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About TelecentreThe Telecenter is one of the most rapidly growing applications of ICTs in the developing world. It’s rationality lies in shared-access models that allow provision of a wide range of services to more users at lower cost than privately-owned home or office computers which are often out of poor people’s financial reach.. It has the potential to help underserved citizens throughout the world to learn new skills, to find new opportunities, and to improve their lives. The Telecenters and other local community-based technology initiatives have proven themselves to be a powerful platform for utilizing these potentials. As a poverty-ridden country, Bangladesh has huge potentials to gain from telecenter movement. So, telecentre movement should get priority both domestically and regionally. Such initiatives under this movement have taken by D.Net along with few other organizations in Bangladesh. D.Net is taking a comparative lead than other organizations in the field of ICT-based livelihood content, helpline, dynamic leadership, mobile lady, partnerships with local and national service providers. D.Net’s commitment is “to integrate ICT with development process of Bangladesh and to alleviate poverty”. The organization has already established four Palliatathya Kendra’s (Rural Information Centers) at four villages across Bangladesh to experimentally assess the impact of ICT on rural people’s livelihood and to identify the mode of information and appropriate information delivery channels. At the second phase of the research, D.Net plans to test sustainability as well as local entrepreneurship model for operating the information center. Based on output of the research, D.Net wants to appeal GOs and NGOs and local entrepreneurs to take initiates to spread telecentre movement across Bangladesh so that poverty will be alleviated and rural standard of living for the poor can be upgraded within a short period. In this context, setting up telecentre can be identified as the most effective way. In relation to this, D.Net has visioned to organize a workshop for creating a common platform to raise the voice to promote Telecentre movement in the global forum. Through several upheavals, finally we made it a success and this remarkable occasion is the proof of our to be successful well coordinated efforts. The Telecentre Movement is a movement of telecenter activists, social entrepreneurs and the local organizations that help to sponsor their work, to achieve their goals in a short time through systematic approach to alleviate poverty, to upgrade local living standard, to bring substantial income to brighten their livelihood, and above all, create a network of young risk-taker innovators to achieve these goals. Why Access to information is important Access to information is an important factor for development while there is a growing recognition that it should be recognized as a right since it is related to almost all aspect of people’s well being. Right to attain information has become an important issue in Bangladesh considering its impact on people’s life and liberty. Although this right is getting is denied through a culture of secrecy and male domination.
Due to the trends, people, especially the rural poor are suffering for lack of required information, which deteriorates them further. Poor and disadvantaged people suffer due to their inability to access to information further creating inequalities in society. This state of lack or gap of information is one of the fundamental causes of poverty, since it has direct link with livelihood options. The United Nations has recognized freedom of information as a fundamental human right and touchstone for all rights. People living in the rural areas have less or somewhere no access to information. So, there is an urgent need to reach the information to rural poors which will improve their quality of everyday life and help them to reduce poverty that will ultimately improve the country’s economic growth. So there is a question how can we reach the information in remote corner of the country? The answer lies in technology. Technology can be a tool to reach the information among the rural population of Bangladesh. That’s why D.Net came up with the notion of Pallitathya Help Line with livelihood information using less costly & less fashionable ICT’s.
Why Telecentre? Telecentre are shared premises where the public can access information and communication technologies (Colle & Roman 1999.1.) Telecentre, information centre, village knowledge centre, community multimedia centre: whatever they’re called, wherever they are, people gather in them to share technology, use the Internet, learn new skills, tackle social issues, face common challenges, and empower their communities. Generally, a Telecentre is a friendly local community centre equipped with high tech facilities and easy accessibility of livelihood information. The first telecentre originated in a small Swedish farming community in 1985, which became a worldwide reality. Yet being more than a quarter century old, and embracing most regions of the world, it remains a movement of people. The most important reason for telecentre establishment and their most enduring legacy is the “diffusion effect” which they serve. In every place where successful telecntres have been established there is a visible and identifiable change in the skills and capacities of the people and surrounding institutions.
Components of the Telecentre System
A telecentre is a unique infrastructure – intelligence based, targeted to serve the local community. Its components are :
vision/philosophy :
Types of services
A telecentre provides mainly two types of services :
Service related to poverty alleviation:
A telecentre provides mainly information services which is a tool for poverty alleviation in rural areas. People in rural areas have comparatively less access than urban people which deprives them to enforce their inalienable human rights. So, a knowledge base is stored in telecentre to provide information on rural livelihoods especially on health, agriculture, education, legal and human rights, disaster management, awareness, appropriate technology and rural employment. In addition, Helpline service, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, D.Net is contributing in bridging the information gap between rural and urban areas of the country. This service is also able to raise the living standard of information users dramatically. Thus this service is also able to alleviate poverty.
Service related to bridging digital divide
Except information services there are several ancillary services which create a bridge among the rural and urban people through using ICT or digital mechanisms.
Typography of telecentre A typical Telecentre has computers the Internet and email facilities, two-way 128kb videoconferencing, photocopiers, fax machines, printers TV and video machines, decoders, scanners and much more depending on the needs of the community. Some Telecentre also house local businesses and services. Every Telecentre is different - some are hubs for tourism and heritage programs, others house complementary small businesses such as secretarial, agribusiness consultancies or publishing services. Still other centres are part of local libraries, craft shops or venue hire. Start and operating system of the telecentre
The idea to establish telecentre is very unique and different than other organizations. So, there is a debate about the process of starting and operating system of the telecentre system. Here is a general outline which has implemented by D.Net.
Developing a system of telecentre support network
Telecentre is a model, equipped with high tech-facilities that play an important role for delivering services among rural people. For operating the telecentre network effectively, following components are needed for successful implementation.
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