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NUMBER 1 - YEAR 1 - DECEMBER/2003
The Rural Telecenter
and Social Inclusion
Learn about
the pilot
project
Page 2
How much
does a
Gems of the Earth
telecenter cost?
Page 2
Read the
opinions of
our partners
Page 3
Gems of the Earth
Network is part
of the Unesco Free
Community
Telecenter Network
Page 4
The work of
the volunteers
Page 4
Contact
Information
Page 4
Dênio Mágno da Cunha
Gems of the Earth Program Director
The day begins early. It is still dawn. The wood-stove is
already warm and there is fresh coffee; the children are in their
way to school; the men are in their way to work the land, and at
home women are already working on their crafts or on domestic
work. In general, this is a regular day in a rural community. The
world turns around it, yet life is simple and an immense
knowledge is locked inside this simplicity.
At the Gems of the Earth Telecenter, the work also begins early
and it follows the community's rhythm. The children begin their
day in school researches, and there is a variety of themes that
goes from environment preservation to human body's physical
and biological functions; they now contact children in other
communities, they exchange experiences, they tell about their
lives, they expand their horizons by learning about other realities;
they investigate, they ask, they learn about technology, they
sharpen their curiosity, and they build up a future with options.
With the children come the parents interested on daily rates for
agricultural products and the development projects for the
region. They now can access legislative representatives; they
follow the news about the asphalt paving project for the highway
or the news about agricultural credit for crops as they are now able
to know when it will begin to be distributed; they research on how
to eliminate diseases that are attacking their production; they
contact customers tourists that are thirsty for rural peace; they
are now learning about what is happening throughout the world.
Women look for information on incentives for their craft
production; for new recipes to their products; for means to obtain
support for the development for their cooperative; they are now
able to distribute their products to other cities; they now know
how to export; they send e-mails to government agencies; they
are acting and sharing their knowledge with some well developed
communities, as well as they can provide aid to the less
developed ones through their experience.
This is a future that begins to be created by accessing the digital
world. Small communities of the High Jequitinhonha River begin
to be free from an uncomfortable waiting position where they long
for the presence of some agricultural technician or for the
presence of some representative from some agency that
promotes development. They are also free from pre-election
times, when candidates exchange promises for votes, as they are
now in an active position where they are able to look for
information by themselves and can create the conditions for
accomplishing real improvements to their communities as well
as to other communities. Besides being included in the digital
world, they are now part of building and transforming their own
reality by using the power of technology and communication.
Their voices can now be heard through the bits that they transmit.
They are included, they are equaled, they can develop their own
knowledge; they can show the world the power of their culture,
and the power of their hope in better days.
And that is what is going to happen on thousands of other
communities in this continental Country, which now has a Rural
Community Telecenter Network at their disposal. Welcome to the
construction of the future.
Children of the Day-Care Center at the Sempre-Viva Community
Association Welcome the Telecenter of São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras
First Gems of the Earth Free
Telecenter Starts Operation
The Community Telecenter of São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras began its
operations on November 19, 2003 at 11:30 am. This is the first free
Telecenter operated by the Gems of the Earth Network, and it celebrates
two years since the beginning of the network development in the High
Jequitinhonha region. Congratulations to all of those who collaborated
to this great achievement that marks the beginning of a new age for rural
communities throughout Brazil.
ADOPT A COMMUNITY
Put together a group of friends or companies and adopt a rural
community in the creation and development of a community telecenter.
Follow the project development through the Internet. Contact us for
more details.
Science & Technology Applied to Development
The Gems of the Earth project began in November of 2001, when NASA's
researcher Marco Figueiredo moved to São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras,
a rural village with 1500 inhabitants placed in the Jequitinhonha region,
one of the poorest areas of Brazil: “While working for NASA on the
construction of the Earth Observation System, I realized that humanity's
major challenge is to take care of our planet our fragile home. After 12
years living in the US, I decided to come to Brazil and to apply my
scientific and technological knowledge into the social and economic
development of the country as I believe that in order to assure a future for
our planet we need, before anything else, to eradicate human poverty. To
bring the Internet to rural communities and to get involved with the
evolution of Brazilian society by promoting access to knowledge is as
challenging as doing space research. To take care of our home Earth is to
guarantee our future.” Marco Figueiredo
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Rural Communities: A Fertile
Field for Changes
Marco Figueiredo Gems of the Earth Executive Director
The excessive centralization is one of the characteristics of the administration
model of the Brazilian State. The Brazilian culture has adjusted to the excess of
formalism in more than 500 years of centralizing administrations. The result is a
culture of distrust between the State and its Citizens. Furthermore, the evolved
bureaucracy keeps citizens away from public power and generates a high level of
corruption. In summary, these are the main barriers that the country faces to
accomplish its potential to become an economically strong and socially just nation. In
order to cross these barriers, it is necessary to change.
This paradigm change presents itself today in the possibility to build the Society of
Knowledge through the utilization of modern information and communication
technologies. The democratic access to information and the capacity to freely create
and distribute knowledge allied to transparent management and low cost real-time
communications are a powerful tool for correcting the organic deficiencies of the
country. But, where should it start?
Rural communities with up to 2500 inhabitants represent, in their majority, districts
and sub-districts of Brazilian municipalities. As such, they do not have selfadministration. The municipalities hold political control of the districts and subdistricts. It is estimated that the Brazilian territory has more than 16,000 rural
communities of this nature. It is precisely in these communities where government
presence is the most deficient and the weaker are their actions. These communities are
always waiting from outside help to support their development. They present,
therefore, a fertile field for establishing the Society of Knowledge, and for setting the
course to the changes that the Brazilian society is longing for. These changes will
represent a great evolution to every one who wishes a sustainable development for the
country. They will also be beneficial to those of us who believe we are one nation and
one people navigating through the Universe inside Spaceship Earth.
A community telecenter is a tool for introducing the information and communication
technologies to a rural community and start the construction of the Rural Society of
Knowledge. The telecenter brings the opportunity for capacity building,
communication, tele-work, electronic commerce and digital citizenship, amongst
other things. The Gems of the Earth Network was created to give rural communities
throughout Brazil the capacity to insert themselves in the Digital Era, and the
opportunity to lead the cultural transformations that will allow Brazil to reach the dream
of being a truly democratic nation for all Brazilians.
How Much Does a Gems of the
Earth Telecenter Cost?
The embryonic stage of a Gems of the Earth telecenter is composed of a highperformance computer acting as an application server, one disk-less computer acting
as a terminal, one multi-function printer acting (scanner, copier, printer and fax) and
the broadband Internet access system (radio, DSL or satellite). The computers and
printer cost around US$1,700. The satellite access system cost US$500 to install and
about $350 a month to maintain. The furniture cost around US$100. The total cost of
the installation of a basic telecenter is, therefore, around US$2,300 and the monthly
maintenance cost, with Internet access via satellite, is around US$700 including the
salary of the manager, the rent of the facilities, and utilities. The software is free.
After installing the embryonic telecenter, the community acts in its development
until reaching a mature stage with meeting rooms, training room and work room with
various computers and support equipment. The growth is accomplished according to
the needs of the community always looking for self-sustainability.
NUMBER 1 - YEAR 1 - DECEMBER/2003
Pilot Project
Where else would be the best place to begin the rural digital (r)evolution other than the Serra
do Espinhaço (Backbone Ranges), one of the cradles of the Brazilian culture, and formerly one
of the richest areas of the country? From those mountains, a great amount of gold, diamond and
precious stones came out, leaving behind a rich culture in the region. There is the place of
several of the water mines, which gave the name to the state of Minas Gerais, or General Mines.
Following the end of the Gold Cycle, the region stayed in the periphery of the Industrial Age, and
because most of its soil is inappropriate for farming, its natural beauty was preserved. It is at the
top of the Serra do Espinhaço, around the springs of the Jequitinhonha River, that the spirit of
greatness is re-born, and it begins the reconstruction of the Brazilian culture and the evolution
of the Rural Society of Knowledge.
http://www.funivale.org.br
The Gems of the Earth pilot project is happening in five communities in the Serra do
Espinhaço, in partnership with a local NGO, the Association for the Formation of the
Jequitinhonha Valley Free University Foundation (FUNIVALE). For uniting the associative
conditions and for having already developed community work, São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras,
Milho Verde, Tombadouro, Conselheiro Mata and Rodeador have the ideal conditions for the
rapid evolution of the activities possible in a rural telecenter. Its cultural richness, the
receptiveness of its people and the desire to create a more just world are allowing the Gems of
Earth NGO and this happy people to build a partnership that will serve as an example to many
other Brazilian communities.
The pilot project aims to develop a self-sustainable rural telecenter model, which will allow
the community leader to start and conduct the construction of the telecenter. The Gems of the
Earth Network acts in building the awareness and the training of the leadership as well as in the
building and management of the telecenters. A complete description of the Gems of the Earth
methodology and a description of the evolution of the pilot project can be found in our website
(www.gemasdaterra.org.br).
Conselheiro
Mata
is a district of Diamantina, located 48
kilometers from that city - 9 Km of paved road
and 39 Km of non-paved road. Like the
majority of the communities in the region,
Conselheiro Mata has its origins in the
exploration of crystals, gold and diamond as
well as the presence of tropeiros (supply
troops), which looked for places to let the
animals rest and eat.
The village is home to the
beautiful Fairy Waterfall.
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LIBERTAS LINUX in the
Gems of the Earth Telecenters
With the partnership between the Gems of the Earth
NGO and the Free Software Community, we had an
opportunity to see the philosophy of knowledge at the
reach of all disseminated in the far regions of Minas
Gerais. This natural partnership came through the
installation of Libertas a free software distribution,
developed by the Data Processing Company of the Belo
Horizonte City Hall (PRODABEL) and the Federal
University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in the computers
used in the community telecenters. Libertas Team
Http://www.libertas.pbh.gov.br
A Dignified Life
in the Rural
Community
The government says it wants to keep
us in the rural area. For it to happen it is
necessary to give the rural man and
women the tools for generating
income. Our hope is that the telecenter
is such a tool. Joel Otoni - FUNIVALE
Information is Essential as
Clean Water
The Gems of the Earth Rural Telecenter Network Project
is critical for leveraging Internet technology in an
appropriate way for rural communities. The application
of this technology will anchor these isolated
communities into the world, providing essential
services that could not even be imaged until recently.
The opening up of these communities to information
sources of the global community will be as important
as clean water, sanitation, housing, and dependable
food supplies. Information and shared experience at
the global level will increase the realization that we all
share one planet. The Gems of the Earth Project will
provide the glue to bring the various technological
pieces together to make this happen. - Patrick H.
Stakem Principal Investigator, Projeto FlightLinux,,
Nasa.. Professor do Loyola College in Maryland
NUMBER 1 - YEAR 1 - DECEMBER/2003
Ministry of Communications
Enables Internet Access
in Rural Communities
In order to enable the construction of community telecenters in rural areas it requires, before
anything else, the enabling of broadband Internet access. The Gems of the Earth Network
established a partnership with the GESAC program, from the Brazilian Ministry of
Communications, to provide free internet access via satellite to the five telecenters of the pilot
project.
http://www.gesac.gov.br
The Philosophy of Free Knowledge
The Internet allowed a rapid expansion of the free software movement for it facilitated the
distribution of work towards a common good, which can be transferred over an electronic
medium software. Other forms of knowledge can utilize this philosophy. The Gems of the Earth
Network allows free access to its knowledge content through its website and promotes the
adoption of this philosophy by the telecenters of the network. In order to be part of the Gems of
the Earth network, a telecenter is required to utilize only free software. During its annual
certification program, the NGO also gives awards to those telecenters who contribute to the
creation of free content.
Pioneeiring Work in
Social Inclusion
The Gems of the Earth Project is a pioneering work with a vision of true social inclusion.
Dedicated to the regions of the Jequitinhonha River, the project in practice has the potential to
reach communities all over Brazil and the world. The Gems is creating a free telecenter model,
which could, through the advertising of its methodology through the Internet, be utilized by
communities in all parts. There is no necessity for other places to participate officially in the
project to be able to create their own telecenters because the training material, the software and
the entire model is free! This is digital inclusion in its most profound sense.
The Catalytic Communities (ComCat) is an NGO that utilizes the power of the Internet to call
attention and expose the hard work of community innovators people who live in the community
and their leadership that are facing effectively the day-to-day challenges through local projects.
Tell a local problem and with great probability there is already a community somewhere in the
world that already faced and effectively solved that problem. ComCat looks for these solutions
and advertise them in such a way to allow other communities to learn from those experiences
and, at the same time, find possible support (from the media, financers and volunteers) to such
initiatives through community solidarity created through networking.
We count on friendly telecenter networks such as the Gems of the Earth to take our work to the
communities in their region and allow us to jointly take care of our Brazilian communities, rural
and urban, which are going after basic improvements and sustainable development. - Theresa
Williamson, Diretora Executiva, Comunidades Catalisadoras (ComCat),
http://www.comcat.org
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UNESCO
Supports the Creation of Free
Telecenter Network in Brazil
The Information Society Division of the Unesco Office in Montevideo recognizes the
pioneering effort of the Gems of the Earth team and it is supporting the project through
the acquisition of equipment to build four of the five telecenters
of the pilot project. The Gems of the Earth project is part of the
Unesco Free Community Telecenter Network along with two
other projects in Paraguay and Argentina. - Cláudio Menezes,
Regional Coounselor of Information and Communication of the
Unesco Office in Montevideo.
NUMBER 1 - YEAR 1 - DECEMBER/2003
Volunteers Show Dedication to
the Gems of the Earth Cause
The work of the volunteers has been essential for the establishment of the Gems of the Earth
NGO. It is with caring, persistence, dedication and love to the cause that they give their time to
change the reality of social injustice in Brazil. It is by believing in the power of access to
knowledge as a tool for social transformation that the Gems of the Earth volunteers impose an
enthusiastic rhythm in the realization of the tasks. Come and participate with us and make a
difference!
[email protected]
See the news in the Unesco website:
http://www.unesco.org/webworld. Search for:
UNESCO Supports Creation of Free Community
Telecentre Network in Brazil
Gems of the Earth Network
http://www.gemasdaterra.org.br
[email protected]
Rua Fernandes Tourinho, 235/903 - Funcionários, Belo Horizonte
Minas Gerais, Brazil - ZIP 30112-000 - Tel.: (55 31) 3284-1618
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Executive Director ........................................................................Marco Figueiredo
Program Director .................................................................Dênio Mágno da Cunha
Communications Director................................................................ Cristina Gontijo
Pilot Project Manager.......................................................................Heinrich Kuhne
STEERING COMMITTE
President................................................................................... J. A. de Paula Lima
Vice-president...........................................................Luiz Fernando Coelho Guedes
Second Vice-President ................................................................. Amilton Pinheiro
FINANCE COMMITTE
President............................................................................Maria da Glória Madeira
Vice-president....................................................................................Breno Guerra
Second Vice-president........................................................ Eugênio de Paula Alvim
Volunteers Creez and Andre at the Gems of the Earth Laboratory
“During the trip to install the equipment in the telecenters of the pilot project, I met a Brazil
that I didn´t know to exist and I gained new hope to our future”. - Cristiano Schembri
(Creez)
The Gems of the Earth Guide to
Free Telecenters
One of the first initiatives of the Gems of the Earth was to request Unesco to translate to
Portuguese the Community Telecenter Cookbook for Africa, one of the best documents created
to date to support the construction of community telecenters. This manual has been made
available in our website and it is one of the most requested items.
We are now working in the development of the Gems of the Earth Guide to Free Community
Telecenters, which will incorporate the international experiences to the results of the Gems of
the Earth pilot project and establish an efficient methodology in a language that is accessible to
the rural community leader.
SUPPORT OUR INITIATIVE
The Gems of the Earth Network is a not for profit, non-government organization,
We participate in a partner program with Catalytic Communities in which we can
receive your tax-exempt contribution in the United States. You can send a check
with “Gems of the Earth Project” - written in the memo area to: Gems of the Earth,
c/o Catalytic Communities, PO Box 42010, Washington, DC 20015. We will get
you a receipt shortly after in the mail. Please make sure you have included your
return address. By credit card, please pay by PayPal by going to the
www.catcomm.org website and then following the link “Donating to CatComm”.
Remember to mention the Gems of the Earth project. THANK YOU!
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