Message-ID: <020401bdf6c9$3763f900$78e06883@steve.tdg.ca> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 12:47:50 -0400 From: Don Richardson <mailto:drichard@UOGUELPH.CA> Subject: Telecom for Rural Development Newsflash Oct.13/98 To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
"Partnerships and Participation in Telecommunications for Rural Development" Conference at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario Canada: Oct 26 & 27, 1998. See note below for further information...**Conference News Flash** October 13, 1998 http://www.snowden.org
Item 1) Sharing African telecom for rural development experiences
There will be at least 25 African delegates participating in the Oct. 26 & 27 conference in Guelph, representing telecom for rural development initiatives in countries such as: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. These conference participants represent a wide variety of organizations such as national ICT "think tanks", libraries, trade associations, environmental communication agencies, community information services, rural radio organizations, private sector ICT players, PTT rural technicians and officials, and rural/agricultural development organizations. Initial comments in our on-line pre-conference indicate that despite very different contexts, many of the issues, lesson-learned and recommendations for enhancing telecommunications for rural development are shared whether we are looking at rural Africa or rural Australia, North America, Asia or Europe.
Travel, accommodations and conference fees for these participants is funded by several organizations, including the International Telecommunication Union, the International Development Research Centre's Acacia Initiative, the European Union, SR Telecom Inc., and the Don Snowden Program for Development Communication.
Item 2) On-line pre-conference - focus on sustainability http://www.snowden.org/conference/forumintro1.cfm
The Online Pre-conference for the "Partnerships and Participation in Telecommunications for Rural Development" Conference is underway with many participants focusing on the issue of sustainability of telecom for rural development initiatives.
For example, Paul McLeod from Newfoundland comments: "I find it useful to separate ends and means -- to remember that in most projects the development objectives are separate from the tools being utilized to achieve them.
Certainly a particular project may have as a primary objective the institutionalization of the tools so they can be sustainable, perhaps to serve the community or institution for a long time after the project concludes. But in many more projects there may be no real purpose in creating a sustainable tool. After a few months or years of project activity, the real objectives may have been achieved (in part, thanks to using the tools well) and the tools themselves can be dismantled or allowed to disappear.
In another scenario, tools may already exist (e.g. a private or institutional telecentre; a private or institutional video production facility; etc.) and it may make sense to try to incorporate it/them into the project In so-doing a facility/institution may be enhanced and people may receive training; this may advance the facility from a marginal to a fully sustainable operation that in turn may benefit the community on an on-going basis. But this would be a secondary objective and whether or not it happens or the facility survives would not have any real impact on the primary development objectives (e.g fisheries development; community water; irrigation; health; whatever) which are being furthered by effective utilization of the communication tools.
In most development projects, unless a specific objective is to create a sustainable communications tool, it's important not to let the tools become an end in themselves. The problem is they often seem to have a way of becoming just that, perhaps diverting resources and distracting attention that should be going to the primary development objectives."
Item 3) "Making Canada the Most Connected Nation in the World"
David Reid from Industry Canada's Community Access Program (http://cnet.unb.ca/cap/) will be at the Oct. 26 & 27 conference to speak about this innovative and cost effective program helps provide Canadians with affordable public access to the Internet and the skills to utilize it effectively. Under CAP, local schools, libraries and community centres act as "on-ramps" to the Information Highway and provide support on how to make the best use of the Internet.CAP originally focussed on establishing 5,000 access sites in rural and remote communities. The 1998 federal budget provided funding toward the creation of up to an additional 5,000 Internet access sites in urban neighbourhoods across Canada. To date, close to 2,200 rural and remote communities have been brought on-line by CAP partners, bringing Canada closer to the goal of establishing up to 10,000 access sites by the end of fiscal year 2000-01.
According to CAP officials, access to the Information Highway will help create awareness of the Internet's potential to create new and exciting opportunities for jobs and growth, by providing communities with the ability to communicate with one another, conduct business, enhance job skills or simply exchange ideas and information. Once fully implemented, CAP will help Canadians use the Internet to:
- access federal, provincial and municipal information services; - seek out domestic and international business opportunities; - develop value-added products and services; - create local enterprises, jobs, growth and social development; and - learn valuable skills to reap the opportunities provided by the knowledge-based economy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the "Partnerships and Participation in Telecommunication for Rural Development Conference"
The two-day face-to-face conference on October 26 & 27, 1998 will take place on the beautiful campus of the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Guelph is a short 45 minute drive from Toronto with easy access to and from Toronto International Airport (Pearson Airport). The conference focuses on telecommunications for participatory rural development. It looks at how lessons-learned in Canada might be applied by people in other countries, and how lessons learned in other countries might be applied in Canada.
There is still time to register for the conference! You may call (519) 824 4120 ext. 2353 to register by phone, or you can print, complete and fax your registration(s) from our website at http://www.snowden.org/conference/registerpaid.html The conference fee is $349 +GST for Canadian residents and $300 US for non-Canadians.
This conference is sponsored by: Don Snowden Program for Development Communication, Foundation for International Training, Bell Canada, SR Telecom, International Telecommunication Union, International Development Research Centre, Industry Canada, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, University of Guelph, and the TeleCommons Development Group.
Don Richardson Director Don Snowden Program for Development Communication University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: 519-824-4120 x 3811 Fax: 519-836-9941 Email: mailto:drichard@uoguelph.ca Web: http://www.snowden.org