the etuktuk project

etuktuk takes internet and radio to Sri Lankan villages

In the hilly region of Kothmale in central Sri Lanka, the tuk-tuk, the three wheeled motorcycle, which is a favoured form of local transport common in South Asia, is all set to take a new form as a self-contained mobile telecentre. Kothmale Community Radio (KCR) has devised a new innovative approach of content delivery and radio production, in line with the station’s commitment to increasing access and participation to new and traditional ICTs and providing voice and expression to the community it serves.

The eTUKTUK is a self-contained mobile telecentre and radio broadcasting unit which travels into remote villages in the Kothmale region and provide communities the opportunity to participate in the KCR’s programming as well as have access to new digital technologies and internet.

The eTUKTUK contains a laptop computer, battery operated printer, camera, telephone and scanner. Internet is provided via a CDMA enabled wireless connection and electricity is provided via a generator. A roof rack allows the vehicle to carry other equipment such as the Kothmale Community Radio Station’s mobile broadcasting unit. Narrowcasting of radio programs is done using the two loud speakers mounted to the roof rack. This system is used to announce the telecentre’s presence when it arrives in a village or designated location. The weekly route of the eTUKTUK is broadcast over the radio to inform the listeners about the location and time that it will arrive in their community.

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Steve Buckley, President, World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), comments on the eTUKTUK.

Steve made this comment recently when he witnessed the etuktuk in action at the AMARC Asia Pacific Forum recently held in Colombo, “…it seems to me you’ve got a great vehicle both in the physical and the symbolic sense to go out to the communities and the neighbourhoods and to let people speak through their community radio station. I hope to see many other community radio stations with eTUKTUKs in the future because I think that this is a trend that is going to catch on.”

The project has featured in a variety of news sources recently:

Hindustani
India eNews
Daily India
New Kerala
The Economic Times

The eTUKTUK will be officially launched at the Kothmale Radio Listeners Club get together on Saturday 29th of April at the Kothmale Community Radio Station. For further details on the launch please email info@etuktuk.net or see below.

PRESS RELEASE

The Kothmale Internet Listeners Club in association with UNESCO, the MJF Foundation and Suntel is glad to announce the launch of the eTUKTUK at the Kothmale Community Radio Station on the 29th of April 2006.

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