[GKD] Broadband Strategies For Dev. Countries: Civil Society Views?
Dear GKD Members, I have just been invited by my country's Commission on ICT to a multi-stakeholder workshop on Broadband Deployment Plan and Strategy for the Philippines. It is, I think, the first effort of its kind here, and will gather all stakeholders and spend a day and a half discussing (debating) about the topic... (telcos/celcos; carriers, ISPs, regulators, policy planners, satellite service providers...I think having civil society on board on a discussion like this will also be a first...) I have been asked to speak for 15-20 mins on the topic Broadband Anyone?: The users' perspective...I have a few things in mind to say, but I am not fully comfortable with the topic yet as telco policy is something we are just getting into. I thought it would be great if those who have perspectives and thoughts on the area, specifically from a civil society perspective, contribute to my presentation by emailing me (privately if you prefer) any things you think should be in the presentation: e.g., guiding principles; considerations; possible strategies--even tips on how to present this to the mixed group I will be speaking to... Any materials you may also want to recommend for me to read (those not too long pls :-) are also welcome... I have too much work this week to do full background data-gathering, but any leads to what you think are important and strategic perspectives are welcome. The workshop is on Monday the 24th, so would appreciate getting some comments in the next 3 days (till Thursday the 20th)... Thanks in advance. Al Alegre Foundation for Media Alternatives Philippines ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
[GKD] Free and Open Source Software Tools for NGOs
http://www.tacticaltech.org Tactical Technology Collective Powerful tools for the daily work of NGOs NGO-in-a-box offers a set of reviewed and selected Free and Open Source software (F/OSS), tailored to the needs of NGO's. It provides them not only with software, but also with implementation scenarios and relevant materials to support this. Its aim is to increase the accessibility of F/OSS to non-profits in developing and transition countries. The box is targeted at implementers working with small and medium scale NGOs, IT intermediaries (eRiders, consultants, trainers, technical supporters), system administrators of non-profits, and self-taught specialists helping civil society organizations on a voluntary basis. With this box they should be ready to promote and implement different F/OSS solutions for NGOs in their respective situations. Historically and until a few years ago, NGO's had to rely almost entirely on 'closed', proprietary software for their organizations. With the upcoming and increasing popularity of Free and Open Source Software and especially with the fast development of that software in terms of usability and quality, this has begun to change in the recent past. Many nonprofits for a number of good reasons are now considering the Open Source alternative: Although the true cost of Free Software is a bit more than its initial purchase price, compared to proprietary software it is still very low. The free (re-)distribution and upgrades of this software, together with a often much higher security and stability are two other important factors. Plus, the open source code (from here the term Open Source) permits modifications by everyone who is capable of programming including the publishing of the changes. Both commercial and academic sectors have recognized these advantages time ago and are using FS mostly for their network and web servers. Meanwhile Free Software is also widely used on individual desktop computers. With this, Free and Open Source software has become reachable also for most NGO's which are well-known for their often limited resources in terms of manpower, time (for trainings) and money (e.g. for technical support). Meanwhile there is a big variety of Free/Open Source software available. The landscape is so diverse that overview and orientation have become central needs - especially for those who have little time for searching and testing new software. Whilst existing F/OSS solutions have the potential to offer non-profits a viable alternative to the proprietary model, there are still a number of challenges when it comes to practical adaptation. These challenges can be broken down into those that effect non-profits and those that specifically effect developing and transition countries. In the case of developing and transition countries, downloading software from the web can be at best difficult and at worst impossible due to a lack of consistent and high speed internet access. When available locally, off-line distributions and software are often out of date or limited to specific types. Besides this, the transfer of new technologies is often slowed down by lack of local language information and small user communities. Plus, both documentation and implementation guides are often not available off-line or in local languages and where available,they're written in a highly technical language. Generally speaking, there is a lack of elementary knowledge about methods and procedures for implementing FOSS. 'Free' (because pirated) versions of proprietary software often are easily accessible, limiting interest in FOSS as a solution for NGOs. In the case of non-profits, implementation and maintenance of Free and Open Source solutions can often need intermediaries, as the software has not yet reached everywhere the level offered by proprietary solutions (i.e. ease of installation and inter compatibility). Non-profits often don't have the budgetary allocations for technical support and find it difficult to fundraise and justify such investments - including technical consultancies about which software would best meet the NGO's needs. Plus, many FOSS solutions address very technical needs and are often developed by geeks for geeks. There are real disadvantages here as many NGO's could often benefit a lot from these solutions, if they only new about their existence. NGO-in-a-box attempts to provide a solution to some of these issues, such as physical distribution (e.g. at events like Summer Source) and access to software and materials, whilst mitigating others, such as facilitating the software selection process faced by grassroots intermediaries. The hope is that NGO-in-a-box can become a vehicle and a channel for accessing F/OSS much more easily, removing some of the opacity associated with this and overcoming practical difficulties. Its aim is to do so through building the tools and skills of grassroots technology support and connecting them to complimentary initiatives with
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Here is what I would suggest. He should identify a dealer/trader from which he can buy the tractor. I gather he has not yet saved enough or a tractor is simply not yet available. What I suggest is that he essentially entrust a downpayment to a trustworthy intermediary pending the ability to close the final deal. A bank might also cooperate. Obviously this somewhat depends on how far he is from a centre of business but he probably must travel that far to get a good deal on a tractor anyway. If he has to make two or three trips to safely escrow money and properly shop for the tractor it will, in the end, be worth it. He might also want to consider renting the tractor (or plowing for nearby farmers) as an additional source of revenue to support the purchase. The important thing is to move the accumulated money outside his immediate social millieu into some escrow sufficiently complicated to his relatives such that they will consider the money gone and not pester him. Of course, until the tractor materializes he will probably still have hell to pay, but that might be manageable. :) On 1/14/05, Pamela McLean wrote: A Nigerian farmer has asked for advice (because he knows I can get information from the Internet and he is now in a position to exchange emails with me). ..snip... Does anyone know how to help him to use his savings to start to purchase a tractor and improve his farm, as he has been trained to do? ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Pamela, The scheme the Nigerian farmer is involved in is referred to as the box in some cultures. Typically 12 people are involved, each contributes the same amount each month and each month, in a prearranged order, one member gets the total take of 12 times the monthly deposit. It is a form of savings scheme that requires no administrative skills, and peer group pressure to keep people paying in on time. It is easy to modify the scheme for a different number of participants. I have seen the scheme used where individuals arrange bilateral swaps of withdrawal times, to avoid being cash rich at the wrong time, and getting the cash flow at the appropriate time. Sam Lanfranco [EMAIL PROTECTED] SASIT, 2005 TEL Bldg York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3 Phone: York: 416-736-2100 x33235 cell: 416-816-2852 ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
