Grameen Foundation : Resource Center : Print Newsletter : Summer 2004 : Borrower Profile - Village Computing
Village Computing - Improving Lives, One Click at a Time
The Village Computing Program, an initiative of GFUSA’s Grameen Technology Center, gives rural communities access to vital information and communications technology. Partnering with Drishtee Foundation and ASA, a microfinance institution, GFUSA has launched 15 centers in the last year in India’s Tamil Nadu region. The result is new opportunities for center owners and customers alike.
Micro-entrepreneurship is a family tradition for Arul Mary. Both she and her mother have taken tiny loans from ASA, a GFUSA partner organization in Tamil Nadu, India, to develop micro-businesses. Looking for a way to earn extra income and create employment for her 29-year-old son Raja Rajan, Arul Mary learned about the Village Computing Program. After taking a loan from ASA to pay a $68 "buy-in" fee, she became the proud owner of a Village Computing center in the village of Vaiyampatti.
Today the center, operated by her son, provides e-governance services, computer education classes, and Kinko’s-like services to a community of 5,000 people. In addition to generating a monthly average of $56 in income for Arul Mary’s family, the center has opened up educational and business opportunities for her entire community.
Not long ago, a young handicapped man visited the center to apply for free computer training at a government-run institute. His request was granted and he received free room and board as well. Months later, when Raja Rajan needed help to run the center, he gave the well-trained man a permanent job.
Other centers tell similar stories. In one case, two low caste women attending college had their scholarships terminated without warning. With no other way to finance their studies, they were forced to drop out of school and abandon their dreams of a better life through education. However, after filing petitions through a Village Computing center, their scholarships were reinstated. In another case, the parents of a blind 7-yearold boy used a local Village Computing center to file a petition to the government that resulted in their son being admitted to a school for the blind.
As the Village Computing Project expands, so will the success stories, as more of the rural poor gain access to the benefits of information and communications technology. With your help, GFUSA plans to launch 1,000 additional centers in Tamil Nadu over the next five years.
More Information...
For more information about the Village Computing Project, contact Emily Tucker at etucker@gfusa.org.
Grameen Foundation : Resource Center : Print Newsletter : Summer 2004 : Borrower Profile - Village Computing
Grameen Foundation uses microfinance and innovative technology to fight global poverty and bring opportunities to the world's poorest people. With tiny loans and financial services, we help the poor, mostly women, start businesses and escape poverty. Our global network of 55 microfinance institution (MFI) partners including our Growth Guarantee partners has touched more than 34 million people in 24 countries. In addition, we introduced and now sustain technology initiatives (Mifos and Village Phone) in Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, bringing our total country outreach to 28.
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