Citizen Engagement in Practice - Informing Digital Futures: Strategies for Citizen Engagement - page 72

Following the success of the trial, an American, Mark Michalski, helped
Pun to write a proposal for a grant from the Donald Strauss Foundation to
extend the network with more rugged and up to date equipment. The pro-
ject's website is hosted on the server of one of the original volunteers,
Jonni Lehitranta, in Finland.
“ Although there is a shortage of power at the schools, relay stations,
and proxy server station, the villagers still can send and receive their
messages through NetMeeting or through e-mails using our POP server
located in Finland ,” reported Pun (Since1968.com 2004).
Nangi and Paudwar villages use the networks to communicate with their
yak herders and camping grounds in the mountains. The herders use the
Internet to buy and sell livestock and share veterinary tips as well as
staying in touch with their families. Children in two high schools use email
to write to each other and to pen-pals abroad.
The educational programme is now supported by a non-profit
organisation in the USA known as the Himanchal Education Foundation.
Not only does the Foundation support education, it is also promoting
income-generating schemes such as handicrafts, farm animal-rearing, fish
farming and tourism resorts (Himanchal Education Foundation 2005).
The villages are generally subsistence communities, relying on their
own animals and vegetable cultivation. The only income has been from
men joining the military, but this may change as children acquire ICT and
other skills.
Both Nepal Wireless and the Himanchal Education Foundation rely
heavily on volunteer support and commitment. Mahabir Pun has been the
driving force, operating in a pragmatic way and taking account of complex
political circumstances. There are no reported evaluations of the project in
the public domain as yet. The considerable interest in the international
community suggests there are worthwhile achievements to report.
4.4.5 Jhai Foundation - Laos
The Jhai Foundation is an organisation that works with the people of Laos.
The purpose of engagement was to create various ICT applications that
support community economic and social development. Broadly-based par-
ticipation of many stakeholders characterises the initiative. The foundation
has a board of directors consisting of people with varying backgrounds and
skills (e.g. employment specialist, computer company executive, lawyer,
information technology professor, social worker etc.), an advisory board
including a “ project management engineer and development specialist, an
investment banker, three highly trained nurses, a veterinarian programme