Telecentre

While each telecentre is different, their common focus is on the use of digital technologies to support community, economic, educational, and social development—reducing isolation, bridging the digital divide, promoting health issues, creating economic opportunities, leveraging information communications technology for development (ICT4D), and empowering youth.

Beyond the differences in names, public ICT access centers are diverse, varying in the clientele they serve, the services they provide, as well as their business or organizational model.

Around the world, some telecentres include NGO-sponsored, local government, commercial, school-based, and university-related[4] In the United States and other countries, public access to the Internet in libraries may also be considered within the “telecentre concept”, especially when the range of services offered is not limited to pure access but also includes training end-users.

Each type has advantages and disadvantages when considering attempts to link communities with ICTs and to bridge the digital divide.

The former telecentre.org programme at IDRC was transferred to the telecentre.org Foundation in the Philippines in March 2010[7] and continues to support networks of telecentres around the world.

As the fields of eGovernment, eHealth, e-Learning, eCommerce are evolving and maturing in many countries, telecentres need to take advantage of opportunities to extend the benefits to the community at large, through their public access.

Indeed, There is a maturing period during which community leaders have to invest constant efforts to drive changes of behaviour in the adoption of innovations.

[10] Community involvement is required however, at the initial phase of the telecentre set up, starting with the site selection and creating a sort of empathy and feeling of empowerment.

Additional information about the social, political, economic, and technical problems and challenges facing the development and sustainability of telecentres can be found at Telecenters.