UNDP web project to combat poverty

UNDP web project to combat poverty

Blontank Poer , The Jakarta Post, Magelang

Entranced by the new technology, Sutrisno, a fish breeder from a
remote area in Magelang, Central Java, admits to initially
knowing little about the Internet and its potential to improve
his livelihood.

One of many thousands of people who operate micro-businesses
in rural areas, Sutrisno says he was approached by an official
who showed him how to use computers and the World Wide Web to
expand his target markets and help him earn more money.

While Sutrisno does not have enough money to buy a computer,
he now has access to the Internet, computers, television and
video resources at a center set up locally by the Information and
Communication Technology for Poverty Reduction (ICT4PR) scheme.

Jointly managed by the United Nations Development Program
(UNDP) and the National Development Planning Body (Bappenas), the
scheme recently set up the "e-Pabelan telecenter" in Sutrisno's
area in the Pabelan Islamic Boarding School.

The center is one of seven pilot projects in the program
funded by the UNDP. Three centers have already been established
in East and Central Java, including Magelang, and four more are
in the works for Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi
and Papua.

In each province, the UNDP builds an Internet kiosk with
multimedia equipment, including Internet access, printers,
scanners, projectors and televisions.

"With the telecenter, we expect that people will be exposed to
the modern world of telecommunications. Farmers can learn how to
manage farming better, they can also check the market prices of
agricultural commodities so they know when prices are falling or
rising," said Agung Hardjono, the program's national project
director.

Along with a manager, an "infomobilizer" at the center will
inform the public how to use the facilities. This person is also
expected to actively arrange meetings with community groups and
local businesses in order to share pertinent information with
them on a regular basis.

The project has been successful in India, the Solomon Islands
and Zimbabwe. In rural India, local residents in some remote
areas use the centers for online consultation with local doctors,
with webcams allowing doctors to diagnose their ailments.

India has some 7,000 telecenters nationwide, with some 4,000
of them built by private companies.

"Many farmers in India have seen the benefits of telecenters,
and we are trying to adopt this system in Indonesia. We expect
that the program could help reduce the rate of poverty in the
country," Dinar Pandan Sari, the center's knowledge management
and communication officer, said.

Agung predicted there would be two serious challenges in
implementing the telecenters here -- low literacy levels and
reading habits among people in rural areas and the slow internet
access.

Toha, an employee at the Pabelan telecenter, said the center's
current Internet access speed was between 21 and 31 kilobytes a
second on five computers, while at least 64-megabyte bandwidth
was needed in order to achieve a useful connection, he said.