ADB’s Experience in Supporting e-Community Centers

1. ADB’s Experience in Supportinge-Community Centers Jeoung-Keun Lee Senior Capacity Building Specialist ADB Institute, Tokyo

2. Questions • What is the digital divide? • Is the digital divide gap narrowing or widening? • 3. Why should we reduce the digital divide?

3. Questions (cont’d) 4. What are the roles of e-communitycenters? 5. How do we create an e-community center through community participation? 6. What are the roles of governments, schools, NGOs, entrepreneurs and donors in supporting e-Community centers?

4. Questions (cont’d) 7. What is ADB doing in support of e-community centers? 8. What is ADBI doing to promote e-community centers? 9. In what other ways is ADB striving to reduce the digital divide? 10. Is there a need for new models for closing the digital divide?

5. What is the Digital Divide? • OECD Definition (2001): Gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regards both to their opportunities to access ICT and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activities.

6. Narrowing Gap? • Yes, it is narrowing. • Developing countries already ‘digitally leapfrog’ the developed world • Per capita digital divide is shrinking • No, it is widening. • Poor households use Internet less than the richer households.

7. Analysis of the Digital Divide • By country: developing countries • By income level: low income group • By gender : women • By education level: less schooling • By geography: rural area • By ethnic background: minority

8. Causes of the Digital Divide • No hardware or software • Lack of information and know-how • Too expensive to use and maintain • Fast development of new technology

9. Importance of Digital Inclusion • Digital literacy is one of prerequisites of workforce employment in the 21st Century • Access to education opportunity, learning materials and tools • Uniform access to government services and information • Fast and cost-effective communications • New modes of commercial transactions (digital payment, online shopping, etc.)

10. Services of e-Community Centers • train teachers and health workers • provide health care information • computer literacy training • e-government services • e-commerce link to global markets • market price information for farmers • support for SMEs • participation in the political process

11. E-Community CentersHelp Stakeholders • Acquisition of information • Communication among stakeholders • Voice their concerns to wider audience • Wider dissemination of information • Complement to face-to-face meetings

12. ICT tools for collaboration • E-mail • Internet • Instant messaging and chatting • File sharing • Web-meeting and web conferencing • Discussion forum • Group calendar • Audio and video conferencing • Blog • wiki

13. How to involve stakeholders Step 1: Define the problem to be addressed, Step 2: Identify and understand the interests of key stakeholders, Step 3: Establish effective two-way communication to work together, Step 4: Develop options for mutual gain, and Step 5: Disseminate information through the media and other networks

14. Models for Reducing Digital Gap (1) Infrastructure Model (2) Training Model (3) Hardware and Training Model (4) Community Support Models

15. Community Support Models • School-based model • Public sector-based model • Private sector-based model • Community ownership model

16. Thailand: Skills Development Project • Establish IT Courses at Skills Development Institutes • Train certified IT technicians • Open the computer labs for community use

17. Viet Nam: Technical Education Project • Attach production units to technical schools • Operate production unit just like a normal business unit • Serve the community on a cost recovery basis (cheaper service)

18. Sri Lanka: Community Information Services for the Poor • Establish a central community information center in a district networked with several small village information centers • Operate it as a cooperative venture • Render assistance to the poor, as needed

19. Other Interventions of ADB • ICT Development Strategy (2003) • Creating an Enabling environment • Building human resources • ICT components in all ADB projects • JFICT (Japan Fund for Information and Communications Technology): $10 million in 2001 • CLICK (Center for Learning, Information, Communication and Knowledge) • DIAL (Development of Internet for Asian Law)

20. ADBI’s Intervention • Training of trainers in e-government, e-commerce, e-learning, e-community, etc. • Partnership with other agencies (Network of Asian and Pacific Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and Governance) • Adoption of distance learning, using CD-ROMs, Video conference and web-based training

21. New Model? • Yes, and What Model? • As in the case of the Millennium Development Goal, it is difficult to reduce the digital divide dramatically. • We have to establish at least an Internet- based global school, teaching ICT free of charge. • This will free up education budget that can be used in expanding digital infrastructure.

22. New Model? (cont’d) • No, the same old model • We have tried many different models so far. It’s not a question of models, but strong political will and massive investment.

23. Whose Role? • Individual • Government • Community • ICT Companies • Donors

24. Critical Success Factors of e-Community Centers • Plan well based on information needs of the community. • Involve key stakeholders from the planning stage, after analyzing stakeholders thoroughly. • Equip minimum ICT tools per e- community site. • Train supervisors and community people on using ICT tools.

25. Critical Success Factors (cont’d) 5. Develop community websites with efficient information gathering, analysis, repackaging, and dissemination mechanism. 6. Adopt and modify sustainable business model. 7. Ensure community ownership, secure supporters, and find a champion. 8. Critically evaluate efforts, report back to stakeholders, and adapt as needed.

26. Let’s Reduce Digital Divide Thank you very much!