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25 years of democracy in Ecuador, digitized! — by Web editor — last modified 2008-01-22 15:16

Widespread social unrest resulting in anti-government protests and a succession of toppled governments. This is Ecuador’s political and social legacy of the last 25 years. In a country where politicians and the general media are often not trusted, Radio La Luna provides a safety valve; its ‘open mike’ policy allows citizens to publicly criticize their government. In 2006, the radio station branched out with a project to digitize documents that describe key moments from Ecuador’s social struggle during this turbulent period.

Radio journalists in Mali board the ICT train — by Web editor — last modified 2008-01-22 15:16

In July 2007, a group of Malian journalists from five different radio stations attended a four-week training course in digital radio broadcasting. The session focussed on strengthening their skills in producing and editing digital radio broadcasts. The training course was organised jointly by the Malian Association of Public Radio and Television (l’Union des Radio et Télévisions Libres du Mali, (URTEL)) and Radio Klédu.

Burkina Faso’s shea butter producers go online — by Web editor — last modified 2008-01-22 15:16

The Song-Taaba Yalgré organisation represents the interests of Burkina Faso’s shea butter producers, most of whom are rural women, by helping them to improve production and boost sales. Song-Taaba Yalgré itself is based in Ouagadougou, but most of its 2,000 members live in remote areas so communication is difficult, time-consuming and costly. The organisation therefore developed an ICT project to address this problem, with promising results.

‘Connectivity’ high on the government agenda in Ecuador — by Web editor — last modified 2008-01-22 15:16

A recent survey of the cost and quality of the Internet in Ecuador revealed that only 0.2% of the population has access to broadband as opposed to 1.6% in the whole of Latin America. To gain a better understanding of Ecuador’s connectivity problems, a national forum was held in September 2007. As a result of these initiatives, the government has now placed ‘connectivity’ high on its agenda.

Revamping a website in Burkina Faso — by Web editor — last modified 2008-01-22 15:15

Richard Uijen, a Dutch consultant acting on behalf of IICD and its partner, Inter Access, spent one week in Burkina Faso with members of Burkina Faso’s national ICT for Development network - www.burkina-ntic.org - brainstorming ways to revamp the network’s website. A brief summary of his experiences and impressions is presented.

Supporting Ghanaian farmers in the Eastern Corridor — by Web editor — last modified 2007-12-17 14:30

In 2003, the Eastern Corridor Agro-Information Centre (ECAMIC) project began supporting farmers in Ghana’s Eastern Corridor by setting up cooperative farmer groups. In 2005, the Social Enterprise Foundation of West Africa (SEND), which began the project, signed an agreement with IICD, in collaboration with Cordaid, for a two-year project to develop a market information facility to serve 24 community-based farming cooperatives. Today, the project is focussing on developing the capacity and efficiency of the farmers through the deployment and use of mobile phones.

Teachers in Burkina Faso develop their own educational materials — by Web editor — last modified 2007-12-17 20:55

One of the biggest obstacles for teachers in developing countries is the lack of high quality, up-to-date text books and other educational materials. This is a major challenge for teachers in Burkina Faso where there is a serious shortage of text books for all subjects.

Two Spanish connectivity reports from Ecuador — by Web editor — last modified 2007-12-17 22:27

Available online from www.infodesarrollo.ec – Ecuador's national ICT4D knowledge sharing network.