Village Resource Centres (VRCs)
 

          Knowledge centers inherently serve multi-purpose goals as the community they serve has diverse needs. Some of the popular services offered are:
 

Education: IT courses, distance learning courses, vocational training, life skills

Information related to agriculture, government schemes, law, rights and benefits, weather, market prices, disaster preparedness, etc.

Communication facilities such as text and voice mail, fax, telephone, voice and video chat, courier services, etc.
Domain expert support in medicine, agriculture, law, etc. through periodic meetings and/or email correspondence

Miscellaneous: photocopy, photo studio (digital camera/web camera), lamination, desktop publishing (DTP)

Payment of Utilities/Bills

Registration of births / deaths

Reservation of bus and train tickets

Assist in identifying and tracking resources that a village has and in planning and monitoring projects

Local govt. can update communities on various government programmes and schemes and in turn get regular updates from the village on progress on key parameters reflecting the "health" of the village

Electronic accounting for the funds which are disseminated by the state/district administration for village activities

Act as a collection and distribution point for farm and other agricultural products
 
The above list of services is by no means exhaustive and will be based entirely on the needs of the community served.
 
Equipment
 
Each village knowledge centre will consist of:
 

One to five computers (with floppy and CD drives, Internet and multimedia) depending on population served, services offered, etc.

Peripherals such as a scanner, printer depending on population served, services offered, etc.
Digital camera
Power backup - UPS / generator / solar power back-up
Software: Windows OS, Microsoft Office suite, other optional depending on population served, services offered, etc.
 
Software issues
 

          All computers will need an Operating System (OS), application software and virus protection software. A VKC is likely to require basic application software such as word processing, presentations, spreadsheets as well as Internet browsing. Depending on the services offered by the VKC (for example education, desktop publishing, etc.), other applications might be procured. Technical specialists may be consulted to assess and install software solutions appropriate to a VKC's requirements.
 
Network
 

          A computer network requires specialist assistance for technical design and set up. One computer can act as the gateway to the Internet for a small network of up to 6 PCs. It is better to have a central server for a larger network administration, which includes data storage, back-up system and Internet gateway. In addition to the desktop computers and a central server, the computer network will need cables, routers and other hardware. You may have some ancillary service equipment such as printers, photocopier, scanner and CD writer. Software will be required for the operating systems and applications on the desktop computers and the central server, including effective anti-virus protection and network firewall.
 
Power back up
 

          Computers are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in power levels and should be protected by an "uninterruptible power supply" (UPS). The UPS is a storage device to smooth fluctuations and ensure a steady supply of power. It also provides short-term back-up in the event of power failure, allowing enough time for data to be saved and for computers to be switched off. Also consider voltage stabilisers to protect the equipment from fluctuations in the power supply.
 
Equipment maintenance
 

          The profile and specifications of new equipment should be recorded as soon as installed. This includes equipment type, serial number, purpose/expected usage, computer set up, and the names and versions of software packages installed. Maintenance procedures are necessary to assure that the equipment continues to work optimally and to reduce equipment downtime to a minimum. ICT equipment should be checked regularly - e.g. once a month - to verify that it is functioning correctly. The result of the maintenance test should be added to the specific equipment's profile.
 

          Problems in ICT equipment are often recurrent so it will be a good idea to store the equipment profile in a spreadsheet or database format. The history of each piece of equipment should be recorded on a continuous basis, including faults that have occurred and how these were resolved.
 
Physical Access to the Knowledge Centre
 

As in any community, there are groups, which are marginalised on the basis of gender, caste, disability, etc. Therefore it is extremely important that special attention is paid to the needs of people who face particular barriers to access. Some examples are given below:
 
People with physical disability: Design of ramps, rails, and low tables
Visually challenged: Specialist text narration software, speech recognition software and Braille print in text material
Illiterate people: Multi-media content
People with hearing impairment: Easy-to-read documents and multi-media content
 
How to involve women and girls
 
Be sure to have women represented on committees and staff, not as token members, but as full participants
Involve women and girls in planning all aspects of the CMC from programming to the physical layout of facilities
Be sure to have women's programmes as well as sections for women-oriented digital resources
Have "women-only" times at the CMC for both media programming and computer usage
 

          Make sure women are involved as recruiters, trainers and supervisors… basically in all of your centre's areas of operations. In fact, these rules go for ensuring the participation of any group, be it youth or people with disabilities. The most important thing is to get people involved!
 
Process of Setting up a Knowledge Centre
 
1 Organise a discussion / planning meeting with the community and discuss plans about setting up a knowledge centre.
2 Organise PRA exercises in identified village cluster. PRA outcomes:
 
a Create awareness about project
b Create a village steering committee (Members to be selected for a limited period - timeframe can be an outcome of PRA) with clear roles and responsibilities
c Location of VKC
d Resource mapping
e Needs assessment
3 Project work plan to be shared with community members. They should be made aware of the project time frame and when the centre would become functional.
4 The village steering committee to create awareness in the community about:
 
a Knowledge centre
b How the community can use the VKC - content & services required, uses and benefits
c How the community can contribute - volunteers, security, active participation, etc.
5 Implementation plan to be put together
 
a VKC community volunteers / coordinators to be identified from within the community.
b Ready the physical space for setting-up the VKC.
c

Outreach strategy and pre-launch marketing: Visit local schools and colleges; Involve the Panchayat, SHGs and other local groups; Involve rest of the community
d Operational plan: Pricing of products and services; administration and coordination, safety and security
e Reporting system
f Share concerns such as security of the VKC and come up with solutions for them.
6 Installation of machines and peripherals
7 First phase: Generic content and services to be provided/made available
8 Launch
9 Second phase: Customised content for community and other services
10 Reporting
 
Setting up the VKC
 
1

Once a physical space has been identified for the VKC, plan the space utilisation depending on the requirements stated above. For example, if community meetings will be held in the VKC, then the VKC will need to have two rooms - computer room and meeting room. If required a big room can be divided into smaller rooms by putting in partitions. The quality of the partitions should be decided keeping in mind the footfalls in the centre, noise level inside and outside, ventilation, etc.
2

Renovations might be required in terms of earthing, network lines for the LAN, additional electrical fixtures, telephone/modem lines (depending on connectivity model being used), repairing doors and windows to keep out the elements and pests, etc.

3

Access to people with disabilities is an important factor. Therefore ramps must be built, doors should be wide and there should be enough space inside for unhindered mobility for people using wheelchairs and crutches.
4

Ventilation is also a very important consideration keeping in mind that computers must be kept in a cool, dry place that is not exposed to the elements. Curtains and blinds are therefore necessary for the windows; however, there should be enough light to function in!
5

Bulletin boards should be put up on the walls to put up general information, centre timings, service fees, projects done by local community especially children such as drawings, etc. The idea is that the centre should look inviting and attractive and a place where the local community finds useful and entertaining.
6

Once the above activities are complete, the furniture can be brought in and organised and the machines can be installed. It is recommended that this be done at least a couple of days before the official launch, so as to be absolutely ready for the event. All tests should be carried out and the centre should be completely functional.
 
Marketing and Outreach Plan
 

          It is important to develop a marketing and outreach plan because the concept of using a knowledge centre is novel for the local community and they might need to be demonstrated the need to use one and the benefit that would accrue to them if they did. While the services that would be offered by the centre would be based on the needs of the community, the populace would need to be attracted to the centre and given demonstrations about the usefulness of the services that would keep them coming back. Therefore, the staff needs to do the following:
 
1 Pre-launch Marketing: While the VKC is being set up, the staff should
 
a

A pre-launch marketing plan should be made where based on the target group for the services offered by the VKC. For example, if e-governance services such as drivers' licenses would be offered, the youth should be targeted
b

Meet with target group members to make them aware about the services to be offered by the centre and how that would be useful.
c

Additionally, presentations should be made to various groups such as the Panchayat, various SHGs functioning in the area, other groups such as farmer groups, fishermen's societies, craftsmens' guilds, etc.
2 Launch:
 
a

Once the date for the launch of the VKC is frozen on, posters should be made and put up in prominent places in the villages, such as the Panchayat centre, school buildings, PHC, grocery/ration shop, etc.
b

If an event is being planned for the launch, prominent people could be invited to inaugurate the centre.
3 Maintenance Marketing:
 
a

Following the launch, there will be a steady flow of people to the centre. Every attempt must be made to ensure that these people are told about the services they can avail.
b

While the first few weeks after the launch will be a busy time, footfalls may decline after that period. This is often not because the community sees no benefit in the centre, but because they need to be engaged in the centre.
c

Word of mouth is an important way of spreading awareness about the centre. However, this is dependent on customers being satisfied with the services in the centre. Every attempt must be made to meet the needs of the customers. It is important to make a note of services that are being demanded but not available in the centre. These can be communicated to the district and state level coordinating teams for them to work on.
d

Apart from the village in which the VKC is situated, the staff should make an attempt to engage the people of surrounding villages as well.
e Some possible methods of advertising are:
 
i Wall paintings
ii Posters
iii Public announcements before major events / new activities
 
References
 
1 "A Guide to Community Multimedia Centres - How to Get Started and Keep Going"; CMC, UNESCO
2

"Ten Steps for Establishing a Sustainable Multipurpose Community Telecentre - User's Guide"; Gail Short & Deborah Rice, UNESCO Bangkok
3

THE COMMUNITY TELECENTRE COOKBOOK FOR AFRICA - RECIPES FOR SELF-SUSTAINABILITY: How to Establish a Multi-purpose Community Telecentre in Africa by Mike Jensen and Anriette Esterhuysen; UNESCO 2001
4 Community Technology Centers' Network - Center Start-Up Manual, 2003.