Leveraging ICT Through Weekly Market Centres for Tribal Communities, India
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Grant Amount: US$ 29,904
Keywords: INTERNET, TELECENTRE, EMPLOYMENT, COMMUNITY, EMPOWERMENT, INDIA
Geographic coverage: India
Objective
The objective of this project is to promote the use of information and communications technology (ICT) tools among selected tribal communities in central India.
Research context
The project was implemented in a remote, rural area of central India where about 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. The project leverages access by basing itself in a weekly village market that is regularly visited by the population of about 68 villages. The project offers email, Internet and computers for local people to access information on government, health, employment, marketing and trading, agri-forest produce, and agriculture diseases. The project extends these services and identifies new areas in which Internet and other ICTs can help poor villagers in tribal and rural areas.
Target beneficiaries
The beneficiaries of the project include the rural village and tribal population, particularly women and those depending on agriculture or wage labour.
Outputs
Research results and outcomes
In its efforts to test its method for bringing ICTs to remote communities, Satpura Integrated Rural Development Institution (SIRDI) established a Multi Facility Centre at a weekly market place in Sawalmendha. Thousands of people from the surrounding 68 villages visit the market every week to purchase essential products and conduct routine work. It set up similar nodes at Taluka Town, Bhainsdehi and the District Town of Betul, and established a communication network between these villages and Sawalmendha.
The project addressed both technical and social issues. From a technical perspective, the main issues were to test how ICTs can be made to work in remote areas with limited infrastructure. Computers and other instruments were tested in harsh conditions and did not break down. Telephone lines were unreliable and it took several months to get the Internet connection activated. In addition, the power supply in the State of Madhya Pradesh was limited. Electricity was available between four to eight hours per day, which was insufficient to charge the batteries of the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and inverters. Hence the generator backup planned in the project proved useful.
From a social perspective, the project sought to test whether weekly markets can provide a "door-step" for access to ICTs, to assess the impact of use of ICTs on tribal communities and understand the social and psychological factors that influence use or non-use of ICTs. The project noted that because of the beneficiary’s low literacy rate and general lack of awareness about ICTs, the community could not really benefit on a large scale during the short project period. It was also noted that response from the villages was much healthier in those villages where SIRDI had already been working and had social workers based. During the later stages of the project, local youth started taking interest in the activities of the centre and in learning Internet technology skills. The percentage of requests for help submitted by women remained consistent throughout the project period at about 35 percent.
To build awareness, the project carried out various activities such as an Agricultural Camp for farmers, Quiz Competition for students, Eye Camp for visually impaired people, and the production of CDs with documents and forms for various government projects. It also offered services such as photocopy, scanning, printing and lamination, and providing students' school results over the Internet at a low-cost. A unique aspect of the project was its development of a network of "Saathins" (meaning women friend) who became leaders of the information initiative. The project selected two Saathins from villages in the project area and provided a two-day training at the Sawalmendha ICT Centre. In total, 108 Saathins from about 60 project villages were trained to work as catalysts. The project also formed a federation of Saathins, using the money collected through photocopy and lamination charges and through charging for the students' results on the Internet. This money was deposited in a separate bank account and used for the economic sustainability of the project. The women’s group that started as Saathins today has grown into 140 self-help groups (SHGs), with about 2,000 women and their own executive and administrative bodies.
A remote place like Sawalmendha, which could not have otherwise had access to ICTs, now has an ICT facility and network of users. It was one of the objectives of the project that it should become economically viable over a period of time. The initial period of one year was quite difficult, considering the technical obstacles, low literacy rate and lack of awareness about ICTs in the project region. Now that steps for revenue generation have been taken, the project team sees many economic opportunities for sustaining this project. Looking ahead SIRDI's SHGs are exploring ICT-enabled initiatives to support organic agriculture produce marketing, customized design and printing of hand woven fabric and clothing, telemedicine and Internet-based education in local language.
Project Duration
Start Date: September 2002
End Date: August 2003
Total Duration: 12 Months
Contact information
Dr. Upma Diwan, Project Manager and Ajay Kumar, Chief Technical Advisor
Satpura Integrated Rural Development Institution (SIRDI)
E-7/60, Ashoka Housing Soc, Shahpura Bhopal 462016, India
Telephone: +91 72 2722 5236, +91 93 2986 8850
Fax: +91 72 2322 2100
Email: Sirdiemail@gmail.com
Website: http://www.sirdi.org
Keywords: INTERNET, TELECENTRE, EMPLOYMENT, COMMUNITY, EMPOWERMENT, INDIA
Geographic coverage: India
Objective
The objective of this project is to promote the use of information and communications technology (ICT) tools among selected tribal communities in central India.
Research context
The project was implemented in a remote, rural area of central India where about 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. The project leverages access by basing itself in a weekly village market that is regularly visited by the population of about 68 villages. The project offers email, Internet and computers for local people to access information on government, health, employment, marketing and trading, agri-forest produce, and agriculture diseases. The project extends these services and identifies new areas in which Internet and other ICTs can help poor villagers in tribal and rural areas.
Target beneficiaries
The beneficiaries of the project include the rural village and tribal population, particularly women and those depending on agriculture or wage labour.
Outputs
- Test how and where the Internet can be brought to remote communities;
- Assess whether weekly markets can provide a platform to increase access to the Internet;
- Address infrastructure problems that effect the use of Internet technology such as electricity, technology and phone lines;
- Identify complimentary technologies that can be used to increase the project’s effectiveness;
- Understand how the government responds to the use of the technology; and
- Assess the social and economic impact of the use of the Internet in a tribal community, including the social and psychological factors that influence use or non-use.
Research results and outcomes
In its efforts to test its method for bringing ICTs to remote communities, Satpura Integrated Rural Development Institution (SIRDI) established a Multi Facility Centre at a weekly market place in Sawalmendha. Thousands of people from the surrounding 68 villages visit the market every week to purchase essential products and conduct routine work. It set up similar nodes at Taluka Town, Bhainsdehi and the District Town of Betul, and established a communication network between these villages and Sawalmendha.
The project addressed both technical and social issues. From a technical perspective, the main issues were to test how ICTs can be made to work in remote areas with limited infrastructure. Computers and other instruments were tested in harsh conditions and did not break down. Telephone lines were unreliable and it took several months to get the Internet connection activated. In addition, the power supply in the State of Madhya Pradesh was limited. Electricity was available between four to eight hours per day, which was insufficient to charge the batteries of the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and inverters. Hence the generator backup planned in the project proved useful.
From a social perspective, the project sought to test whether weekly markets can provide a "door-step" for access to ICTs, to assess the impact of use of ICTs on tribal communities and understand the social and psychological factors that influence use or non-use of ICTs. The project noted that because of the beneficiary’s low literacy rate and general lack of awareness about ICTs, the community could not really benefit on a large scale during the short project period. It was also noted that response from the villages was much healthier in those villages where SIRDI had already been working and had social workers based. During the later stages of the project, local youth started taking interest in the activities of the centre and in learning Internet technology skills. The percentage of requests for help submitted by women remained consistent throughout the project period at about 35 percent.
To build awareness, the project carried out various activities such as an Agricultural Camp for farmers, Quiz Competition for students, Eye Camp for visually impaired people, and the production of CDs with documents and forms for various government projects. It also offered services such as photocopy, scanning, printing and lamination, and providing students' school results over the Internet at a low-cost. A unique aspect of the project was its development of a network of "Saathins" (meaning women friend) who became leaders of the information initiative. The project selected two Saathins from villages in the project area and provided a two-day training at the Sawalmendha ICT Centre. In total, 108 Saathins from about 60 project villages were trained to work as catalysts. The project also formed a federation of Saathins, using the money collected through photocopy and lamination charges and through charging for the students' results on the Internet. This money was deposited in a separate bank account and used for the economic sustainability of the project. The women’s group that started as Saathins today has grown into 140 self-help groups (SHGs), with about 2,000 women and their own executive and administrative bodies.
A remote place like Sawalmendha, which could not have otherwise had access to ICTs, now has an ICT facility and network of users. It was one of the objectives of the project that it should become economically viable over a period of time. The initial period of one year was quite difficult, considering the technical obstacles, low literacy rate and lack of awareness about ICTs in the project region. Now that steps for revenue generation have been taken, the project team sees many economic opportunities for sustaining this project. Looking ahead SIRDI's SHGs are exploring ICT-enabled initiatives to support organic agriculture produce marketing, customized design and printing of hand woven fabric and clothing, telemedicine and Internet-based education in local language.
Project Duration
Start Date: September 2002
End Date: August 2003
Total Duration: 12 Months
Contact information
Dr. Upma Diwan, Project Manager and Ajay Kumar, Chief Technical Advisor
Satpura Integrated Rural Development Institution (SIRDI)
E-7/60, Ashoka Housing Soc, Shahpura Bhopal 462016, India
Telephone: +91 72 2722 5236, +91 93 2986 8850
Fax: +91 72 2322 2100
Email: Sirdiemail@gmail.com
Website: http://www.sirdi.org
Last modified 2006-08-07 02:22 PM
