Rio Tapajós (Brazil) Telecenter Installation Project
Now that the basic ICT and power infrastructure is operational in Suruacá and Maguari, we are now focusing on working with the communities to use the technology to help build the skills and access other resources so they can become more independent. An important element of this effort is promoting the two communities share expereinces with each other, as well as another community called Xixuau, which is located 500 km north of Manaus in the Xixuau-Xiparaná Ecological reserve. For more information about this community, please visit www.amazonia.org
Final Report Rio
Tapajós Projects
Date: 18 July 2004
Background/Summary
This is the final report as required under the contract between Greenstar Corporation www.greenstar.org. Sandia National Labs www.re.sandia.gov for funding of the Rio Tapajós Project. Although this is the final report for the purposes of the contract with the funding agency, the implementation of the project is scheduled to last until December 2005. Greenstar Corporation, Acumen International and Projeto Saude e Alegria ("PSA") are committed to continue monitoring and reporting on the project, however this is out of scope of the USAID contract.
This project has delivered key information and communication technologies (ICT) that two isolated fluvial communities along the Rio Tapajós will use to help achieve their social and economic development objectives. The field installations included the construction of a new telecenters construction, installation of photovoltaic systems, personal computers and internet access in the communities of both Suruacá and Maguari. The project also included extensive technical, organizational and inter-disciplinary capacity development within the communities to utilize the technologies and manage the systems over the lifetime of the equipment.
The approach and the concepts applied in the projects were the result of an on-site evaluation conducted by Greenstar in July 2001, contacts between Greenstar and USAID/Brazil with the support of USAID's Global Bureau Office of Environment and Technology (USAID/G/ENV/EET) www.usaid.gov in Washington, D.C, and an in-depth planning visit to all sites by Greenstar, through it's subcontractor, Acumen International www.acumenintl.org in January and February 2003. Acumen International also paid two additional visits to the region in October 2003 and June 2004 to assist with project implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The core concept integrated into each project opportunity is based on the field-proven Greenstar model, which delivers a solar-powered community center that can rapidly and economically deliver electricity, computer technology, education and basic health care services along with comprehensive software resources in local language, to remote locations anywhere in the world.
Each community-based field installation includes a link to the internet, which also offers an opportunity to access to markets for local products, including native music, art, and photography as well as physical products manufactured by the local population. We also seek to have a lasting, constructive impact on local social, educational, health and economic activity by integrating the technology with a combination of existing and new development initiatives. The grassroots partner for these projects, PSA will maintain a continuing presence in each community, and will gather evidence of impacts.
To view the entire report, please click here:
Other Projects
About the Tapajós River Communities
Documents and Files
Brazilian Villages Go Online with Solar Power (Frontlines, February 2004) (496K)
USAID Fact Sheet about the Tapajós Project (English) (353K)
USAID Fact Sheet about the Tapajós Project (Portuguese) (383K)
USAID Fact Sheet about the Tapajós Project (353K)
Suruacá Inaugura Primeiro Telecentro Comunitario da Resex, Jovem da Floresta, November-December 2003 (Portuguese) (350k)
Final Report Rio Tapajos Project (212K)
Most
documents are available here in Adobe Acrobat Reader format (PDF). To
view or print them, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 3.0 or
higher) installed on your computer. If you do not have the reader, you
can obtain it free from Adobe Corporation. Click on the icon below to
download the program from their Web site.