f. - UZSpace Home - University of Zululand

especially at rural level, can act as nodes for community connectivity, local
capacity building, content development and communication, and serve as
hubs for applications such as distance education, telemedicine, support for
small, medium-sized and micro-credit enterprises, the promotion of
electronic commerce, environmental management, and the empowerment of
women and the youth. A good example of such a venture is the village
information shops in Pondicherry, India, which use ICTs to build awareness
in poor communities of existing and available government programs and
entitlements. Accordingly, these information shops have a database of more
than 100 such entitlements and a list of ultra-poor people that the
government maintains.
The study sought to determine not only the type of skills/training required,
but also sustainable development activities that are able to empower rural
women and fight poverty. Good examples include Grameen Telecom (2005),
and also the Bangladesh mobile help line for women, better known as
Pallitathya (Association for Progressive Communication: 2005).
4.5.1.3 Expanding a community's social capital through enhanced access
to communication facilities and information resources.
According to Harris (2004), social capital refers to the features of a social
organisation, such as networks, norms and social trusts, which facilitate co­
ordination and co-operation for mutual benefit. This can be effectively
achieved through the use of ICTs that create and sustain online and offline
networks which introduce and interconnect people working with similar goals
in mind. In this way, ICTs can be used as an advocacy tool. Similarly, ICTs
can be used to spark catalytic change in their respective communities. An
example is given of a woman in Mongolia who single handedly runs an NGO
supporting women's micro-enterprises. With the help of a local tele-centre,
the woman was able to contact a donor agency in the UK and receive an
award of US $ 10,000, assisting her in her efforts.
103