Subscribe to our Newsletter
Click on the screenshot to play the video.
The digital revolution that swept the world at the dawn of the 20th century marked the onset of the information era, paving the way for the creation of public access hubs to digital technology known as telecentres. These telecentres first appeared in Europe and North America in the mid-1980s, and in a span of a single generation, have emerged and spread to core areas of the developing world.
This phenomenon has given rise to an international telecentre movement committed to giving more people access to the world’s knowledge through information and communication technologies (ICTs), and the ability to harness that knowledge to improve their lives.
Telecentre.org Foundation evolved in the same way as the telecentre movement: not through elaborate marketing campaigns or large-scale multi-million projects, but by people on the ground committed to realizing the potential of ICTs for economic and social development.
Realizing telecentres’ development potential
People within the telecentre movement realized that early investments had focused too narrowly on infrastructure: computers, Internet access, software, electricity. They called for more resources dedicated to networks that supported the work of telecentres on the ground.
They emphasized the need to build the skills of telecentre managers, to develop more and better back-end services, to connect people and facilitate sharing and collaboration, and create high-value content and services to offer through telecentres.
From 2002 to 2005, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Microsoft, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and the International Institute for Communication and Development gathered over 700 grassroots telecentre leaders around the world for key conventions, workshops and consultations regarding the state of the telecentre movement and their requirements to move forward.
The discussions confirmed the need for a global support network, with a mandate to improve telecentre capacity and sustainability locally while strengthening the global telecentre ecosystem.
Launch and turnover of Telecentre.org Foundation
In a bid to meet the demand for a global support network for telecentres, the IDRC, Microsoft, and SDC launched the Telecentre.org project in November 2005 at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. In its first phase from 2005-2009, the project provided grants and technical assistance to telecentre networks and organisations around the world, and facilitated the creation of telecentre networks in about 40 countries.
This period also saw the establishment of the Telecentre.org Academy that offers knowledge and skills support to countless telecentre operators.
In March 3, 2010, supervision of the Telecentre.org programme was formally passed on from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to the Telecentre.org Foundation based in the Philippines.
Telecentre.org Foundation today
Today, Telecentre.org Foundation takes on the role of an activist, supporting grassroots telecentres to empower the poor and the marginalized around the world. The fundamental approach of partnership and collaboration continues to be crucial as Telecentre.org Foundation strives to build a more resilient telecentre ecosystem globally, thus scaling-up the movement rapidly in countries that need them most.
Learn More
