Project Launch
Writing by admin on Saturday, 29 of April , 2006 at 9:11 pm
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.
eTUKTUK takes internet and radio to the village
Since 1999, Kothmale Community Radio (KCR) has been serving as an interface between the rural communities in the central hill region of Sri Lanka and new communication technologies through its Community Multimedia Centre (CMC). This innovative approach to content delivery and radio production is in line with the station’s commitment to increasing access and participation to new and traditional ICTs (Information Communication Technology) while providing a voice and expression to the community it serves.
The eTUKTUK is a self-contained mobile telecentre and radio broadcasting unit housed within a tuk-tuk, or three wheeled motorcycle, a favoured form of transport common throughout South Asia. A laptop computer is located inside the vehicle as is a battery operated printer, camera, telephone and scanner. Internet is provided via a CDMA enabled wireless connection and electricity is provided via a generator which in turn charges a battery that is used to provide additional power for short periods of time.
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 achieved via two loud speakers mounted to the roof rack. These are powered via an amplifier and CD player. 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 as to the location and time that it will arrive in their community.
”The mobile design of the eTUKTUK provides access to the most geographically remote areas of the Kothmale region” said Project Advisor, Ben Grubb. “By taking access directly to the villages and presenting it to users in a familiar environment, the technology is made less daunting. Those who are unable or unwilling to travel large distances can also benefit from the experience. With the assistance of trained operators, the barriers of language and illiteracy can be overcome and the benefits can be focused on the most disadvantaged in the community. The operator acts as intermediary between individuals and the technology providing encouragement and assistance when necessary. Moreover, the objective of the project is focused on those sectors of the community marginalised through gender, caste, ethnicity and other factors that make participants feel they have no proper place in ICTs and ICT initiatives.”
Dilhan Fernando, Trustee of the MJF Charitable Foundation stated, “It is our privilege to have an opportunity to partner with Kothmale Community Radio in bringing knowledge to isolated and marginalized communities. The MJF Charitable Foundation was established to deliver the benefits of our business success to the wider community in Sri Lanka; to ensure that our business is a matter of human service.”
“Empowering communities to better themselves through their own endeavours offers a dignified and respectful form of aid. We believe that this is a more pragmatic and appropriate form of assistance than grants and financial aid. We are committed to extending this initial partnership, through the mobile internet programme, to a wider association that will extend the reach and impact of Kothmale Community Radio to as many underprivileged communities as possible.”
The eTUKTUK will be officially launched by Mr. Dilhan Fernando of the MJF Foundation at the Kothmale Community Radio Station on the 29th of April 2006. After which the eTUKTUK will travel to Colombo where it will broadcast a live transmission from the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day International conference at BMICH on the 1-3rd of May.
For any enquiries please contact Mr. Sunil Wijesinghe on 0779190512 or Mr. Benjamin Grubb on 0779101787 or visit the www.eTUKTUK.net website.
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