Sri Lankan E-Library
Nenasala Program Receives International Access to Learning Award
Sri Lanka Government-run development
initiative will use $1 million Access to Learning Award to improve technology
centers that serve the rural poor
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today presented its 2014 Access to
Learning Award of $1 million to the e-Library Nenasala Program (eLNP), in
recognition of its work to provide free access to computers and the Internet to
underserved Sri Lankans living in remote and rural areas. The government of Sri
Lanka launched the program as a way to boost digital literacy and encourage
economic development throughout the country based on its National Development
policy “Mahinda Chinthana”.
The eLNP’s centers, known as
Nenasalas (wisdom outlets), have helped Sri Lanka increase its computer usage
and IT literacy rate from below 10 percent in 2004 to almost 40 percent today.
Centers are located in rural areas to give residents increased access to
high-quality equipment, training, and locally tailored information to help them
improve their lives. Microsoft, a
foundation partner, will make available a donation of software to eLNP as part
of its commitment to bring the benefits of relevant and accessible technology
to local communities around the world.
The majority of the
Nenasalas are located within religious institutions, which have served as
community centers and places of learning for centuries. This strategy has
helped the government earn the confidence and trust of Sri Lanka’s rural
residents, who have had little access to technology to date. Whether housed in
a Buddhist temple, Hindu kovil, Muslim mosque, or Christian church, each
e-Library Nenasala is free and open to people of all religions and income
levels.
“The Sri Lankan government
believes that free and easy access to computers and the Internet is essential
to helping the most vulnerable people improve their lives through education,
entrepreneurship, communication, government services, and more,” said Reshan
Dewapura, CEO of ICTA. “And by placing our Nenasalas in religious
establishments that sit at the heart of every village, community members are
more apt to use them, embrace them, and sustain them over the long run.”
In addition to access, the
centers provide training to help people acquire basic computer and Internet
skills, and to communicate through email and social media platforms. Local
youth often become volunteer computer trainers at the Nenasalas and are given
basic training at the beginning of their service as well as refresher courses,
online training programs, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.
“Without a doubt, the
e-Library Nenasala Program is making a real and lasting impact on the lives of
poor rural residents throughout Sri Lanka,” said Deborah Jacobs, director of
the Global Libraries initiative for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, at
an event in Lyon, France, where the award was announced. “People are getting
locally relevant information and hands-on experience in the subject areas that
matter most to them. Community members have a real investment in these centers,
which promotes their longevity and sustainability for many years to come.”
Nenasalas also provide
extensive learning opportunities for school-age children, including a
video-based program for learning English. Women are given specialized content
on critical issues facing children and families, including information on
nutrition, breast-feeding, safe sanitation, and vaccines. Adults can perform
job searches, learn how to create a resume, and access a wide variety of
government services, including passport applications, driver’s license
renewals, and government exams. Migrant workers who make up a significant
portion of the Sri Lankan workforce can communicate via Skype with family
members they leave behind.
eLNP is a project of the
Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka and part of
a larger country-wide strategy to “take the dividends of ICT to every village
and every citizen.” The program will use its award to upgrade the hardware in
the Nenasalas, introduce tablets that can be loaned out to community members,
develop educational software for children living in the most remote areas where
good teachers are scarce, and create new capacity building programs for center
operators.
About the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that
every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to
help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it
focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift
themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to
ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access
to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle,
Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair
William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren
Buffett.
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