The solution: A network of community multimedia centers
Nexus Mundi makes a unique contribution by expanding the number of telecenters and improving on their design through a comprehensive plan that unites engeneering, pedagogy and operational structure.
Part of the solution is to connect more partners who have the resources to address the problem. By building on an existing infrastructure of community radio stations, satellite connections and experienced personnel, Nexus Mundi plans the creation of a more widespread, sustainable network of public access ICT facilities. The other part of the solution is a better design for the CMCs to address technical, security, pedagogical, organizational and legal issues.
Community multimedia centers allow even the most remote village to communicate and exchange information with the rest of the world, and to locally access and produce information for development by integrating ICTs with local radio that reaches communities in their own language. The addition of training courses and facilitators ensures that the ICT resources, including the internet, can be used by the literate and illiterate alike, by teachers and students, health workers and patients, farmers and small business owners.
Community multimedia centers provide an invaluable gateway to our global knowledge society. By building on an existing infrastructure of community radio stations, satellite connections and experienced field personnel from faith-based organizations, including the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Nexus Mundi is initiating the creation of a network of community multimedia centers in Africa, Latin America and South Asia.
As a first step in this new initiative, Nexus Mundi is developing a pilot project to test the community multimedia center concept. Nexus Mundi will test the CMC concept in Zambia, followed by Congo, Brazil, Peru and Kenya.
Zambia was selected in part because UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) is already implementing a global Enviroment Facility (GEF) proposal focusing on the area of renewably powered "mini-grids). The use of renewables to facilitate the development of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in rural communities is an essential part of the NMF approach.
A local steering committee, comprised of Nexus Mundi staff, partners, local stakeholders and government officials will provide local coordination and management of the system network, with a facility coordinator based at each community multimedia center.
