The electronic and digital revolution is intensely affecting the nature of learning and transforming the world in unprecedented ways, particularly the Information Technology (IT) is changing the world significantly. Knowledge based society replacing physical labour-based skills in all walks of life. IT is being built on knowledge, intelligence and technology. IT empowers people with information, which is transformed into knowledge and intelligence. Proper use of knowledge by people contributes to sustainable development. IT is going to eliminate physical distance by transferring images, voice and data instantaneously from one point to any other point in the planet, means communication is becoming instantaneous. Today, IT offers remarkable tools for improvement of public services, access to the information, accumulated knowledge, learning opportunities and is essential for the diversification of economic activities. UN Secretary General stated in his millennium report, "We can use the new Information Technology to make the UN more efficient, and to improve its interaction with the rest of the world". The rapid development of information and communication services would therefore be a driving force in the development process. Due to the rapid changes in IT, other technologies are also getting reshape and reform. The cost of computer accessories, communication equipment including wireless modem, telephone, mobile and satellite has been dropping sharply. High capacity fiber optic cables are decreasing the cost of today's international telephone call to that of yesterday's local call. The diffusion of the access to the Internet from a variety of have ushered an increasingly distance less world. As well, this has also fueled a powerful dominance of Information Technology as a cost-saving production input of great significance everywhere.

IT can make significant contribution to the economy and quality of life in developing countries. If this is the case then it must reach the rural areas and villages. Fifty six percent of us live in what the World Bank considers low-income economies, and 70% of those -nearly 40% of the world population live in the rural areas. In Asia - with three fifths of the world's population and just under three quarters of its rural population [1]. Developing countries clearly have the necessity of connecting their remote areas. Improved and cheaper telecommunication will generate rural employment and greatly enhance the integration of the rural with national economy and improving living standards. Since the population to be served is very large but resources are limited, therefore community-based access and resource sharing is the best choice. Telephones are not the only the choice for community-based access. In remote areas where telephone lines have not reached yet, wireless technologies can be used for both data and voice communication, such as mobile phone or radio wireless modem. Computers, modems, satellite connectivity all can be used to provide e-mail and Internet access as well as for storing and retrieving international and local information. There have been many efforts at building appropriate models for the effective use of IT in development at rural areas. One of the most successful experiments is the "Village Computer and Internet Program" in Bangladesh.

Results

Village Computer and Internet Program

The rural areas in Bangladesh have become distant centers of poverty and hunger due to the lack of communication and other support facilities. Information regarding government, community, health, education, agriculture, environment market etc. is not available to all people, specially to rural people. The rural areas suffer considerably from lack of adequate information services. Grameen Communications through the project "Village Computer and Internet Program (VCIP)" is providing multipurpose information services for isolated regions to promote poverty alleviation, reducing migration from villages to cities, creating IT related job opportunities for the rural poor and creating familiarity with computers among the rural population of Bangladesh. VCIP started on July 1999 at a place called Madhupur in Tangail district, which is about 160 kilometers away from Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The attempt to provide computer and Internet facility in the rural areas may usher in the scope to shorten this distance and create opportunities for addressing poverty and hunger through this technological intervention.


Objectives of the project

The overall purpose of this project is to develop and test models for provision of access to modern information and communication services for the development of rural areas and alleviating poverty. This includes development and testing of sustainable new services, supported by modern telecommunication and information technology for the use by general people including poor farmers, organization and enterprises in the rural area at affordable cost.


Broad objectives:

· Promote development of communication and ancillary services for freer flow of information and knowledge to accelerate social and economic development in rural area.

· Develop a network that would meet the communication needs of educational institutions, research institutions, non-government, government organizations and individuals.

· Provide communication services that promote and support peoples including producers, researchers, educators, planners, students, designers, news media, social activists and entrepreneurs for improving their knowledge and lives by accessing to the national and global information.

Services of the project

The project is providing the following services, which can be treated as a milestone for providing the benefits of information technology to isolated regions:

· Information services

Providing information regarding health, education, agriculture, environment, job etc. Access to the product price information of the market.

· Email Facilities

Rural peoples are sending and receiving email to contact with family members, friends, and relatives and local & international organization at instant and low cost.

· Training course on computer

Providing basic course on computer, operating system, typing tutorial, MS Word, MS Excel and higher courses on Visual Basic, Web Designing and Development , Graphics Designing and Hardware Trouble Shooting etc.

· Word Processing and Printing Services

Villagers have the facilities to write letters, resumes, applications, and making documents like newsletters, advertisements and announcements.

· Village Database

Data on fisheries, livestock, health, education, agriculture, environment etc are entering into a village database. Information regarding government, NGOs, social and business organizations are also publishing on the web.

· Computer lab facilities

Providing computer lab facility to the schools and colleges. Students of schools and colleges are interacting with the center for the computer course of their SSC (Secondary School Certificate) and HSC (Higher School Certificate) examination.

· Children Education

Educational program for the children are providing, like learning of alphabets and words, quizzes, puzzles, painting etc. There is also a gaming hour for them.

· Publishing Services

More difficult word processing work like small newspapers and magazines are being done with the technical help of Grameen Communications staffs.

· Photo Album Services
There is a large number of Bangladeshi peoples are in overseas. Keeping the individual and family pictures of local people on the web, so that their family members, relatives and friends can see these.


Impact of the project in rural areas

The project is providing important benefits to rural society in Bangladesh. The aspects of these benefits are described below.

· Access to the modern tools and information

The rural peoples have access to the computers and Internet. Familiarizing and using of modern tools has significant contribution in development. Access to the information is empowering people and creating information base society.

· Availability of Information

Village people, government and also the local NGO or institution are getting information regarding education, health, agriculture, environment etc. Availability of information is contributing to development process.

· International and local correspondence

There is a large and growing Bangladeshi expatriate population in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. It is difficult for rural peoples to contact by telephone and regular mail with their family members, relatives and friends who work and staying in abroad and different part of Bangladesh, because of the high costs and long time delays associated with international and local correspondence. Therefore, email facilities are providing villagers to contact with their friends and relatives at instant and very low cost. So the communication has become instantaneous.

· Better use of remittance of migrated people

The overseas Bangladeshi peoples are contacting with their family directly in rural area and advising them for proper utilization of the money, which they send regular basis. Therefore, remittance is being used in better way.

· Job creation

Staffs have been recruited for operation of the program. Students those are enrolling in the training course, are also has the opportunity to join with the program as a trainer. Information regarding local and international jobs is helping rural people to apply for jobs. Jobseekers also can search the job by surfing the net.

· Reducing the migration from village to city

The lack of job opportunities in villages creates mass migration from villages to cities. However, there are not enough jobs in cities to provide employment to the migrant villagers. As a result most migrant to cities end up living in slums, displaced from their homes and unable to find jobs. Internet is opening many possibilities for employment, from data entry to web marketing. Village artisans are also having access to global markets.

· Reducing the urban problems

Developing countries have a particular interest in the impact of the global Internet on urban problems, which is generating through rural-urban migration, because their large cities are already suffering from epics level of congestion, pollution, social dislocation and increasing crime. Access to the Internet are opening many opportunities for employment in rural area, so it is an indirect means of attacking urban congestion, pollution and crimes.

· Reducing the impact of the middlemen

The flow of goods and services in rural areas are hampered by high mark-up through village middlemen who distort market conditions for their advantage. The middlemen buy at negligible prices from informal sector artisans and sell at a large profit to urban populations. This entire chain of events occurs because of the lack of information of the market that both village artisans and urban buyers face. If this void could be filled then the benefits to poor entrepreneurs would generate employment, increase income and purchasing power for village residents. Through the VCIP website village residents both producers and consumers can check current market prices. This is helping the farmer to have better bargaining capacity in selling their produces. It is reducing the middlemen involvement in the market.

· Computer literate generation

Computer-training program and others program with computer are creating computer literate generation in rural area. Computer literate people will play vital role for building the nation.

· Software developer

Developing countries has the great possibility to export software to developed countries and earn huge foreign currency. Through the software development program, rural people are becoming software developer. They can generate income by developing software and can contribute to the national economic growth.

· Data entry program

The low labour cost and time difference with western countries (almost 12 hours time different between USA and Bangladesh) opening possibilities for developing countries to earn foreign currency by doing data entry for global customers. Introducing rural people with data-entry operator course will produce efficient data entry operator.

· On-line services

High speed Internet access can create on-line job opportunities for rural people. Expansion of the program will establish high peed Internet access point in rural area, so that in future rural people can do online jobs, like online customer service, answering services for all type of business, monitoring to the security services etc.

· Health services

It-based health services offer new opportunity to the rural people. When Zaire suffered a deadly outbreak of Ebola in 1995, local doctors used HealthNet to both alert neighbors and communicate with outside world. Information regarding health and diseases, specialist doctor's list with email address, major hospital and clinic addresses has a great impact in rural area. The local doctor and people are getting information on health and contacting with specialist doctors and hospital as per their necessity.


· Disaster and early warning

Floods and cyclones affect Bangladesh frequently. Internet took hours to link groups managing relief supplies in Washington DC to needy communities in remote Honduras after the Hurricane hit in 1998. During any disaster, rural people can send information through Internet on a daily basis with what is happening, what is required, what they aren't getting, what their needs are and the disaster-relief management team can react on that. Access to the Internet will play important role during any natural disaster, rural people will be able to communicate with disaster and relief management team instantly.

· Education

Today's children are tomorrow's future. Children education program is helping children to become familiar with computers. So, the computer literate rural children will be contributing to build the nation. The computers can also write/read out for people through some special software. The village person who does not know reading or writing, computer can help the person by reading the text materials or by writing the person's voice. This type of software program will be introduced to illiterate people.




Around two decades back, the concept of micro credit program to eliminate poverty was a story. But now the realities on the ground show a different picture altogether. The Grameen Bank annually disburses around 300 million US dollar to about 2.3 million borrowers and the total cumulative disbursement is 3 billion US dollar [12]. Grameen Bank has become the largest micro-credit financial institution in the world. The concept of providing small amount of loans to create self-employment is now being replicated in many countries across the globe. The realization of a poverty free world is now a question of time only.

We can change the world in our own way by choosing the right idea and option. The proper use of the ideas will harness the resources and bring forward the required changes. The idea of providing IT facilities to rural population is one such idea that has the potential to transform the lives of millions of rural people in this developing country. Many argue that poor nations cannot afford the luxury of the Information Technology while extreme need of necessities like food and clean water, but VCIP project gives us hope that IT has great impact on rural socio economic development.

Lessons

CNN International has made a documentary on this project which has broadcasted on June 25th under a program called "Global Challenges: Virtual Villages". The project is highly appreciated by International institutions including Information Technology Section of United Nations; Human Development Network - Education, World Bank; Hewlett-Packard; Harvard University; IDRC, Canada; DFID, UK and others.

Development Impacts

[1] United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects: the 1994 Revision, Population Division, New York, 1995

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