Ninety percent of rural Africa lives without electricity and majority of the population have to walk many miles to overcrowded schools without desks to learn. Few communities have libraries or resource centres and are thus socially and economically deprived of the much-needed resources of information, even information about their own country! There is no sense of belonging to the wider global village.
Cisco is working with non-profit organizations, local communities, Government leaders and International Partners like Inveneo, OGE and AppleSeeds Academy to create a bottoms up, sustainable social businesses in rural and underserved communities in Africa. By creating Community Knowledge Centers (CKC) , that are are technology hubs in rural communities we can contribute to creating vibrant, connected communities. CKC's helpi people improve the quality of their lives through leveraging information technology. They are driving economic growth in underserved areas. It took a village to get it started: Cisco used an ecosystem approach to bring together a community of actors to create and support the CKC model. This approach ensured that the CKCs could access the best technology solutions to address communities' education, healthcare and economic needs.
Each CKC has its own unique attributes, yet all share a commitment to use information technology and believe that a CKC can be a powerful means for the community members to increase their livelihoods. CKC's are providing basic building blocks to create social change in these underserved areas. They improve the ability of community organizations and individuals to access information, communicate globally, and sell and purchase their products and services, Increase job-readiness and marketable skills through training programs like Cisco Networking Academy, Increase participation in educational experiences for all age groups in the community, Improve health to increase ability to work and productivity, Improve relevance and effectiveness of social services such as e-Government services, Increase economic growth and improve overall quality of life.
The first country to start the implementation of this program was Kenya, through all the lessons learned, we were able to create a replicable model that was implemented in the rest of the countries.
By way of an example: In Nyangweta, which is at the shore of Lake Victoria, Kenya,the structure for the CKC was put up by a group of women who are all HIV+, through a funding support of USAID. They knew that the community needed a place that offered valuable services that they could use instead of idling around. When this CKC was setup, there were no businesses around that local, the community had no power for many years. But today - not only has the CKC provided a source of power, income and jobs to the community, but it has also helped local entrepreneurs to start up businesses around the CKC. A luxury 3-star resort that has sprung up in the vicinity which is a great example of how this technology hub is spurring up economic development in this area! The local community members also use the CKC to apply for online jobs, to get information on new fishing techniques and connect with the world and look for markets for their produce,
Another alarming statistic: 98% of the African population has no access to Internet services, which is now an important utility and a MUST for every person, home or a business. There are numerous challenges to provide affordable Internet connectivity to these areas. For many of the service providers, investing in rural areas doesn't justify their return on investments and this was the case in Kenya. It took a good 2 years to come up with a solution that uses radios that are mounted on the existing cell phone towers of the operators. This solution was replicated in Haiti by Inveneo after reaching on the possibility of providing connectivity to the CKC's in Kenya. This model can now be used by the operators to connect schools, hospitals, clinics and small business in rural areas - a first for the country.
Another example is of a Masai community in Sekenani, Mara, Kenya who now have a "cool place they can hang out" up to late in the evening and benefit from the services of the CKC. This is another community that has never had power. Thanks to the CKC, the community members stay up late and watch movies and sports through the internet. The youth and women have benefited a great deal from this CKC. The Masai women make beaded necklaces and are selling their products on line. The youth have learnt foreign languages and can communicate easily with the thousands of tourists who visit the famous Masai Mara National Reserve.
At Cisco we have seen the power of networks to multiply impact time and again around the world. I am fortunate to be part of an ecosystem that connects and collaborates to address social challenges and build sustainable communities here in Africa.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Hital Muraj
Quelle/Source: The Huffington Post, 24.09.2012
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