Knowledge-Livelihood-Prosperity: Community Information Centre – Empowering the isolated

tribal communities through ICT

Workshop on E-Inclusion and Media for Indigenous Peoples

At the e-Bario Knowledge Fair, Bario, Malaysia6-8 December 2007

Dillip Pattanaik

IRMA-India

Introduction • Vision and Mission of IRMA-India: Established in 2003 at Bhubaneswar, State capital city of Orissa (Eastern

India).

- Connecting the unconnected communities through ICT in the rural India. - Development, promotion, and dissemination of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for

empowering rural and isolated tribal communities and strengthening their livelihood system.• Project for Tribal Communities: - Two Community Information Centres forming part of the ‘Common Facility Centres’ providing other

multiple services like fair price shop, marketing centre for local produce, IMT service centre and agro-service centre.

- Project area : Daspalla Block under Nayagarh district of Orissa - Area coverage: Chadeyapalli Gram Panchayat of Daspalla Block covering a cluster of 35 tribal

villages with population of 5177. Percentage of illiterates is 71.22 and 95 percent families are below poverty line (less than 1 $ per day).

- Project phases: (1) 2005-06: CICs established with library, reading room, books and reading materials, audio-video equipments and portable power generator sets. (2) 2007-08: CICs strengthened with computer hardwares including laptops, printers, scanners and other accessories.

- Project support: Practical Action, Intel Corporation - Local partnership: Two local NGOs like IIEC & PRATHA and CBO like Chadeyapalli Anchalik Vikash Sanghathan

- Project Activities: Running of Community Information Centres Awareness and mobilization of the community for getting their entitlements, rights, opportunities and services

through ICT Training to local youths and women folks for open and operation of information shops. Conducting workshops locally on exploring different modes of expressions such as their drawings, sketches,

songs, stories, poetry, dances and even role plays Discussions with the community regarding the importance of expression and communication with the outside

world Organizing technology camps in isolated villages for eye opening of these poor communities

• We are trying to achieve the full participation of these isolated poor tribal communities into the development mainstream narrowing exclusion.

A view of the villages we are working with

Project Achievement • Project deliverables - Ready availability of information, procedure, system and guidelines about pro-poor government schemes, plans, policies, programmes and services - The communities have easy access to information on health care,

education, water and sanitation, animal husbandry, agricultural practices and inputs

etc. - Easy access to timely information on markets, examination results,

employment opportunities, weather, and disaster related early warnings. - The communities are well aware of their rights, entitlements to public services, facilities, Acts, rules and regulations.

• Project outcomes - Increased demanding power, capacity, articulation, capacity to make

lobby and advocacy, fruitful implementation of pro-poor programmes at grassroot level, resulting in reducing poverty.

- Increased application of right to information under ‘Right to Information Act’ and mobilization of rights, entitlements and opportunities.

- The social well being of the community strengthened further with accessibility to information on health and other basic facilities

- Increased economic status with increased productivity, local entrepreneurship, better market access, value addition to the products. It will fuel the creation of additional local business and community enterprises

Snap on activities

• Issues & Challenges Communities far away from development mainstream Lack of information on development priorities like health,

education, agriculture etc. No access to basic infrastructure like power and

telecommunication Poor or no access to other social and economic infrastructures,

pro-poor programmes of Government and other development agencies

• Strategy adopted to overcome Establishment of 2 CICs Community mobilization through better access to information Providing of services including various contents in local

language on agriculture, health, education etc. Greater involvement of women folk and youth mass Capacity building through training, group discussions,

awareness, interaction with government officials Interaction through e-discussions on various issues, problems

faced by these communities and facilitating solution measures by sector experts, resource persons and institutions.

Strengthening capacity of these communities

Lessons Learnt• Development approaches need to touch the inaccessible and

remote tribal pockets on priority • All development interventions need to be community centred and

local communities need to be actively involved in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, which could ensure sustainability

• Before any development interventions among the tribal communities, sincere efforts are necessary for gaining their confidence as they feel that all outsiders are exploiters

• Basic infrastructure like power, telecommunication and roads should be made available to remote tribal areas for fostering the development process. Convergence approach of different interveners is also essential.

• The approach for development of tribals is to be holistic covering their social, cultural, economic, environmental and human needs.

Conclusion Note• Mainstreaming of ICT in development interventions by

government as well as other development agencies for indigenous communities, wherever possible.

• Provision and incorporation of modern/new technologies for further strengthening the community information centers / kiosks functioning currently.

• Replication and scaling up of the model and experience in other indigenous community

• Computer companies being a stakeholder, should think of investing some portion of their profit in partnership mode.

• All these combinely can serve as boosting factors significantly for wider results.

Lets work together for these isolated poor …….

Thank You