Libraries as Portal for Knowledge Driven Rural Community Development Cases from Botswana

2011 ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
Rebecca Lekoko ◽  
Josephine Modise-Jankie ◽  
Christopher Busang
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Communication Program ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
Telecommunications Services ◽  
The Government ◽  
Set Up

Realizing that the rural communities lag behind with information that can help improve their lives, the government has set up the Rural Communication Program (RCP) with a goal “to provide telecommunications services to the rural areas in the most cost effective, efficient, logical and transparent manner possible” (Ministry of Communication Science and Technology, 2006, p. 14). Among specific objectives of the Rural Communications Program (RCP) is using appropriate technology to provide services, and in this case, the Internet or computers have been used to augment information found in local libraries. The Botswana Long Term Vision 2016 stipulates as a challenge the need to ensure that all people in Botswana especially those in the rural areas or those who need special assistance, receive the same benefits, and achieve their maximum potential, and RCP is the main foundation on which efforts for availing information that reaches the rural communities are based. Rural here refers to isolated and poorly served communities. These are communities where the government has identified that essential and basic services are required as part of its social obligation and mandate to integrate these areas into economic and social development of the nation. While these communities are of interest in this chapter, the chapter draws some cases from urban places because Internet connectivity in the rural areas of Botswana is still a problem.

Reaching the Hard to Reach

2011 ◽  
pp. 42-52
Author(s):  
Bolelang C. Pheko
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
National Development ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
Literacy Level ◽  
Telecommunications Services ◽  
Rural Telecommunications ◽  
The Government

Information Technology has become core in national development across the globe; hence, the government of Botswana decided to use ICTs to give rural people newer options of communicating, sourcing, and sharing information through the introduction of a project called Nteletsa 2. A village, Kaudwane, whose residents have relied on the word of mouth for so long, is now communicating through mobile phones as a result of this program. This project is done under the Rural Telecommunications Strategy with a goal of providing telecommunications services to rural areas in the most cost effective, efficient, logical, and transparent manner possible. The government works in partnership with Botswana Telecommunication Centre which provides mobile services with capability to deliver Internet, voice, and data. The project also uses Public Communications Centre (PUCC) now referred to as Dikitsong Center operated by communities in partnership with Mascom or Botswana Telecommunication Center. Services include provision of an Internet café, charging individual cellular phones at a fee, and selling airtime to both locals and visitors. The result is great: employment creation and easier communication amongst individuals and visitors. However, low literacy level of some villagers limits use. Also, there are high maintenance costs due to poor roads.

scholarly journals A Comparative Analysis of the Government and NGOs in Delivering Quality Services for the Rural People of Pakistan: Community Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 203-225
Author(s):  
Mohsin Khan ◽  
Jetnor Kasmi ◽  
Abdul Saboor ◽  
Iftikhar Ali
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Public Health Education ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Rural People ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Often the government and the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are criticised for their poor performances in delivering services particularly in rural areas. However, there has been limited research on the assessment of their relative performances in service delivery as well as on the perceptions of people on the quality of such service delivery. This study examines the relative performances of NGOs and the governmental development interventions that provide basic services including public health, education, drinking water and sanitation. The study explains the impact of agricultural extension services and infrastructure such as access to roads and markets on the rural people and measures the satisfaction level of the rural community. For this purpose, 225 households (HHs) in 8 villages of Phalia Tehsil, district Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab, Pakistan were first surveyed in 2010 and then in 2014 using a structured questionnaire. The findings reveal different satisfaction levels of HHs, with most of them expressing less satisfaction on government service delivery compared with NGOs. They reveal satisfaction over the performance of NGOs in health, drinking water supplies and agriculture extension services. Further, the study shows an increasing satisfaction of people on access to road, transport, agri-market and price of agri-commodities by the government.

Forty years of rural reform in China: retrospect and future prospects

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 460-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiwen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Policies ◽  
Timely Manner ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Reform ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Government

Purpose Bottlenecked by rural underdevelopment, China’s overall development is bound to be inadequate and unbalanced. Through a brief retrospect of the reform directed against the “equalitarianism (egalitarianism)” in China’s rural areas, as well as the Chinese Government’s conceptual transformation and systemic construction and improvement thereof, the purpose of this paper is to clarify the panoramic significance of rural reform; the necessity, priority, and long-term nature of the current rural development; and the important role of public policy in doing so. It also looks ahead to consider the prospects for future rural reform. Design/methodology/approach This paper first reviews the rural reforms that were carried out in 1978. Second, it introduces the government’s conceptual change regarding rural reform and the establishment and improvement of the system that underlies it. Finally, the future of rural reform is envisaged. Findings The initial rural reforms brought extensive and profound changes to China’s rural areas. The experience of rural reform has been referred to and escalated by other fields of study. Hence, rural reforms have become something of global significance. Moreover, since the government can undertake reforms well beyond the reach of farmers, its views must be modified in a timely manner, and only then may it reasonably construct and improve the system pertaining to the “three rural issues (agriculture, rural areas, and farmers).” Originality/value This paper reviews the rural reforms carried out in 1978. It introduces the government’s change of concept with respect to rural reforms and the establishment and improvement of the system based on the “three rural issues,” thus looking forward to the future of rural reforms. The findings of this paper are of significance to the formulation of future agricultural policies.

scholarly journals Testing a community-based distribution approach to reproductive health service delivery in Senegal (a study of community agents in Kébémer)

2004 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Reproductive Health Services ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Integrated Cost

The Division of Reproductive Health (DSR) of the Senegal Ministry of Health and Social Action, in partnership with the Population Council’s FRONTIERS in Reproductive Health program and Management Sciences for Health (MSH), conducted a study to test and compare three ways of providing reproductive health services to rural communities in the Kébémer district of Senegal in terms of their effectiveness, cost, and cost-effectiveness. FRONTIERS and MSH collaborated with the DSR to design the interventions, MSH supported the DSR in implementing the interventions, and FRONTIERS undertook the evaluation. This study, funded by USAID, responded to the recommendations of a 1999 workshop, organized by FRONTIERS and the DSR, on the community-based distribution (CBD) approach, which defined alternative CBD models appropriate for Senegal. The DSR sees the development of community-based service delivery models as essential for the future of health care in Senegal. As noted in this report, the general objective of the study was to contribute to the development of an integrated cost-effective program to increase the accessibility and availability of reproductive health information and services in rural areas of Senegal.

MNCs from LDCs: The case of Indian joint ventures abroad*

1982 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-148
Author(s):  
K. Balakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Failure Rate ◽  
Joint Ventures ◽  
World Markets ◽  
Overseas Investment ◽  
Recent Origin ◽  
The Government ◽  
Set Up

Though Indian joint ventures are of recent origin, and the initial failure rate is high, they are gradually being recognized by the Government of India and Indian businessmen as powerful instruments to secure a foothold in world markets. Many proposals, however, went abortive for lack of a long term strategic outlook on the part of either the entrepreneurs or the respective governments. In this set up, the author discusses how public policy in India and abroad seems to have provided a push to India's overseas investment efforts. But this is not enough. And Balakrishnan delineates how and what Indian investors abroad must do to succeed in their ventures. For this, viable strategies must be evolved to identify and exploit our long term opportunities. To facilitate this process, he gives a simple conceptual framework of the product market scope for Indian joint ventures abroad.

Development of a Palliative Care Education Program in Rural Long-Term Care Facilities

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 154-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy Kortes-Miller ◽  
Sonja Habjan ◽  
Mary Lou Kelley ◽  
Marilyn Fortier
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Education ◽  
Palliative Care Education ◽  
Age Cohort

In North America, people 85 years and older are the fastest growing age cohort and long-term care homes are increasingly becoming the place of end-of-life care. This is especially true in rural communities where services are lacking. Staff in long-term care homes lack education about palliative care, but in rural areas, accessing education and the lack of relevant curricula are barriers. The focus of this paper is to describe an approach to developing and delivering a research-based palliative care education curriculum in rural long-term care homes. The approach included conducting a detailed assessment of staffs’ educational needs and preferred educational formats; developing a 15-hour interprofessional curriculum tailored to the identified needs; and delivering the curriculum on site in rural long-term care homes. Staff confidence and participation in delivering palliative care increased. Based on work in northwestern Ontario, Canada, this approach can serve as a model for palliative care education in other rural areas.

scholarly journals Where are they working? A case study of twenty Cuban-trained South African doctors

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Munirah Motala ◽  
Jacqueline Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
South African ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Primary Care Level

Background: The year 2017 marked the 21st anniversary of the South African Cuban Medical Collaboration (SACMC) programme that offers disadvantaged South African (SA) students an opportunity for medical training in Cuba. Graduates are expected to return to practice at a primary care level in rural communities; however, little is known about the professional trajectories and career choices of graduates from the programme.Aim: This study explored the reasons why students enrolled in the programme, their professional and career choices as graduates and their career intentions.Setting: The study setting was the whole of SA although participants were primarily drawn from KwaZulu-Natal.Methods: An exploratory, qualitative case study used a purposive sampling strategy to gather data through semi-structured interviews from participants.Results: Graduates (N = 20) of the SACMC programme were all practicing in local SA settings. Participants preferred the SACMC programme as it offered them a full scholarship for medical training. Nineteen doctors had fulfilled their obligation to work in rural areas. Thirteen doctors are engaged in primary healthcare practice, either as private practice generalists or as public service medical officers. Three doctors had completed specialty training: one doctor was training towards specialisation, one doctor was employed at national government and two doctors were employed as medical managers. At the time of the study, 11 doctors were practicing in rural locations and 19 had indicated a long-term intention to work and live within South Africa.Conclusion: The participants of this study who graduated from the SACMC programme are fulfilling their obligations in rural communities. They all intend to contribute to the SA medical workforce in the long-term.

The transformation of Cuban agriculture after the cold war

1994 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 98-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivette Perfecto
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Diagnostic Techniques ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Agricultural Cooperatives ◽  
Food Imports

AbstractCuba's agriculture after the 1959 revolution had been based on large-scale, capital intensive monoculture, which made Cuba heavily dependent on the socialist bloc for subsidized agrichemical inputs and for set prices of agricultural exports. However, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies in 1989–90, Cuba's inputs of fertilizer, pesticides, and petroleum dropped by more than half Cuba responded with a dramatic shift in its agricultural development model that featured appropriate technology, alternative organization of labor, alternative planning, and environmental preservation. Cuban pest control efforts now focus on biological control and on enhanced monitoring and diagnostic techniques. Soil management emphasizes biofertilizers and vermiculture. Minimum tillage and crop rotation are frequent practices among Cuba's independent farmers, agricultural cooperatives, and state farms. The transition to low-input agriculture has decreased the exodus of people from rural areas to cities, and has lead to establishment of lab or camps with volunteer labor and long-term programs for rebuilding rural communities. To address the loss of important food imports while ensuring environmental conservation, agricultural planning now gives priority to crop rotations, city gardens, and introduction of food crops in sugar cane areas.

scholarly journals The Initiated of Formation of Linking Social Capital of Community in Creative Tourism Village Dago Pojok, Bandung, West Java Province, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 33-41
Author(s):  
Alfrojems Alfrojems ◽  
RR E Sulistyaningsih ◽  
Triyanti Anugrahini ◽  
Adhi Karyono
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Observation Study ◽  
Linking Social Capital ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Government Involvement ◽  
The Government

Poverty in rural areas is now reaching an alarming condition, according to the Central Statistics Agency at this time the poor in rural areas dominate the percentage of poverty in Indonesia by 60%. Efforts to improve the welfare of rural communities will not be separated from how people use and maximize their potential, especially in networking relevant to the issue of social capital. Based on the concept of social capital, there is currently a type of social capital linking, which means emphasizing how the community is able to build relationships with parties who have authority, especially in making policy. This is considered to be important to support the development of welfare for the community, especially in the Dago Creative Tourism Village. Based on this, the purpose of this study is how the community initiated the development of social capital linking in the community in Dago Creative Tourism Village. Therefore, based on these objectives, this study uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive type. The data collection is done by observation, study of documentation of relevant documents and interviews. In addition interviews were conducted on 15 informants obtained using purposive sampling technique to determine informants. The results of this study indicate that there are several ways in which people initiate government involvement in developing social capital linking, such as community legalizing organizations, people participating in activities organized by the government, and the community providing government opportunities to participate in every activity organized by the government

scholarly journals Una aproximación a territorios en situación de conflicto armado: perspectivas desde la Economía Solidaria con un enfoque triangulado en dos municipios del Cauca (Colombia)

2018 ◽  
pp. 179-200
Author(s):  
Malen Yudeli Solís Montenegro ◽  
Miguel Andrés Ibarra Bermúdez ◽  
Fabián Enrique Salazar Villano
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Rural Sector ◽  
Public Intervention ◽  
Negotiation Processes ◽  
Conflict Condition ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
The Government ◽  
Set Up

El auge de los procesos de negociación en Colombia entre el Gobierno y grupos insurgentes ha generado un amplio panorama tanto de investigación académica como de acción pública, que conlleva a la reflexión sobre las condiciones necesarias para la construcción de paz territorial en las zonas rurales del país. En tal dirección, en este documento se propone una lectura del conflicto armado desde los fundamentos y prácticas de la Economía Solidaria, y la utilización de una metodología triangulada o mixta, que incorpore las voces de los actores locales con el fin de identificar iniciativas sociales construidas de “Abajo-hacia-Arriba”, para así configurar nuevas agendas temáticas en zonas rurales como las del departamento del Cauca en Colombia, tal como se realiza aquí para dos municipios de referencia.   An approach to territories with armed conflict condition: perspectives since Solidarity Economics and triangulated approach in two municipalities of Cauca (Colombia) Abstract: The height of negotiation processes in Colombia between the Government and insurgent groups has generated a broad outlook for academic research as well as public intervention, which lead to reflect on the needed conditions for territorial peace construction in the rural areas of the country. In this regard, the document proposes an interpretation for the armed conflict since the foundations and practices of Solidarity Economics. In addition, a triangulated methodology is applied (that incorporates voices of local actors in order to identify “Bottom-up” social initiatives), in order to set up new thematic agendas in rural areas such as those of the department of Cauca in Colombia, in the way as it is done here for two reference municipalities. Keywords: Armed Conflict, Solidarity Economics, Territory, Rural Sector.

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