ICT innovations to connect the Community with Knowledge

Abstract

The Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project (OFSDP) aims at promoting sustainable forest management in the state with a larger goal of supporting rural livelihoods and community education, with financial assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The project is being implemented at selected project villages in 14 Forest Divisions through active participation of the village community organized as Vana Surakshya Samiti (VSS) or Eco Development Committee (EDC). The overall goal of OFSDP is sustainable forest management and poverty alleviation of local people. Out of the envisaged components Non Formal Education (NFE) is a major one to enhance Community/ Tribal development and capacity building with promotion of women literacy.The project is focusing on the Community/ Tribal development by involving the Community Para Teachers with technology-mediated support by promoting Common Service Infrastructure in the VSS buildings. Learning materials are provided from the Project site in simple formats with abridged text to help recapitulate the learning need. With the basic learning mechanism the community folks are empowered to maintain the SHG accounts and get into alternate livelihood practices with improved skill. They are equipped with the health related information to maintain community sanitation to avoid malaria, an age old menace in tribal villages. A number of support activities have been taken up in the project, such as engagement of moderately educated women with the help of ICT innovations. It has promoted Community Teachers in tribal pockets of the state and there by happened a considerable growth on technology-aided literacy among the women and children, which is an uncommon success in this part of the globe. // Paper ID: 89