OpenCityPortal: Send Business

Open City PortalOpenCity Portal

	*OpenCityPortal:*			Nickname: Password: If you have not registered
	Spanish, English, Japanese

: Kothmale Community Radio/Internet Project: Expanding the Knowledge Base
I'd like to jointly create this type of social venture in my home town:
You can create a Social Venture in your home town based on the business model in this page. The Social Entrepreneur Institute will assist you to make a business plan, funding the project and provide a More information on the Social Entrepreneurship Institute

ActivityID:

PartnerLong:

Country :

About Your Project: Reference Project:

Company/Organization: Kothmale Community Radio/Internet Project: Expanding the Knowledge Base

Project Code:

CategoryID:
Sri Lanka

County:

City:

Please write about your business concept in five paragraphs with sub-title for each

Answer: Briefly describe the usefulness and uniqueness of your social venture Spectacular growth in information technology, and specifically the Internet, has the potential to offer a new set of tools for rural development. However, it requires special efforts to create appropriate access models for those who can neither afford Internet access nor have the language capacity to understand the content. The purpose of the Kothmale Community Radio Internet project was to test and demonstrate an access model that reduces these barriers and empowers marginalized communities in rural areas, enabling them to benefit from ICTs to expand their knowledge base and thereby support their efforts to tackle their development problems themselves.

1: Factors inhibiting rural ICT connection

1: Issues to be addressed by this social venture (or case) (i) Lack of access facilities, such as computers and connectivity in the rural areas (ii) Language barriers in using the Internet (iii) Shortage of appropriate information products in local languages. (iv) Lack of motivation to use information. The Kothmale project uses community radio as an interface between the community and the Internet through a pioneering "Radio-browse" model, thereby introducing an indirect mass access to cyberspace through a daily one-hour interactive radio program. The model is based on the following interdependent components: vailable on the Internet.

2: How does Radio Browsing model work?

2: What is the unique idea to solve the issues? The community radio station broadcasts a daily "Radio Browsing the Internet" program from 1900-2000 hrs. The broadcasters, supported by resource personnel, browse the Internet on-air together with their listeners, and discuss and contextualise information in local language. Thus, the radio program raises awareness about the Internet in a participatory manner. The listeners request the broadcasters to surf the Web on their behalf and the program transmits information in response to their requests. This information is explained and contextualised with the help of studio guests. For example, a local doctor may explain data on a health website.

3: Radio Browse is highly effective low-cost model

3: Revenue Model & Organization The radio-browsing model can be highly effective with small, low cost community radio stations operated and owned by rural communities. It allows the community to reconstruct meanings from Internet information sources. Given that information becomes knowledge only when it is discussed and contextualised in the community, the radio-browsing model has many advantages over browsing the Internet individually, particularly when language becomes a barrier to understand the content. Unfortunately, very few developing countries have provisions in their broadcasting regulations to allow and encourage independent community radio stations.

4:

4: Targeted Benefit & Outcome

5:

5: Strengths and Risks of the business model

The Project Owner: Explain your experience and skills within 150 words.

Business_Partners: Describe what types of business partners are you seeking

Position1 (Investors):

Position2 (Management & Staff):

Position3 (Management & Staff):

Position4 (Professional Staff):

Position4 (Professional Staff):

Position6 (Outside Experts):

Business Partners can jointly develop a business plan

Mode:

I'd like to jointly create this type of social venture in my home town:
You can create a Social Venture in your home town based on the business model in this page. The Social Entrepreneur Institute will assist you to make a business plan, funding the project and provide a More information on the Social Entrepreneurship Institute

About Your Project:		Reference Project:
Company/Organization:		Kothmale Community Radio/Internet Project: Expanding the Knowledge Base
Project Code:
CategoryID:		Sri Lanka
County:
City:
Please write about your business concept in five paragraphs with sub-title for each
Answer: Briefly describe the usefulness and uniqueness of your social venture		Spectacular growth in information technology, and specifically the Internet, has the potential to offer a new set of tools for rural development. However, it requires special efforts to create appropriate access models for those who can neither afford Internet access nor have the language capacity to understand the content. The purpose of the Kothmale Community Radio Internet project was to test and demonstrate an access model that reduces these barriers and empowers marginalized communities in rural areas, enabling them to benefit from ICTs to expand their knowledge base and thereby support their efforts to tackle their development problems themselves.
1:		Factors inhibiting rural ICT connection
1: Issues to be addressed by this social venture (or case)		(i) Lack of access facilities, such as computers and connectivity in the rural areas (ii) Language barriers in using the Internet (iii) Shortage of appropriate information products in local languages. (iv) Lack of motivation to use information. The Kothmale project uses community radio as an interface between the community and the Internet through a pioneering "Radio-browse" model, thereby introducing an indirect mass access to cyberspace through a daily one-hour interactive radio program. The model is based on the following interdependent components: vailable on the Internet.
2:		How does Radio Browsing model work?
2: What is the unique idea to solve the issues?		The community radio station broadcasts a daily "Radio Browsing the Internet" program from 1900-2000 hrs. The broadcasters, supported by resource personnel, browse the Internet on-air together with their listeners, and discuss and contextualise information in local language. Thus, the radio program raises awareness about the Internet in a participatory manner. The listeners request the broadcasters to surf the Web on their behalf and the program transmits information in response to their requests. This information is explained and contextualised with the help of studio guests. For example, a local doctor may explain data on a health website.
3:		Radio Browse is highly effective low-cost model
3: Revenue Model & Organization		The radio-browsing model can be highly effective with small, low cost community radio stations operated and owned by rural communities. It allows the community to reconstruct meanings from Internet information sources. Given that information becomes knowledge only when it is discussed and contextualised in the community, the radio-browsing model has many advantages over browsing the Internet individually, particularly when language becomes a barrier to understand the content. Unfortunately, very few developing countries have provisions in their broadcasting regulations to allow and encourage independent community radio stations.
4:
4: Targeted Benefit & Outcome
5:
5: Strengths and Risks of the business model
The Project Owner: Explain your experience and skills within 150 words.
Business_Partners: Describe what types of business partners are you seeking
Position1 (Investors):
Position2 (Management & Staff):
Position3 (Management & Staff):
Position4 (Professional Staff):
Position4 (Professional Staff):
Position6 (Outside Experts):