Content Development
Open Knowledge Network Project-Nepal has played a vital role in the creation, development and dissemination of local content. ENRD was one of the implementation partner in this project which was implemented in the Multi-stakeholder partnership (MSP) model. OKN summary report is given below.
1.Introduction
Information access plays a crucial role in community empowerment and local development around the world. When communities are able to develop, access, and share information on issues that matter to them in the language they speak, they gain more control over issues that effect them and are in a position to make truly informed decisions. So One World South Asia (OWSA)- Delhi lunched a project named Open Knowledge Network (OKN). As the name suggests, OKN is an open platform to share knowledge that adds value to people's lives. It is an initiative by One World International to support the creation and exchange of local content in local languages among local people across the South, supported by a range of information and communication technologies. OKN is a human network, which collects shares and disseminates local knowledge and is supported by flexible technical solutions. Poor people must be able to express and communicate locally relevant knowledge in local languages if they are to shape the decisions that affect their livelihoods. Local content development is closely tied to human development, and the ultimate aim of OKN is the empowerment of local communities.
The principle behind the Open Knowledge Network is to establish peer-to-peer network among communities of South Asia for exchanging their respective knowledge and increase communication opportunities to economically empower them by using web-based interactive ICT tool named Open Enrich.
The OKN-Nepal project is conceptually implemented in Multi-stakeholder partnership (MSP) approach. Initially there were 9 stakeholders involved in the program, due to the technical problems there are only 6 organizations are regularly involved in the program.
Those are given below:
1.High Level Commission of Information and Technology (HLCIT)
2.E- Network Research and Development(ENRD)
3.Internet Service Providers Association Nepal(ISPAN)
4.Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya(MPP)
5.One World South Asia (OWSA) Delhi
6.Rural Education And Development(READ)
In early 2002, the OKN concept was tested in a short pilot with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in South India, in the first collaboration with an existing local-level knowledge sharing initiative. Using the OKN system, people in Africa, Asia and Latin America can create digital content in their own language, which is then exchanged with others through networks of existing community Access Points staffed by what OKN calls Community Reporters.
Goal of the Project
To promote local content in national language for economic and socio political empowerment of rural, especially the marginalized communities in Nepal through strategic use of ICTs.
Objectives of the project
The objective of the project is to create and exchange local knowledge within and between local, national and international communities to enhance awareness and capacity of the targeted local community.
The specific objective of the project are
To support ICT enabled knowledge centers in Nepal for local knowledge and local content creation and dissemination.
To enhance mutual learning amongst OKN centers and serve larger community and knowledge stakeholders
To develop a formal functional relationship between project partners and other OKN hubs in South Asia and rest of the world
To initiate and conduct joint activities including fundraising for mutually beneficial goals
Strategies of the project
To achieve the goal and objectives of the above mentioned initiatives the following strategies has been designed by the OKN-Nepal.
Selected 24 ICT enabled Access Points from HLCIT, ENRD, READ, UNESCO and RUPP
Mobilizing ICT enabled Access Points: Community members that have been served by Access Points should be mobilized to sustain the process of OKN- Khulla Gyan Sanjal.
Developing ICT capacity among the knowledge workers in Access Points. The project aims to enhance capacity of local knowledge workers to manage access points as per community demand/needs.
Promoting local content collection, processing and dissemination: Local content would be used as key element in OKN process. The content will be collected, developed, processed and disseminated among various stakeholders at local, national and global level.
To do all these activities deploy the strength of volunteerism in the OKN programs.
The details of access point selected
Selected Access Points for OKN Project
S.N |
Name of
Access Point |
Region |
District |
Zone |
|
1. |
Om Nursing Home |
Western |
Kaski |
Gandaki |
|
2. |
Nagi Centre |
Western |
Myadgi |
Gandaki |
|
3. |
Panauti Telecentre |
Central |
Kavre |
Bagmati |
|
4. |
Bashamadi Telecentre |
Central |
Makawanpur |
Narayani |
|
5. |
Surkhet Telecentre |
Mid Western |
Surkhet |
Bheri |
|
6. |
Gaighat Telecentre |
Eastern |
Udayapur |
Sagarmatha |
|
7. |
Doti Telecentre |
Far Western |
Doti |
Seti |
8. |
Okhaldhunga Telecentre |
Eastern |
Okhaldhunga |
Sagarmatha |
|
9. |
Katuwachaupari Telecentre |
Western |
Parbat |
Dhaulagiri |
10. |
Singhiya Telecentre |
Eastern |
Sunsari |
Koshi |
|
11. |
Mustang Telecentre |
Western |
Mustang |
Dhaulagiri |
12. |
Bungamati Telecentre |
Central |
Lalitpur |
Bagmati |
|
13. |
Sankhu Telecentre |
Central |
Kathmandu |
Bagmati |
14. |
Devighat Telecentre |
Central |
Nuwakot |
Bagmati |
|
15. |
Jhuwani Community Library |
Central |
Chitwan |
Narayani |
16. |
Vidhya Mandir Library |
Western |
Baglung |
Dhaulagiri |
|
17. |
Jana Kalyan Community Library |
Eastern |
Ilam |
Mechi |
18. |
Agyole Community Library |
Western |
Nawalparasi |
Lumbini |
19. |
Kamala Public Library |
Central |
Sindhuli |
Janakpur |
|
20. |
Sagarmatha Community Library |
Eastern |
Solukhumbu |
Sagarmatha |
21. |
Kohalpur Telecentre |
|
Bake |
Bheri |
|
22. |
Tamsipakha Community Centre |
Central |
Kathmandu |
Bagmati |
To effectively accomplish the project the Stearing committee had formed the Management sub-committee and Content Management sub-committee. Ms. Sanjana Shrestha was the convener of management sub-committee from the secretariat of OKN and Mr. Rajendra Poudel the convener of the content management sub-committee.
Methodology
To implement the project in 24 APs. Management sub-committee and Content management Sub-committee has jointly developed following methodology.
1) Focuses group discussion among central level volunteer to define terminology Pull Content and Push content Knowledge workers
2) PRA training-cum workshop for Knowledge workers: To define content and respective thematic area and explore the mechanism for content collection and dissemination.
3) Conceptualize an Access Point support (APSP) fund to enhance planning capability of each APs in community level.
Terminology
Pull content
Process of collecting content form grassroot community by using different PRA tools and delivering these content to OKN secretariat.
Push Content
Process of delivering content from OKN secretariat to each APs in community level by available media.
Knowledge workers
People who actively participate in Pull and Push content mechanism.
Content Manager
A technical person who handles the mechanism of Pull and Push content by the help of knowledge workers.
Types of Content
Origin: Local and Global
Local Content
Global
Content Origin Questions
Answer
Complaint
Event
For Sale
Government Announcement
International News
Jobs
Knowledge
Local news
Market price
Messages
Notice
Question
Suggestion
Wanted
Weather
1.1 Purpose
c. Entertainment vs Social Impact
d. Community Resource
e. Content Purpose Questions
Push & Pull content
Push-Pull content Questions
2 Sources of Content
f. International Public & Development Institutions (FAO, WHO etc)
g. Local/Regional Public & Development Institutions (Hospitals, NGOs, Libraries, etc)
h. National & Local Government
i. News
j. Etc
k. Content Sources Questions
Content Dissemination
l. Print
m. Radio
n. TV
o. Computer based locally
p. Internet
q. Mobile
r. Dissemination Questions
Activities in local OKN centers
In general all the centers has done following activities:
1. Formed OKN committee and sub-committee.
2. Published wall news papers.
3. Organized OKN orientation program and workshop on local and district level
4. Mobilized school students, teachers, women groups and other villagers in OKN program.
5. Deploy PRA tools to collect content from local level.
6. Conducted awareness program in different thematic issues in local level.
7. Organized interaction program about content and OKN Program among local level organization.
8. Established local level network to sustain OKN program in future.
9. Displayed and distributed content that were sent form central level.
10. Conducted basic computer training and Open eNRICH training to the community people.
11. Send content to Central hub by CDs, hard copy, and wall news paper format.
Each centers shows their strength in different thematic area for collection of content. OKN secretariat has provided Access Point Support (APSP) fund to the local APs. Along with this Fund APs were able to contribute minimum 3% -50% of the program cost.
This contribution has been distributed in four parallel components as given below.
a. Awareness to the local OKN board members.
b. Awareness to the local people about okn and ICT.
c. Human resources development (computer training).
d. Wall news paper and content dissemination.
Each centers has expend according to their design and plan on local level OKN program. In average OKN AP has expended 11.38% of cost in awareness to the local OKN board members and 39.52% has been expended for awareness to the local people about OKN programs. This fact clearly shows that the OKN program has been reached to the grassroot people. The OKN project it self is the technology enabled process so local APs has expended 23.94 in Human resources development activities. In this activity they have invested for providing basic computer training and e-mail/internet training. Open eNRICH training was one of the component of basic computer training organized in local level in AP site. Although it is not the greater amount of money in comparing with local people awareness program. This fact shows that the first need of the project has addressed to the awareness program. The most important component of the project is content collection and dissemination and local APs have been invested and only 25% of the amount of local level project.
Many centers from local level have sent to content in OKN secretariat. In total we were able to collect 567 content from the AP levels. Those of them only 283 contents were digitized in central level and other contents are kept in the original form in the each folder of the APs in Central hub.
Methodology of delivering content in central level
Out of 25 APs only 11 centers have access to regular e-mail and internet facilities. So other centers have sent content in hand written hard copy format. Out of 567 content only 97 contents (Okhaldunga, Jhuwani, Nangi, Birendranagar, Kholpur) were received from e-mail and 150 contents were received from fax and other are received from postal service. All centers has given information in different thematic
OKN orientation in Kathmandu
OKN orientation program in Kathmandu has been organized from June 6 to June 7, 2005 with the objective to introduce the OKN project, its progress till date, to inform the participants about concepts of telecenters and to inform about its potential impact in the community.
The targeted participants were 48 comprising 2 from each access points. Due to the strike in various districts, some of the invitees could not participate in the orientation program. Despite this, there were about 34 participants from different Access points in the orientation program.
Apart from the participants from Access points, the participants from the non access points were also invited at the own cost of the host organization. The total participants in the OKN program were 48, out of which 34 participants belong to selected access points and 17 belongs to other sites of different stakeholders.
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