Geekcorps and VIA Technologies Expand Cooperation to Empower Remote Communities in Mali
27 February 2007 in News, Mali, Partners by Geekcorps
Today, VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, announced its continued cooperation with Geekcorps to empower people living in remote desert communities in Mali through the deployment of innovative, adaptable, and sustainable information and communication technology (ICT).
VIA Technologies’ VIA pc-1 Initiative aims to bridge the digital divide by enabling the next one billion people, particularly in emerging markets, to improve their quality of life through energy-efficient technology within a sustainable business framework. This initiative is exemplified in Geekcorps’ Desert Community Radio Stations and Cybertigi Mobile Cyber Service Vendors Programs.
Desert Community Radio Stations have been set up in remote Bourem Inaly (beyond Timbuktu), Mali utilizing a rugged VIA pc-1 system powered only by solar panels and a car battery enabling villagers to access, create, store and share critical news and information with neighboring villages and far beyond.
Cybertigi is aimed at extending the ICT services available in relatively urban centers outward to village sized (and smaller) communities in Mali. It is a mobile cyber service operation which addresses the basic communication demands of rural communities, and constructed in such a way to be an energy efficient, autonomous, entrepreneur-based, and commercially viable system. Cybertigi mobile kiosks are comprised of a low power, ruggedized VIA pc-1 PHD (Power, Heat and Dust) appliance linked to a Nokia 770 mobile phone, plus an LCD monitor, printer, scanner and digital camera – all of which run off of car batteries, essential in low- or no-power areas.
“Digital independence and empowerment on this scale and in these environments align perfectly with our VIA pc-1 vision,” said Richard Brown, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Given the immense environmental and infrastructural challenges in Mali, the incredibly low power draw of VIA pc-1 technologies frees implementers like Geekcorps from traditional energy source restrictions, opening up whole new deployment possibilities in these regions.”
Related Links:
>> Geekcorps Mali
>> Desert Community Radio Station
>> Cybertigi
>> VIA Technologies PC-1 Community Portal
>> VIA Technologies
Papou Coulibaly is young boutique owner in Ouélessébougou. Previously, Geekcorps partnered with Papou to create a Cybertigi - an Internet access point for the local community via a wireless link to a Community Information & Learning Center (CLIC).