Technology Centre in Kriva Palanka alleviate
poverty
by Kire Dejanovski
from www.undp.org
The
Information Technology Centre in Kriva Palanka was launched in July 2000
by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Municipality
of Kriva Palanka.Characteristic of the region is big economic undevelopment,
big number of poor people and unemployed. One of the reasons for this
situation is having no investments and access to information.
The longer-term objective of the UNDP efforts in the area of information
and communications technology is to improve the quality of local government
services and life prospects and opportunities for the residents, particularly
the young people, by increasing their access to quality education and
training on information technology as well as Internet connectivity. More
than 800 students have learned about IT technology, Internet concepts,
modern communication and connection.
During the training, in the breaks and the free time we talk to our students,
telling them the possibilities which are offered by the Information Technology,
the influence of IT on the social and economic development, how IT can
be used in the fight against poverty etc. The target groups are different
and of course the students' interest is different. We give extra classes
on the unemployed students and we talk how to get employed or to start
own business. We are very happy when somebody of our students gets employed.
Here are some examples:
Mrs. Mimoza Stojanovska, lawyer, was our student. In one conversation after
the classes we suggested her to think about starting own business, to open
her own office. She told us that she had thought about it, but she concluded
that she would not succeed because there are already few lawyers in the
town. However, we told her to think about it because in the town there
is not a woman lawyer and there are a lot of women who have problems and
would like to have a woman lawyer. Few days after she came and told us
that she had decided to open her law office and she came to consult about
the equipment she need. She is very thankful to us and we are happy because
she is a successful lawyer.
It is similar to the story about Mrs Sladjana Bekarova, who was unemployed
lawyer and now is a successful lawyer who gives free law advices to the
young women who have problems with the marriage. One our student few days
ago in trust told us that she is very thankful to Mrs Sladjana Bekarova
because her advices helped her saving her marriage and that now she and
her two children live in a happy family.
One our student, Mrs. Vesna K. was unemployed and painting was her hobby.
We planned marking the IDEP Day and suggested her to exhibit her paintings.
She was delighted as she had never made an exhibition. Many citizens came
and she made few arrangements. Then she started her own business- she
has art shop and she is very happy that with the help of the IT Centre
she promoted and started her business. Some of her paintings can be seen
on our web site.
Mr. Rade Kostovski worked as a miner in the mine Toranica but the mine
stopped working. His hobby was carving. We suggested him to promote his
hobby on Internet. Now he has many orders and he needs people to employ.
We suggested to open carving school, to give chances the young people
who have wish and interest to learn this and on that way to improve their
status. Mr Kostovski works on this project and we wish him a lot of luck.
Miss Snezana Dimitrovska was our student too. During the training we noticed
that she speaks English well. In the conversations we had, she told us
that she was disappointed of the general situation. She was desperate
and hopeless. We suggested to look for a job on the Internet. She left
in London. She called us and was very thankful for our help. She said
she worked as a babysitter. She says that now she tries to help some friends
to find a job and leave temporary to England.
How ITC help people to work for a foreign company and to stay in the native
country? During the training session the student Mr. Stojance Velickovski
despite the part planned with the programme, with some extra classes learned
a lot about graphic design. On the Internet he got information for competitions
for making logo and graphic design. He has made contacts with many Macedonian
and foreign companies for which he makes logos and graphic design. We
are glad that he stayed in our town, designs for our and foreign companies
using Internet technology.
These few examples of ITC Kriva Palanka show how the centres of this kind
can help the unemployed to start own business. We would like to share
this experience with our colleagues through the world and to suggest the
following :
- Despite the regular training, during the breaks and in the free time
to talk to their students, to suggest, to recommend web sites according
their interest.
- Communication with the media and the local authorities
- On the occasion of some events and special days, to organize exhibition
of their students' art and to promote their ideas and work.
- It is good every ITC to have own web site where the students' activities
and ideas can be presented and they can communicate.
-More classes for Internet training
-Making links to other IT Centres and direct exchange of experience. In
Macedonia we practise this because in Macedonia there are other 16 Centres
like ours, financed by UNDP and the local Mayors. We would like to cooperate
with centres from other countries
- We are very thankful to UNDP for opening these Centres in Macedonia and
we would suggest this kind of projects to be realised in all poor and
undeveloped countries.
-We would recommend the Governments of all countries in the World to support
the IT Centres , and by that we would all together contribute for global
decrease of the poverty.
Contact
info
Kire Dejanovski ,
kdejanovski@yahoo.com
ITC Kriva Palanka
http://www.undp.org.mk/itc-kp/default.htm
IICD contacts :