OKN Project
Introduction
Open Knowledge Network (OKN), as the name suggests, is an open platform to share knowledge that adds value to people's lives. OKN is an initiative by OneWorld 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 with 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.
Principles
To enhance communication opportunities for the people at the grassroots
To facilitate social and economic empowerment of poor communities living in South Asia
To facilitate knowledge sharing by people at the grassroots and to encourage peer-to-peer networking among grassroots communities in North India, and also among their counterparts in other parts of South Asia, and rest of the world
To provide needs-driven, locale-specific content to poor communities living in South Asia
To develop interactive tools that enable communication between communities and those who affect their lives such as researchers, agricultural scientists, health professionals, government authorities and markets.
OKN is not trying to reinvent the wheel, since many communities and projects in the South were working in similar ways before OKN. OKN can support and strengthen these local and regional knowledge networks, and offers the advantage of using global standards to organize and exchange local content.
OKN is joining up the dots and working to enhance existing initiatives to create a knowledge network that is sustainable. The importance of local content is now well recognized in South Asia. Local people are encouraged to act as content producers, not just content recipients
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
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
To create and exchange local knowledge within and between local, national and international communities
To enhance awareness and capacity of the targeted local community and other stakeholders
More specifically they 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
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.
Ensuring effective knowledge sharing and networking among different Access Points: The project will aim towards ensuring that knowledge collected, processed and disseminated through OKN channels indeed result in action and enhancement of livelihood opportunities for the target population. The project will attempt at measuring the impact of this programs within the project period.
Selection of Access Points
For the implementation of the OKN project, 24 Access Points have been selected. For the selection of Access Points a subcommittee was formed and was given responsibilities of selecting the points. The Access Points have been selected on the basis of
Connectivity
Priority is given to the connected telecenters, even though disconnected telecenters can also be Access Points as well.
Public Access
Whether the telecenters have computers installed for public and general access or whether such computers are only for administrative usage
Community served
What size of community is served by the access point as well as the management structure of the Access Points. Access Points owned by the community will be given higher priority.
Sustainability Access Points having sustainability strategy given higher priority
Other Development issues: Delivery of other development issues like health, reproductive health, AIDS, education, library, adult education, gender equality issues, etc will be given priority in the selection so that a holistic approach to the development process of the community through the Access Points can be achieved.
ENRD
1 Lumle community Health Post Western Kaski Gandaki
2 Nagi Centre Western Myagdi Dhaulagiri
HLCIT
1 Panauti Telecentre Central Kavre Bagmati
2 Bashamadi Telecentre Central Makawanpur Narayani
3 Surkhet Telecentre Mid Western Surkhet Bheri
4 Gaighat Telecentre Eastern Udayapur Sagarmatha
5 Doti Telecentre Far Western Doti Seti
ICT4D, UNDP
1 Okhaldhunga Telecentre Eastern Okhaldhunga Sagarmatha
2 Katuwachaupari Telecentre Western Parbat Dhaulagiri
3 Singhiya Telecentre Eastern Sunsari Koshi
4 Mustang Telecentre Western Mustang Dhaulagiri
5 Bungamati Telecentre Central Lalitpur Bagmati
NITC
1 Sankhu Telecentre Central Kathmandu Bagmati
2 Devighat Telecentre Central Nuwakot Bagmati
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