Integrating Modern and Traditional Information and Communication Technologies for Community Developm

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• Integrating Modern and Traditional Information
  and Communication Technologies for Community
  Development
  
• A case study of Suriname
• Roberto Pansa
• Coordinator of Rural Communication
• Telesur - Suriname
• A paper presented at the International Seminar
  addressing the digital divide
  
• in some of the poorest communities of the
  developing world
  
• January 22 27, 2001
• Kothmale, Sri Lanka

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Content

• A Background
• B Technical challenges
• C Conclusions and Recommendations

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A Background

• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Site
• 3. Objectives
• 4. Output
• 5. Organization
• and management
• 6. Training Activities
• 7. Financial aspect
• 7.1. Telecentres
• 7.2. Broadcasting Radio Stations

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Introduction 1

• Suriname has a total land area of 163,820
  km2. It lies on the North East coast of South
  America and is part of the Caribbean as well as
  the Latin American community and also the world
  known Amazon Rain Forest (the green Lung of the
  earth). The hinterland districts of Suriname
  cover 87 of the total land area. Suriname has
  diverse ethnic groups, cultures and languages and
  is famous for its hospitality.

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Map of Suriname
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1. Introduction 2

• For the year 2000, the estimated
  population was about 500,000
  people. The population of the Hinterland is about
  13 of the total population.
•  
• The Hinterland of Suriname is traditionally
  populated by tribal groups of Indigenous and
  Maroon origin. The major part of the Hinterland
  Maroon and Indigenous population is settled in
  villages or camps, ranging from 25 to 7,000
  inhabitants. The total number of villages is
  about 230.

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1. Introduction 3

• The culture of the Suriname interior is
  predominantly oral with only few features of
  written media and communication. The medium most
  used for spreading the message is by word of
  mouth.
• Information and communication technology
  (ICT) deserves a great priority at different
  governments nowadays, from which Suriname is no
  exception.
• A feasibility study was undertaken by the ITU
  in January-February 1996 in response to a request
  from Suriname to participate in the BAAP (Buenos
  Aires Action Plan) Programme no. 9 Integrated
  Rural Development within the scope of the BAAP.

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1. Introduction 4

• As a result of the study a pilot project has
  been started in Suriname. This pilot project
  first brought telecommunication facilities to the
  Brownsweg area of Suriname (mid-Suriname).
•  
• By using a cell site at Brownsberg to link with
  the Telesur network, a gateway to the interior of
  Suriname is provided. This facility gateway
  provides telecommunication facilities to a region
  with a population in excess of 20,000 people.
•  
• Up till now it comprises two Type 1 and 18 Type
  0 Telecentres The total contribution of Telesur
  was more than USD 1.5 million (90 of the total
  investment).

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1. Introduction 5

• Due to financial problems Telesur could not
  finish the project as planned. Therefor Type 0
  Telecentres were installed.
  
• But the Telecommunication needs of the
  communities are growing, and UNESCO supported us
  with an answer this international organization
  launched the Community Broadcasting Radio Station
  project Developing a Communication network in
  the hinterland of Suriname. Those radio stations
  will be integrated/upgraded in the next phase of
  the project to Radio Station Telecentres.
• .

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1. Introduction 6

• This project of UNESCO has strengthened the
  ability to solve the Communication problems of
  the hinterland, because the answer to the
  question is, community developing with modern
  communication abilities.

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2. The Site

• The proposed project within the scope of the
  BAAP concerns four rural and isolated regions
  (Brownsberg, Mungo/Albina, Apura and Lely
  Gebergte). The total population in all four
  regions is some 52,000 people, which represent
  some 80 of the interior population in Suriname.

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The four regions

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3. Objectives

• Main objective of this project is community
  development through Rural Communication.
  
• It will be reached by
• 1. Installing Telecentres
• 2. Installing Telecentres Radio Stations
• 3. Training the people for using the
• facilities

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4. Output

• From this project the following results could
  be expected
  
• 1. Provision of a gateway to the
  interior
  
• 2.   Interconnection between villages
• 3.   Accessibility to modern
  communication facilities
  
• 4. Special education time for
  children on the computer
  
• 5. Broadcasting programs for youths,
  women,
  
• elderly people, farmers, and news
  sessions

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Organization and management 1

• Telesur is in charge of the execution of this
  project more specifically the department of
  Execution of Telecommunication Projects
  
•  
• Some of the Telecentres are co-managed by the
  Ministry of Regional Development but some of the
  managers are private entrepreneurs. There are
  five men and fifteen women service providers.

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Organization and management 2

• Of the selection of managers for the
  Telecentres the tribal inhabitants are involved
  in the recruitment process. The tribal chiefs,
  women groups and the rest of the
  villages-inhabitants come together in a meeting
  to do that.

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Training Activities 1

• Telesur has trained the members of all the 20
  Telecentres. To the type 0 Telecentres service
  providers Telesur did a limited course depending
  to which equipments are installed and to the
  Type 1 Telecentres and the UNESCO radio station a
  complete course of 2 to 4 weeks were given.

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Training Activities 2

• The content of the courses dealt with
• 1. The services offered by the Telecentres
• 2. Improvement of the quality of the services
• 3. Management tools for the Telecentre
  providers
  
• 4. Computer training (word-processing,
  internet,
  
• E-mail)
• 5. Training on broadcasting to the radio
  station
  
• members, by external communication
  experts

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7. Financial aspects

• 7.1. Telecentres
• 7.2. Broadcasting Radio Stations.

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7.1. Telecentres

• The total cost of the Brownsberg project, for
  installing Telecentres in the Hinterland of
  Suriname, is about USD 1.6 million. From this
  amount the contribution of Telesur is about USD
  1,5 million.
• A Type 1 Telecentre was estimated to cost USD
  20,000. But due to lack of funding Telesur was
  able to install only two Type 1 Telecentres. On
  the other hand 18 Type 0 Telecentres were
  installed at the cost of USD 4,000.

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7.2. Broadcasting Radio Stations 1

• UNESCO launched a Community Radio Station
  Project in Suriname three years ago. In
  cooperation between UNESCO, Telesur and a local
  women NGO called Koni Ku Libi, Radio Mujee has
  been established in the Maroon Village of Gunsi.
•  
• This Project includes setting-up ten
  Community Broadcasting Radio Stations in
  Suriname, as part of a Caribbean Radio
  Broadcasting Station Network.

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7.2. Broadcasting Radio Stations 2

• The choice for Gunsi is based on several
  deliberations between the government of Suriname,
  the tribal chiefs of the hinterland, Women NGOs
  in Suriname and the tribal communities of The
  Upper Suriname River Region.
• The UNESCO made available the equipment for
  Radio Mujee at the village Gunsi and has also
  sponsored a four-week course for members of
  Telecentres and Radio stations. The total
  budget for the project is USD 60,000.

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7.2. Broadcasting Radio Stations 3

• The community of Gunsi went for financial
  support to the CDFS . For upgrading of the
  Station, that fund contributed with more solar
  panels, more batteries, some more studio
  equipment and a tower of 40 m to replace the 20 m
  tower which was installed.
• Except from the Community Radio Station Radio
  Mujee, in the Indigenous Village of Galibi there
  is also a Radio Station installed (Radio Galibi).

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7.2. Broadcasting Radio Stations 5

• This Station was established by internal
  efforts of that Community. And now The UNESCO,
  The Government of Suriname, and national
  organizations want to adopt this project and make
  it part of the UNESCO Community Radio Station
  Network to be installed.

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Technical Challenges

• B
• 1. Telecommunication
• 1.1. The backbone transmission system
• 1.2. The rural cellular local network
• 1.3. Other facilities in the Telecentres
• 2. Broadcasting
• 2.1. Studio equipment
• 2.2. Transmission equipment
• 3. Television
• 4. Power provision

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Telecommunication

• 1.1. The backbone transmission system
• 1.2. The rural cellular local network
• 1.3. Other facilities in the Telecentres

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1.1. The backbone transmission system

• The transmission system, which is responsible
  for the link from Zandery to Brownsberg, is the
  Northel SDH 5/40 digital microwave radio. This
  remote control digital radio is very effective
  for this remote station The transmission
  antennas are situated at the Zandery site at 85 m
  and at the Brownsberg site on the mountaintop
  called Masaroni (560m) at 70 m height.

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1.2. The rural cellular local network

• At the Brownsberg station there is an analog
  AMPS cell site installed. The Telecentres are
  connected to the Telesur telephone network with
  fixed cellular telephones. This connection allows
  a transmission speed of 9600bps.

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1.3 Other facilities in the Telecentres

• Two of the 20 Telecentres are equipped with
  computers, Printer and fax machine. The computers
  are Pentium 75 MHz computers installed with
  Windows 95, Microsoft Office 95 and Internet
  software.

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2. Broadcasting

• 2.1. Studio equipment
• 2.2. Transmission equipment
• 3. Television
• 4. Power provision

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2.1. Studio equipment

• The broadcasting studio equipment consist of
  the following
  
•  
• 1.     Audio equipments
• 2.     Microphones with table stands
• 3.     And also a fixed cellular
  telephone

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2.2 Transmission equipment

• The transmission equipment consists of the
  following
  
• 1. A modulator
• 2. A Transmitter
• 3. An antenna tower with a dipole anntena
•  

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3. Television

• Since May last year television broadcasting
  is retransmitted in the Brownsberg area. The
  pictures come from the Telesur Television station
  ATV. It is 24-hour television provision to that
  community.

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4. Power provision

• Power provision at Brownsberg is provided by
  400 solar panels with storage facilities of back
  up batteries. The capacity is 27 KVA

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Conclusions and Recommendations 1

• The MCT project is in financial problems and
  it is facing serious problems without appropriate
  support from the donors and stakeholders.
  
• The Telecentres need to be upgraded to at least
  type 1 of the ITU-standards and Telecentre /
  Radio Stations of the UNESCO.
  
•  
• Due to lack of finance, management training to
  the Telecentre providers is not appropriate.

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Conclusions and Recommendations 2

• With the project we have not reach the
  original goals of the initiative, as set out in
  ITU's BAAP IRD Program, but if the strategy is
  continued with internal and international aid, we
  can do that.
•  
• However, this will require dealing with new
  techniques, such as satellite communication and
  most important, a high degree of commitment from
  the stakeholders.

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Conclusions and Recommendations 3

• New stakeholders and donor institutions
  should be identified and invited to join a
  national evaluation team as part of an
  open-minded strategy, aimed at strengthening the
  project foundation at the national level and also
  in the concerned local communities.