 at 1:04am

Absolutely. Assessment need is critical. It is simple Demand and supply. Key question? What do I want in my village immediately ? If a village is predominently, agriculture oriented, then we need to know the popular cash crops being grown and how it can be improved? Similarly for another village Fishery culture is the way of life. We should not be giving agricultural lessons to them.

It can be simple birth and death certificate too. They may have to travel miles to reach the nearest Govt. office for the same. Study would be required to find out how at the village level itself by empowering the Village Headman or person of Stature and how this record can be recorded in the ICT center and the record pushed to the Local Govt. office. This may not be as easy as said. It will need Govt. Intervention.

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Permalink Reply by ROBINSON WIKANA MUKANGAYI on January 19, 2010 at 10:02am

Abubaker,
When we talk of driving ICTs into the interior or rurales for that matter, the issue of local content comes up but we most of the time tend to assume or pour cold water so that it dies of. It is good to note that for any project to succeed the literate and illiterate , the young and old, among others must be put on board. I am on the ground and many people from all walks of life come forth with all the courage and they want to participate. for instance a a Community Telecentre located in some rural village in Kenya will require staff or atleast personnel from the area to help interpret the intentions and even help in implementing and driving it deeper thus achieving its goals. Otherwise services will remain skewed to a clique who maybe understand English/ Kiswahili among others as a mode of communication.

There is also a case where say a Telecentre servicing Farmers in a community, some indegenious plants need to be marketed or sold, how do we have the right name yet the much known on is in the local language. How do get information from that old or resourceful herbalist/ doctor, rainmaker, blacksmiths or other community experts who wish to share their expertise.

Therefore, it is time we sat down to work on the local content, otherwise we will loose out. Lets encourage simple publications in the local languages. We need to fully collaborate with our respective communities to see this come to succeed. Start with just one step and eventually you will achieve a myriad.

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Permalink Reply by Abubaker Ntambi on January 20, 2010 at 8:45am

Hi Robinson, thanks alot for the contribution. i think the other issue for brainstorming would be that "do we need a needs assessment exercise to inform the development and/or delivery of local content?"

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Permalink Reply by Rae Rivera-Casas on January 20, 2010 at 2:25am

The development community believes that for information and ICT infrastructure to be used, the local community should be able to use them based on their immediate and local context. Studies show that it really is an important aspect of ICT4D projects, and perhaps even the heart of any initiative that seeks to bring technology to communities.

There have been several examples that would prove that developing local content can be possible and sustainable with the right mix of public-private partnerships in communities.

There is a study of three cases in the Philippines where content development by communities was done. Perhaps you would like to look into how they did it in our country:

http://www.unapcict.org/ecohub/resources/content-development-by-com...

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Permalink Reply by Abubaker Ntambi on January 20, 2010 at 8:48am

Hi Rae, that was a wonderful addition to the existing discussion. i liked the way you backed your argument with available examples and/or case studies which we would borrow from in implementing our related interventions. Do you however think that a needs assessment is crucial before delivery and/or development of local content?

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