BASE

In collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Groupsia has been working since December 2008 to strengthen the Cambodia Development Research Forum’s (CDRF) online communication strategy. Following the recommendations put forward during IDRC’s first ever all-partners meeting in Cambodia in September 2007, Groupsia was called upon to develop an accelerated ICT platform to help the Cambodia research community manage information and communicate with one another, as well as the broader development community.

In December 2008, Groupsia was appointed by the Global Knowledge Partnership’s (GKP) Executive Committee to lead a small task force in conducting a consultative evaluation and visioning process for the future and role of this international organization.

Given each year by Global Libraries, the foundation's Access to Learning Award recognizes the innovative efforts of public libraries or similar organizations outside the United States to connect people to information through free access to computers and the Internet.  More details are available at following URL.
www.gatesfoundation.org/atla/Pages/access-to-learning-award-overview.aspx

On March 3rd & 4th, Costa Rica was the meeting point for Central American organizations that develop or promote telecenters in the region. Several organizations from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama met to share their experiences, lessons learned and coordinate future actions together.

During our five years as one of the Bellanet´s regional offices, when Bellanet was an IDRC secretariat, Sulá Batsú identified the need of capacity building for facilitators and networking leaders in the areas of knowledge sharing and ICT for collaboration in Latin America.

As a part of our consultation with experts with regard to Public access venues in Nepal, we happened to have an inspiring meeting with the champion behind successful implementation of wireless project in Nepal. This gentleman  needs no introduction, but we cannot stop ourselves from giving a brief account of this great person. He has been a blessing for the people of rural Nepal.

Ranging from direct and formal venues like public libraries, community libraries, telecenters and cybercafés to informal and indirect venues like community tea shops and community radios, different forms of public access venues are used by people to access different kinds of information in Nepal.

Oral traditions characterise the way Africans do their business. For generations since time immemorial, information and knowledge traversed swamps, forests, valleys, mountains name it, to reach destinations where it was most desired and valued.

Quite rudimentary, but the Africans have stuck to their guns. Songs, riddles, poems, stories, customs, proverbs and sayings as we know them have stood the test of time. Our children recite the same poems as we did and sing the same songs as we sang, although the difference could be in tone, time and language.