Empowering Brazilian Rural Communities Through Access to Cyberspace

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Empowering Brazilian Rural CommunitiesThrough
Access to Cyberspace

• Marco Figueiredo
• June 2004

2
Introduction

• Career background.
• The opportunity to make a difference.
• Addressing the needs of the immigrant community.
• Finding the focus the creation of the
  telecenter pilot project in rural Brazil.
• Creating the rural telecenter network concept
  The Gems of the Earth NGO.
• Next step Mobilize the immigrant community in
  the US.
• Future Expand the support network to other
  developed nations.

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Defining Digital InclusionThe Big Picture
The Participation of all Citizens in the
Construction of the Society of Knowledge
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The Gems of the Earth Network

• Focus on rural digital inclusion - communities
  with less than 2500 inhabitants (districts).
• A not for profit, non-government organization,
  founded in September 8, 2003 in Belo Horizonte,
  Brazil.
• Steering Committe formed by people involved in
  the social causes and rural development.
• Fiscal Committe formed by people of recognized
  reputation.
• Executive management led by Marco Figueiredo.

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Management Organization
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Pilot Project

• Started in November of 2001 in the Jequitinhonha
  Region, Minas Gerais.
• Partnership with community associations in São
  Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras, Milho Verde,
  Tombadouro, Rodeador and Conselheiro Mata.
• Partnership with FUNIVALE local NGO with 14
  years of work in the Jequitinhonha region.
• Support of Unesco, Ministry of Communications,
  Prodabel, Catalytic Communities, CTCNET, and Free
  Software community.
• Internet through satellite, 1 server computer, 1
  client computer and 1 multi-function printer.

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Free Telecenters

• Created and managed by the local community.
• Organized in the NGO format.
• Steering Committe, with participation of all
  segments of the community. It ordinarily meets
  once a year and it establishes the guidelines of
  the telecenter.
• Board of Directors, volunteer, elected every two
  years.
• Fiscal Committe, volunteer, elected every two
  years.
• Telecenter manager, hired to administer the
  entity.
• Self-sustainable Fee-based system.
• Uses free software.

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Structure of the Embryonic Telecenter

• 1 multimedia computer server (diskette, CD-R,
  photo-webcam).
• 1 client computer with audio.
• 1 multi-functional printer (fax, copier,
  scanner).
• 1 broadband Internet system (satellite, radio,
  DSL).
• Furniture.
• Average cost of installation 2,000
• Average monthly maintenance cost 400
• Average yearly maintenance cost 4,800

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Structure of the Advanced Telecenter

• Approximate area 150 m².
• Average cost of installation
• 15,000
• Average monthly
• maintenance cost
• 900
• Average yearly
• maintenance cost
• 10,800

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Means to Self-Sustainability

• Access fees based on communities abilities to
  pay.
• Rendering services to governments
• Education,
• Health,
• Safety,
• Communication,
• Collection and dissemination of information,
• Others.
• Electronic trade and tele-work.
• Training and Entrepreneurship.
• Others.

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Gems of the Earth MethodologyCommunity
Relationship
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Gems of the Earth MethodologyResearch,
Popularization and Awareness Building

• Research Continually search for and develop
  knowledge about rural communities and the
  technologies of digital inclusion used in the
  formation of the Society of Knowledge.
• Popularization - Fill out the available spaces in
  the national and international media to advertise
  our agenda.
• Awareness Building - Organize encounters and
  regional conferences to attract rural community
  leaders and promoters of digital inclusion, with
  the intention of advertising the concept, provide
  tutorials and affiliate potential developers of
  community telecenters.

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Gems of the Earth Methodology Capacity Building

• Rural Community Telecenter Guide.
• Unesco funded project to produce and disseminate
  a guide, such as the manuals produced by CTCNET
  and UNESCO, which incorporates the whole
  methodology of creation of rural community
  telecenters.
• Telecenter Management Educational Center
• Develop a curriculum to form managers of rural
  community telecenters.
• Train the trainners to allow advanced telecenters
  to become regional educational centers.

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Gems of the Earth Methodology Telecenter
Certification

• The Gems of the Earth Network certifies rural
  telecenters motivating their sustainable growth.
  
• Certification levels
• Crystal - community receives support of the Gems
  of the Earth to create a telecenter embryo.
• Amethyst - community creates NGO to manage
  telecenter.
• Turmalin-telecenter becomes self-sustainable.
• Emerald - telecenter reaches advanced structure.
  
• Diamond - telecenter becomes a regional
  telecenter management educational center.

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Gems of the Earth Methodology Telecenter
Construction

• Telix Free Linux-based software package for
  telecenters.
• Legal support.
• Technology support.
• Sustainability planning.
• Definition of programs.
• Acquisition of equipment and services.
• Fundraising.

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Gems of the Earth Methodology Telecenter Network
Management

• Self-sustentation of the cells.
• New programs.
• Documentation.
• Internal/external communication.
• Continuing education.
• Exchanges and integration.
• Fundraising.

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Gems of the Earth Methodology Knowledge Bank

• Aggregate and make available, in open source
  format, all content generated by the network
  through an online knowledge bank.
• Promote discussion lists, forums and
  collaborative project management tools.
• Promote transparency through the Virtaul Cash
  Register.
• Integrate with donors in a virtual environment.
• Derive intelligence from the transactions in the
  knowledge bank to strengthen the mission of the
  organization.

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Mobilizing the Immigrant Community

• Motivations
• Promoting social change that will directly
  benefit relatives and friends, future generations
  and themselves in case they return.
• Recognition by Brazilian society for supporting
  social development.
• Recognition by American society for supporting
  democracy in the developing world.
• Goal
• Organize a large group of Brazilian immigrants,
  relatives and friends to support the building of
  the Gems of the Earth Telecenter Network.

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Ten Thousand Gems Program

• Create a network fo 10,000 Brazilian immigrants,
  relatives and friends, the TEN THOUSAND GEMS, to
  contribute 100 a year each.
• Build a 1M budget a year.
• For each GEM, raise TWO GEMS from international
  organizations, governments, private sector and
  third sector.
• Build a 3M budget per year and expand.

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Pilot Meeting

• February 2004, presented the project to about 20
  Brazilian immigrant and friends in Annapolis,
  Maryland.
• Connected live with pilot telecenter.
• Energized community but lacked resources and
  structure to follow-up.

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Considerations forContinuing Development

• Fully establish Brazilian NGO (150K in 2004)
• Bring pilot project to full maturity.
• Develop training infrastructure.
• Develop collaborative virtual environment.
• Build member based organization in the US to
  promote community mobilization and fundraising
  (requires seed funding).

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Contacts and Donations

• Gems of the Earth Network
• 235 Fernandes Tourinho St, Suite 903
• Belo Horizonte, MG 30112-000
• Telefax 55-31-3285-1601
• marco_at_gemasdaterra.org.br
• http//www.gemasdaterra.org.br
• 202-276-8324