Discussion Summary: What significant changes did telecentre.org bring to your network over the past years?

Question #4

What significant changes did telecentre.org bring to your network over the past years?

Regarding Question #4 eleven comments arise from nine members. From Asia region (1 Sri Lanka + 1 Bangladesh + 2 Philippines) four people and from Africa region (1 Mozambique + 2 Uganda + 2 Kenya) 5 people gave their observations about how telecentre.org facilitates their network over the past years.

Strengthening Network:
All participants agreed that Telecentre. org’s major contribution is strengthening, providing support to existing local/regional/national networks.

Knowledge Sharing: Knowledge sharing is one of the most important contributions considered by the members. It can be translated into the following tittles:
 Creation of new platforms (ex: Sri Lanka and in East Africa, where it match together 4 national networks and 2 telecentre’s academies)
 Improved international communication (Kenya and Sri Lanka specially considered grassroots telecentres.

 Telecentre.org as a window to other countries and experiences)
 The knowledge provided and shared in telecentre.org has a real impact in concrete realities (ex: Agriculture in Kenya)
 Promotion of offline/online/face to face meetings. It has had an important effect in increasing the social and economic impact of Other contributions mentioned by the members are:

Telecentre Times: Popularizating and promoting Telecentre movement and concept through telecentre times. Telecentre Times is a good example of the broader telecentre ecosystem since it is read in more than 40 countries.

Capacity building: A number of officers of the network have also had the opportunity to participate in meetings and conferences on the telecentre movement. As a result, networking with others in the movement has been established.


Participants Names and organizations (Networks)

(Listed by comment date)

Elizabeth Yumul-Manugue - Development Academy of the Philippines
Mahmud Hasan -Bangladesh Telecentre Network
Niranjan Meegammana - Shilpa Sayura Foundation (Sri Lanka)
Francis Mwathi - UgaBYTES Initiatives (CF Telecentre.org)
Jimmy L. Calata - Nueva Vizcaya Community e-Center & I.T. Division, Governor's Office (Philippines)
Polly Gaster - Eduardo Mondlane University Informatics Centre (CIUEM) – Mozambique
Kiringai Kamau - VACID Africa (Kenya)
Cleopa Timon Otieno - Kenya Telecentre Network (Kenya)
Sulah Ndaula - UgaBYTES / The Manager Limited (Uganda)