Connectivity Providers Database

Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 08:27:45 +0000 From: Birama Diallo <diallo@sotelma.ml> To: gkd@phoenix.edc.org Subject: Telecenter in Mali Dear GKD Members, Here in Mali we have established a pilot Multipurpose Community Telecenter (MCT) project in Timbouctou. It's funded by ITU, WHO, UNESCO, FAO, the national telecom company (SOTELMA), the local community and IDRC. It is implemented through the SOTELMA office, which is a governmental telecommunications organization. This is a 3 year project, which started in May 1998. The project is run by technical staff and a steering committee, which includes the mayor, business people, artisans, librarians, health workers, women's associations and other members of the community. The hope is that at the end of the project, the project will be run by the community. There is also the hope that the project will expand to 701 rural communities. After the pilot phase we estimate the cost of running MCT in other rural communities will be around US $3,175. The pilot telecenter is equipped with 11 computers. It serves 4 regions with an approximate population of 200,000 people. It offers copying, telephone, fax, and Internet services. A major emphasis of the telecenter is to provide training to artisans to set up their web page to sell their handicrafts. Our hope is that we can help them develop new global markets. The telecenter also serves a wide range of other community groups, such as teachers, rural radio animators, students and librarians. Another important area of service is support for healthcare. Telecenter staff train health workers in using the computers and the Internet to do research. Also, healthworkers in outlying areas communicate with doctors using the Internet. We realise that the community has limited income and therefore designed the telecenter fees with that in mind. The services are subsidized and offered at fees decided by the steering committee. There are also special discounts for women and children. In order to raise awareness about the telecenter in the community, the telecenter staff did some education campaigns to tell people about the services delivered by MCT. They also used some DOSA (Discussion Oriented Self Assessment) techniques to find out about the needs of the community and to set up project indicators. We want to be sure that the telecenter really serves the needs of the community and that it responds as the needs change. There have been some technical problems in terms of being able to use the Internet. Recently the telecenter has been exploring the possibility of renting a VSAT space in order to avoid technical problems in the future. We feel that there is tremendous opportunity for using telecenters as a vehicle for capacity strengthening for communities. Through training, and better access to information, those in the community can improve their knowledge and skills. They can also learn about the economic opportunities that are available and how to take advantage of them. The telecenter website is <http://www.tombouctou.org.ml> Birama Diallo, the MCT country coordinator Diallo@sotelma.ml