BAPPENAS-UNDP PROGRAM
Poverty Reduction Through Utilization of Technology/TeleCenters
Reduce Poverty ?
Actually there are a number of forms of "poverty".
General definition: "ke.mis.kin.an (poverty) n poverty issue; poverty situation;
~ absolut the situation of residents or a portion of the residents that are only able to fulfill minimal food, clothing, and housing needs in order to sustain life."
(Ref: Complete Dictionary Bahasa Indonesia, Depdiknas (MoE) 3rd Edition, page 749)
It appears that in this globalisation era there is a new form of poverty emerging, that is Information Poverty, true or not? In fact since the stone age information has been the key to surviving or not. Information poverty first began to be addressed (for the people) when books were first printed on the "modern printing press" in 1436-1440. However, currently in Indonesia, with the new forms of information technology that are very diverse, the real problem now is "Access Poverty".
Information technology and the opportunity to exchange information are important factors that very much effect our daily lives in every way.
In Every Way ?
When you wake up in the morning how do you know what time it is? From you watch or clock, right? From where do you set the time on your watch or clock? We usually set the time from one of several possible sources, for instance the radio or television broadcasts, therefore we have already utilized information technology. If you want to know the weather forecast or hear the latest news, where would you hope to find it? It is highly likely that you would listen to radio or television broadcasts.
If you live in the city and you need information from a company or business, or want to contact a distant friend, how do you do it? You would use the telephone of course, another information technology product. But what if you live in a remote village that doesn't even have the telephone connected, how would you do it?
Networking (human networks), working together between friends or the wider community is one of the ways we can find solutions to our problems or needs.
For instance;
- If a housewife has a concept for starting up a home-industry that has the potential to raise the living standards for several community members but she doesn't have the capital, what could she do?
- If a farmer is looking for new customers or a better price for his produce what can he do?
Networking is one of the solutions, and the wider the network, the better are our opportunities for achieving success!
How about if we could network with the whole population of Indonesia or the whole world?
The advantage of the telephone compared to *television or *radio is that the telephone provides two-way communication, and we can receive or exchange information freely.
* TV and Radio stations in Indonesia have also began to raise their activities in the area of two-way communications with the public (especially Metro TV), but we can't guarantee that we will get a turn on air.
Is there a network that we (anybody) can participate in and contribute, without beurocracy, and at a cost that is relatively low?
One solution that is very practical is a "Wide-Area Network" (WAN) and the "Internet is the largest WAN in the world".
We at Education (Pendidikan) Network fully support the BAPPENAS-UNDP initiative because we are hoping that besides assisting to address poverty, all children in Indonesia can learn about computers, access the Internet, and participate in the development of education in this country.
One of the factors that will limit the participation of our children in the global community is their English language skills, and we request all teachers throughout Indonesia to assist their students to open the doors to the world by encouraging English language learning and use.
Internet Cafés & TeleCenters - What's The Difference?
