Agents of inclusion: Community networks & media meet-up | IGF 2023

Nils Brock

The creation and development of substantial and impactful internet connectivity, digital content, and inclusive technologies necessitate robust collaboration and collective efforts. Exemplary of such endeavours are community networks operating worldwide. These networks have made significant strides in delivering crucial internet access and digital content to areas often overlooked or underserviced. This effort is particularly commendable in regions where traditional profit-oriented access models aren’t viable, providing an innovative and necessary solution to the digital divide.

Furthermore, the role of community media in this collective movement is worth acknowledging. These entities have shown an active dedication to innovating digital formats. Such innovation is specifically aimed at fostering increased participation and stronger integration with local communities. The function of digital formats in these endeavours thus spotlights the potential for technological advancements to foster bonds within local communities, challenging the stereotypical view of digitisation leading to disconnection.

Joining the discussion around augmented connectivity and digital content, thought leader Nils Brock expresses support for the work of community networks, media outlets, social enterprises and cooperatives. His endorsement puts these entities at the vanguard of innovation in this domain, shifting the focus from large corporations as the sole contributors to technological advancement. He underscores the need for community-focused initiatives, highlighting their contributions to connectivity and digital content at a panel discussion.

This collective narrative is deeply aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 9 and SDG 17, that pertain to ‘Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure’ and ‘Partnership for the Goals’ respectively. The progression of these SDGs is intricately linked with the support and development of community networks, media outlets, social enterprises and cooperatives, projecting their impact towards wider, global targets aimed at enhancing lives worldwide.

In conclusion, the burgeoning global narrative around connectivity, digital content, and inclusive technologies underscores the importance of collective efforts. Progress at a community level is spearheading industry innovation and widening the reach of vital technologies instrumental in global development.

Amudhan Manivasagam

Vakoma is a significant company substantially improving connectivity, particularly in the global south. Their principal strategy involves the use of open hardware, software and portable network equipment. Aiming to empower local communities, they scrupulously adhere to the principle of universal access by creating open tools that cater for the construction of tailored networks. This unique approach aids in the creation of a more connected world, supporting SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities distinctly.

Their innovative endeavour is prominently manifested in their groundbreaking product – the Nimble device. This apparatus integrates open-source hardware, firmware and software, and is designed to be modular and portable. Pairing seamlessly with open firmware projects, including OpenWRT, the Nimble device enables communities to utilise any available hardware to build and deploy networks, reinforcing the wider goal of promoting an open-source ecosystem and supporting SDG 9.

Supplementing Vakoma’s suite of solutions is ‘Local’, a software platform intended to augment the value of the network post-construction. It amalgamates a variety of open-source applications which can be deployed offline. Notably, ‘Local’ can be implemented on practically any hardware and, can incorporate specific hardware for targeted applications. This flexibility aligns closely with SDG 9 and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

Customisation sits at the heart of Vakoma’s products and strategies, fostering adaptability. The Nimble device can be adapted according to specific designs, with these modifications readily available for download, print, modification and sharing. Moreover, one can run ‘Local’ on almost any hardware, enabling users to handpick applications that best suit their needs. Such flexibility is instrumental in community networks and is an integral part of SDG 9.

Vakoma expands its impact via forming alliances with other ecosystem projects; their collaboration with Colmina is a testament to that. This alliance led to the Nimble device’s customisation, adding an audio interface, consequently enabling in-field content creation, particularly handy in volatile situations. This successful collaboration aligns perfectly with SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

In summary, Vakoma’s endeavours are positively received owing to their commitment towards enhancing connectivity via open hardware and software, fostering an open-source ecosystem, and enabling customisation. Their collaborations are undoubtedly praiseworthy. Their efforts strongly support several sustainable development goals, propelling innovation, fostering sustainable communities and partnerships, thereby indicating their broad impact and a strong potential for continued positive transformation.

Erick Huerta

The emergence of larger operators within the telecommunications sector poses a significant risk to the sustainability of smaller, community-run mobile networks. This harm manifests as these community networks are compelled to shift to less populated communities to maintain their existence. This disruptive shift is largely due to the aggressive entry of larger operators into previously untapped markets, thus displacing these smaller networks. As a result, this inflicts a negative impact on the sustainability of these community networks, as their once secure areas become saturated with larger competitors.

To counteract this undesirable encroachment by major operators, local communities have sought to pivot their operations towards becoming mobile virtual network operators. This innovative approach allows these communities not only to continue providing necessary and valued services but also contributes to broader community objectives of local content creation and locally focussed product exchange. Furthermore, adopting the mobile virtual operator model equips these communities with the opportunity to partake in an array of innovative projects. Notably, it leads to the establishment of local information centres which delivers access to education and promotes local product exchange, thus reinforcing their local economies in a sustainable manner.

In the realm of network-based discussions, it’s essential to understand that the complexity of a network is directly related to the number of layers it must address. More layers equate to enhanced network sophistication but also increased management and administrative challenges. Additionally, small or subsistence economies demonstrate resilience and effectiveness attributable to their collective effort. This insight underlines the fact that the strength of a network or economy can often be found in its unity and collective response to changes.

Yet, it is crucial to acknowledge the limitations that networks face. No single network can cater to every demand or challenge that arises. Recognising this, the key to efficient network operations lies in the delegation of responsibilities according to individual specialisations. Each member or element within the network holds different skillsets and experience levels, and leveraging this diversity effectively plays a crucial role in ensuring its smooth operation. This principle of efficient delegation and utilisation of specialisations allows for a balanced and effective network ecosystem, one that can withstand disruptions and foster growth.

James Gondwe

James Gondwe and his organisation, the Centre for Youth and Development, have significantly contributed to the sectors of education and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) connectivity within Malawi. A key focus of their work involves the implementation of community networks. These networks are viewed as pivotal solutions to enhance connectivity within society, aligning with the ambitions of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4 regarding Quality Education and SDG 9 concerning Industry Innovation, and Infrastructure.

Under Gondwe’s insightful leadership, the organisation has embarked on strategic policy engagement and advocacy initiatives. These are directed towards regulators and prominent figures, such as the Minister of Information in Malawi. Gondwe’s team has fruitfully leveraged partnerships with international organisations, which include the Association for Progressive Communications and the World Association for Christian Communications. These alliances exemplify the ethos of SDG 17, emphasising the significance of partnerships in achieving global goals.

A noteworthy achievement has been the firm establishment of a policy and regulatory framework specifically designed to facilitate the growth and sustainability of community networks. This framework was not solely a product of theoretical projection but moreover, supported by real-world and successful implementations of such schemes from various regions, including Zenzeleni, PamojaNet, and Kenya. This point highlights the efficacy of community networks in action, reinforcing the argument for their adoption in Malawi while aligning with SDGs 9 and 11 pertaining to Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and Sustainable Cities and Communities, respectively.

Furthermore, the analysis underscores the invaluable role of advocacy and policy engagement in creating a conducive environment for the development and expansion of community networks. Successful advocacy efforts were realised through strategic collaborations with esteemed institutions such as Mizzou University, the University of Malawi, and the ICT Association of Malawi. Engagements with regulators and government officials were accomplished by leveraging various platforms like ICT expos and national Internet Governance Forum (IGF) events.

In conclusion, the report encapsulates the irrefutable importance of a collaborative approach in facilitating digital inclusion. It exemplifies how grassroots initiatives, policy changes, visionary leadership, strategic alliances, and advocacy can collectively enable the fruition of community networks, thereby advancing ICT connectivity and education in regions such as Malawi.

Sarbani Banerjee Belur

This session offers a holistic discussion that covers an extensive range of topics within the context of sustainability, digital innovation, and infrastructure development. A crucial theme is the adoption of a hybrid model for the session, facilitating participants’ interaction in both online and on-site venues. This strategy endeavours to create maximum exchange of ideas and perspectives, thereby promoting an inclusive environment regardless of physical attendance. Not only does this resonate with the increasing trend towards remote connectivity, but it also aligns with SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.

A fascinating aspect of this session is the planned series of compact lightning talks lasting five to seven minutes each, succeeded by Q&A sessions. These are thoughtfully devised to balance expert insights and public contributions. They permit a diverse set of perspectives, women empowerment, indigenous knowledge protection, and literacy programmes. All these elements foster collaboration and partnership, key to SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

One of the esteemed speakers is Elisa Heppner. With an array of experience in project and programme management across the private, government, and non-profit sectors, Elisa’s contribution is set to bring substantial insight to the session. Her background in facilitating education and literacy programmes using advanced EdTech in Asia and the Pacific further enriches her input. This seamlessly links to SDG 4: Quality Education.

The session will also delve into varied connectivity initiatives within the Asia-Pacific region, with a particular focus on the financial mechanisms required for ensuring connectivity diversity, crucial for a fully digitised future.

The session intrigue is enhanced by the promotion of a podcast through keychains, demonstrating a blending of traditional and digital marketing strategies. These keychains can be collected from the APC booth or an in-room contact, providing all attendees with direct access to the podcast.

Additionally, the discussion highlights the sociocultural benefits of community networks, with a particular focus on those initiated and maintained by women. These grassroots initiatives empower women within their community, encouraging an environment of inclusivity and equality that aligns with SDG 5: Gender Equality.

Moreover, local-led offline networks, like community radios, are lauded as significant platforms preserving and circulating indigenous knowledge. This is especially beneficial in protecting enriching cultural art forms and endangered languages within tribal communities, linking to SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Furthermore, such community-led offline radios offer women a platform for self-expression. They epitomise the potential for such initiatives to contribute substantially towards gender equality, underscoring SDG 5: Gender Equality.

In essence, this interconnected and multi-dimensional session robustly explores various aspects of digital infrastructure, participation, socioeconomic initiatives, education, and gender equality, weaving together multiple SDGs into coherent and comprehensive discourse.

Ellisha Heppner

The APNIC Foundation, renowned for its commitment to fostering an open, secure, and accessible internet, is making a positive impact on digital inclusion through an array of projects. The foundation is currently overseeing 68 unique initiatives, with 21 targeted at infrastructure development, 23 focusing on knowledge enhancement, and 24 being explicitly inclusion-oriented. Highlighting this broad-based impact, these efforts are taking shape in 56 diverse economies across the Asia Pacific region.

Elisa Heppner, the grants management lead for the APNIC Foundation, is instrumental in driving these ventures. She emphasises the importance of context-specific solutions for sustained connectivity. In line with this, the Foundation supports innovative schemes such as MeSoul’s peer-to-peer solar microgrids, SatSoul’s transportable towers, and Palau National Communication’s hybrid energy solutions. These ingenious initiatives not only underscore the vital role of connectivity in remote locations, but also highlight the necessity of clean, affordable energy sources in preserving these critical connections. These initiatives, thus, lend support to both SDG 7 and SDG 9.

Furthermore, the Foundation recognises the profound potential of Internet connectivity to catalyse social impact and environmental protection positively. APNIC backs projects including Simile, centred on mitigating climate change and promoting effective water management, aligning with SDG 13 and SDG 6. The endeavour to safeguard linguistic heritage and enhance education is seen through the support extended to the Myanmar Book Aid, thereby aligning with SDG 4. Similarly, aid for the Devao Medical School facilitates connecting healthcare facilities, contributing towards SDG 3, centred on good health and wellbeing.

In totality, this evidence underscores the APNIC Foundation’s positive stance in striving towards sustainable and inclusive internet connectivity. The broad implications of these initiatives carry the potential to fuel social, economic, and environmental advancement across the Asia Pacific region. Their partnerships with numerous projects stress the importance of multifaceted solutions to magnify the impact of each SDG, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to holistic development.

Michelle Nogales

Michelle Nogales, the co-founder of Muy Hueso, is spearheading a media revolution in Bolivia. Muy Hueso, established in 2018, proudly stands as Bolivia’s first feminist digital native media. It disrupts traditional media narratives and pioneers a fresh, progressive approach towards Bolivian media. Nogales and her team strive for social equality through a resolute emphasis on feminism, digital media, and diversity.

Emphasising the power and value of co-creation, Nogales’ revolutionary approach to content production invites community engagement and participation. This approach has given birth to diverse digital media formats that genuinely represent and resonate with their community. An exemplar of this approach’s impact is the community collaboration on a special article tackling gynaecological violence, which reached around 300 community members. Another notable outcome is a co-created book combining traditional Bolivian mythological narratives with the creative contributions of young artists and illustrators.

Nogales places immense importance on promoting media literacy and making information accessible. Determined to provide data in a simple and understandable format, she insists on verifying and qualifying information for greater insight and understanding. Her initiatives, such as creating gamified training experiences, further highlight her commitment to enhancing media literacy.

Nogales actively challenges Bolivia’s significant and escalating digital divide. Muy Hueso intends to bridge this gap, pushing for a more inclusive and accessible digital landscape. Nogales strongly supports democratising online access and endorses independent journalism. She has initiated sharing digital tool knowledge with rural and remote communities, enabling them to express their needs and problems.

Nogales’ mission extends to reducing the inequality in technology usage across the genders in South America. She seeks to empower women and ensure gender diversity by improving their access to technology. Coupled with her commitment to fostering a robust and gender-inclusive Bolivian media ecosystem, her work greatly contributes towards achieving gender equality.

In conclusion, Nogales’ vision of diversifying the internet resonates powerfully through her work. She strives for inclusivity through Muy Hueso, highlighting the significance of reflecting diverse community needs in online content. Endeavours like the ‘Colmena’ project, which delivers experiences from diverse communities in audio formats, demonstrate her commitment to enhancing internet diversity. Ultimately, Nogales’ multifaceted approach sustains her aim of creating an equitable and relevant digital sphere.

Debora Prado

Debora Prado, an active contributor to the Local Networks Initiative, is making strides in the field of community connectivity and digital communication through her recent launch of a new podcast titled ‘Routing for Communities.’ This innovative podcast, aimed at tracing and promoting community connectivity worldwide, is a pioneering project spearheaded by influential entities such as the Association for Progressive Communications and Rizomatica.

The primary focus of the podcast is to highlight community-centric connectivity initiatives that have emerged from grassroots movements. These narratives underline the potential power and influence that localised networks can hold, essential in cultivating sustainable innovation and infrastructural development (SDG 9), while fostering partnerships for these goals (SDG 17).

Moreover, the podcast adopts a comprehensive approach to social and environmental justice, examining it through the prism of evolving digital communication and connectivity. As part of this multi-layered conversation, Debora Prado underscores the elements of inequality that permeate society, showcasing issues of race, gender, and class inequalities that demand global attention for reduced disparities (SDG 10) and gender equality (SDG 5).

The podcast stands out for its captivating insights on the deployment of digital tools by indigenous communities for the safeguarding of their indigenous languages and cultures. This inventive use of technology enables a vibrant conduit for the global community to engage in their lush cultural heritage, thereby promoting climate action (SDG 13).

In conclusion, ‘Routing for Communities’ emerges as a hopeful advocate for positive change and transformation in communication, manifesting the principles enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals. The podcast represents a substantial leap in elevating awareness of and addressing issues at the core of justice, equality, and sustainable development.

Kemly Camacho

In her advocacy for female empowerment and gender equality, Kemli Camacho has highlighted the crucial role of tailored communication strategies in bolstering women-led organisations, particularly within indigenous communities. These strategies have achieved significant success within the Association of Cabecar Women, where she has been instrumental in developing communication strategies for six years. Embracing modern technology, she has identified the innovative use of walkie-talkie networks as pivotal in enhancing interactions, not only empowering the women of the community but also providing a reliable avenue to manage crisis situations and facilitate decision-making.

Further noting the considerable transformation fostered by the integration of social technology, the essential use of these tools for addressing vital community matters and decision making have positioned women as central figures within their communities.

Additionally, Kemli’s commendable work extends to the realm of education and cultural preservation. She has facilitated the creation of the Quebec Women University, a significant platform for imparting the wisdom of the indigenous Cabecar women across areas including agriculture, construction, health practices, spirituality, and handicraft. This valuable knowledge is diligently collected in varied formats such as audio, videos, and drawings, with younger women and boys engaging in meaningful interactions with older women.

Motivated by the initial success in Halabata, plans are in place for further expansion of the project to additional Cabecar communities. Children, recognised as vital for fostering ongoing growth and development, are being integrated into the project’s new phase.

Turning to the communication techniques of the Cabecar, or Kavekar, community, it’s evident that they depend heavily on audio and visual methodologies rather than written forms. The platform Okama Sway, based entirely on audio and visuals, has effectively been integrated to supplement their communication. Drawing, a vital aspect of their interaction, remains a central focus.

A key conclusion drawn from Camacho’s observations is the paramount importance of respecting and integrating the unique cultural practices of indigenous communities. Platforms like Okama Sway, by accepting these diverse communication methods, exemplify how honouring such cultural practices can promote community engagement and foster a more inclusive society. Therefore, in a world increasingly championing diversity and inclusion, embracing these unique communication techniques and preserving indigenous wisdom represents an essential stride towards achieving sustainable, equitable communities.

Elektra Wagenrad

Elektra Wagenrad, a renowned innovator, environmentalist, and application engineer, has made significant contributions to sustainable technology through her work on wireless mesh technology and solar-powered systems for community networks. Wagenrad, with her experience in a multitude of regions including Germany, Bangladesh, India, Chile, Tanzania, and South Africa, has globally recognised influence and reach.

Wagenrad’s remarkable achievement revolves around the improvement and development of the Freifunk open MPPT; this open-source software and hardware solar controller embraces a user-friendly approach, enabling users to build and programme them. Over three generations, this technology has evolved, gaining potency and adaptability. The latest version can deliver an impressive peak of up to 400 watts from the solar power system. Such advancements in energy efficiency position these solar controllers as an apt choice to power mesh networks. They have been utilised effectively for projects like India’s Nimble project.

Moreover, Wagenrad expanded the applicability of her solar controllers beyond their conventional use. New prototype controllers have been created for irrigation and environmental monitoring purposes, demonstrating the multipurpose nature of this technology.

Wagenrad’s commitment to devising adaptable, practical solutions, matched with her extensive on-field work, sets a powerful precedent for others to follow. Importantly, this cutting-edge technology aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 9, advocating Affordable and Clean Energy and Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure respectively. Wagenrad’s endeavours provide an invaluable example of harnessing renewable energy and tech innovation to meet critical community needs, encouraging sustainable living and steering us towards an environmentally responsible future.

Audience

The dialogue encompassed critical topics like network regulation, content moderation, and the spread of disinformation. These themes shed light on the multifaceted dimensions associated with network use and demonstrated the potential for network misuse. The conversation delineated an understood layered structure, incorporating network, technical, administration and regulatory components, each with its specific responsibility.

Concerns were raised regarding the potential misuse of networks as the user base grows. This worry represents an emerging problem in the digital sphere, given the ease of network usage and access. Although it highlighted potential issues, the discussion also proposed possible solutions, particularly in relation to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, which encourages peace, justice, and strong institutions.

The conversation also underscored the digital literacy issue. There’s an ongoing concern about the exclusion of certain demographics, especially those lacking basic literacy skills. This digital divide continues to proliferate substantial disparities in network engagement, aligning with SDGs 4 and 10, promoting quality education and reduced inequalities, respectively.

The discourse raised questions about the quality and cost-effectiveness of internet provision within community networks. An in-depth exploration into this topic could provide a more comprehensive understanding of internet availability and accessibility to target communities, potentially providing practical solutions to the digital divide. This subject aligns with the principles of SDGs 1 and 9, which advocate for poverty eradication and the promotion of industry, innovation, and infrastructure.

In summary, the conversation gave a well-rounded overview of the challenges and potential solutions tied to network use. Each of these issues is interlinked with the overarching objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals, lending a sense of urgency and wider importance to the discourse.

Risper Arose

Tandanet is deploying digital technology to confront and eradicate digital inequalities prevalent in marginalised communities. As a potent catalyst for change, it offers a host of resources, including affordable internet access, essential in today’s digitally interconnected world for socio-economic progress. In addition, Tandanet underpins the enhancement of digital literacy, providing the necessary skills and knowledge for communities to navigate the digital world effectively.

A crucial element of this is the development of digital platforms, all of which are designed and created with close communal collaboration. This not only tailors the service to the specific needs of the community but also encourages community investment and participation in the endeavour.

Their impact has been felt across Kibera, with Tandanet connecting 60 centres in nine out of thirteen Kibera’s villages, casting a broad net of digital sustainability. With future plans to include all villages, Tandanet displays a commitment to extensive digital inclusivity. Additionally, it provides network training, necessary for community members to optimise their engagement with the digital space. Alongside this is the provision of affordable internet services, integral to ensuring accessibility for all community members.

Similarly, Colmena serves as a valuable hub through which locally relevant content is created and shared post-connectivity. It lends a voice to communities, enriching the digital experience with local relevance. By promoting uninterrupted, safe, and secure access to information, Colmena reinforces local collective ownership at a ‘last mile’ level – a crucial facet in encouraging communal digital stewardship.

Colmena also contributes at a macro level by espousing the concept of a resilient, decentralised infrastructure, an important aspect in a world threatened by digital breakdowns and cyber-attacks.

Collectively, Tandanet and Colmena not only create individual impacts, but also align their efforts with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 9 and 11: building inclusive, sustainable industrialisation, fostering innovation, and making human settlements safe and resilient. Their efforts underscore the importance of digital opportunities in marginalised communities, laying a foundation for a more digitally inclusive and equitable future.

Carlos Baca

In an exhaustive discussion, Carlos Baca emphasised the critical importance of cultivating an atmosphere of respect, active listening, and constructive disagreement during meetings. These principles have a direct correlation with SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, illustrating their pivotal role in shaping a peaceful, equitable, and stable environment conducive to substantial discourse.

Baca delved into several related topics, including respect, collaboration, diversity, consent, photography protocol, awareness of language diversity, and the skill of managing disagreements constructively. These elements are indispensable as they create the foundation for a meeting which values each participant’s opinion, thus fostering a sense of unity and cooperation.

Baca proactively broached the topic of consent when taking photographs or making audiovisual recordings, thereby upholding the principles of respect and privacy. He encouraged consideration of language diversity, highlighting its significance in a multicultural framework and endorsing inclusivity.

Furthermore, he passionately advocated for collaboration among participants. Showing respect and a positive approach towards their colleagues, he referenced the need for constructive disagreement – the capability to express varying views in a manner that can lead to innovative solutions and a deeper understanding, rather than animosity or conflict. The sentiment behind these actions was overwhelmingly positive, exemplifying Baca’s commitment to creating a supportive and harmonious environment.

By constructing these guidelines, Baca has not only provided a roadmap for conducting effective meetings but has also subtly embedded a culture of mutual respect, positive collaboration, and openness to diversity. These principles, while implemented in meetings, have broader implications for general human interaction and embody the principles behind SDG 16.

Mwendwa Kivuva

In the sphere of Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, Kenya’s Community Networks are significantly benefitting from a cost-effective licensing framework, thanks to a unique collaboration with various organisations. This positive development involves a modest licensing fee of only $50, an initiative driven by the Kenyan ICT Action Network and supported by the Kenyan regulator’s innovative enforcement of licensing for wireless service providers. This practicable approach to licensing provides a robust foundation for innovative infrastructural platforms, contributing strategically to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9.

However, community networks within Kenya face palpable challenges, particularly evident in the Madari Valley, where a stable power supply is scarce. Most of this locale lacks an established power grid, making power fluctuations common due to the pressing issue of illegal connections. Another significant barrier is the surge in equipment vandalism, with numerous cases of rampant theft adversely affecting the functionality and sustainability of infrastructural facilities.

Financially, these networks also grapple with the hefty costs of backhaul, a challenge that could potentially impede their growth and viability. With securing a 100 Mbps backhaul cost amounting to about $1000 per month, a proactive proposal suggesting that these costs should be borne by the government has emerged, as they have access to free backhaul. This effective model of cooperation resonates with SDG 9, presenting a more economically viable method for strengthening community networks.

Despite these impediments, community networks have shown resilience through strategic lobbying efforts. A potent association comprising approximately 15 members has formed in Kenya, and through proactive lobbying, is making strides in influencing government decisions. This testifies to the effectiveness of partnerships and collaborative efforts, contributing directly to SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. These concerted actions underscore the community networks’ dedication towards overcoming challenges, helping to foster a progressive future within the sphere of Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.

Nils Brock:
And those who are sitting very much in the back, please join us also here on the table. That will be a nicer way for discussion, so don’t be shy. Please also sit closer if you want. Thank you. Okay. Konnichiwa, good morning, good afternoon, good evening and welcome to our session Agents of Inclusion. We are happy to see so many familiar faces here that found their way to Kyoto and also so many familiar faces online. Also curious to know more about the new faces that we can see here and yeah, happy to have you here for our exciting session. And all those people together here, some of them who, yeah, suspended Saturday night activities to come to the sessions, others that got up really early. And yeah, soon we will hear more about the work and the proposals of community center digital networks and media. But before this, just some quick words on housekeeping. Carlos.

Carlos Baca:
So, hi, everyone. So some of the common rules that we want to implement are, well, the basic ones, be respectful, we need to listen actively, be respectful for others’ participation, even if you disagree, be collaborative, recognize diversity, respect privacy of participants, ask for consent for photography, audiovisual recordings or quotes, be aware of language diversity, and handle disagreement constructively. So welcome, everyone.

Nils Brock:
Thank you, Carlos. This is with our third facilitator, Shobani, who will also start to present the team quickly. Shobani, are you there online with us? I saw you earlier in the chat, so hello. Can you hear us? Can you? We cannot hear you. Shobani? Hello. Yeah, we cannot hear you. Seems to be an audio problem. So please try to work on the microphone. I will continue meanwhile with the presentation. Yeah, now we can hear you. No, again, not. There’s something happening. Maybe changing the device. There’s Elektra. No, that’s not Shobani. Maybe raise your arm. Maybe you have to be… That’s the person who should be able to talk. No. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay, I will just continue for a second and hopefully you can collect later with us. So the Session Agents of Inclusion will be facilitated by three persons, two of them in the room, the third one mute now, but maybe she will talk to us soon. So our common interest was to shed light on the great work of community-centered initiatives from different regions and different continents. And together we have done our best to bring together an amazing lineup of speakers. And so, first of all, let me introduce you to Carlos Baca, sitting over there. Carlos coordinates the training program of TechU Comunitario. And hello. You can hear me now? Yes, we can hear you. Oh, great.

Sarbani Banerjee Belur:
So I did already the first part of your introduction, but you can still introduce Carlos. You can do better than I, I guess. Hello, everyone. Yeah, so this is Shabani from India. And nice to meet all of you all there. So I’m here and I would like to introduce Niels first. So Niels is a journalist and media developer with focus on community media and community networks. And he has an experience as a freelance journalist and a media activist in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. Niels works as a consultant for special projects for Isomatica.org, especially LockNet, member of the Global Innovation Gathering Network and coordinator of the open source digital newsroom Colmena, developed by DW Academy, and partners together with CSOs in the Global South. Yeah. And we welcome all of you all to this to this session. of ours and we look for quite an interactive session with all of y’all. We have other speakers who are also online and I’ll introduce them one by one as the session flows over to you.

Nils Brock:
Thank you Shobani and so Shobani Belur holds a PhD in Democracy and an MA in Sociology. She has learned and teached on many universities, too many to mention them all. Her work involves increasing digital outreach to remote and rural areas of India, women and their usage of connectivity, development of sustainable business models, seeding the growth of community networks, developing community technologies, meaningful usage and utilization of connectivity and many other exciting things. And Carlos, so could you please introduce yourself because there was a mix

Carlos Baca:
up. So hi, I am Carlos Baca. I come from Mexico. I work in Resomatica and in Redes Asseto organizations that work with indigenous communities in topics related with connectivity and right now I am a coordinator of two training programs, one for ICT network coordinators that we’ve developed in a joint effort with ITU for Latin America and also the National Schools of Community Networks, a project that is inside of the local access network initiatives initiative led by Resomatica and APC. Thank you Carlos and to get the session started, so what is the session about here? So in

Nils Brock:
many places of the world the creation of meaningful connectivity, digital content and also inclusive technologies for internet heavily rely on sometimes invisible collective efforts and we want to make those collective efforts visible today because worldwide hundreds of community networks deliver access and content to underserved areas. especially in places where profit-oriented access models are not sustainable. In addition, we have community media, from which we will also know some of them today, media outlets that actively work on innovative digital formats to create more participation and integration with local communities, and finally we have social enterprises and cooperatives that share the vision of community-owned open technologies. And so our panel will highlight such great contributions and we will hear again from Shobani how this meetup is going to happen.

Sarbani Banerjee Belur:
So this is a hybrid session and participation might be a bit different for those online and on-site. We, however, will try to switch always between the two perspectives to create a maximum of exchange that can take place. Since we have a long lineup of speakers and also want to give space to interaction with the public contributions, we’ll be rather short lightning talks of five to seven minutes each and in Q&A sessions and in the chat here in the Zoom link, there will be opportunities to further explore each topic. So please feel free to ask questions. Put it up on the chat window of the Zoom link. After our final Q&A session, we will also make time for a short planning exchange for all of you who would like to participate in the experience to organize a participatory coverage of the IGF using one of the community-centered technologies called Colmena that we will learn more about in our presentations. Yeah, so thanks.

Nils Brock:
Thank you, Sharbani. And now we’ll come to our first speaker who has stayed up until late in Bolivia today or is postponing dancing. She will tell us. And please welcome online Michelle Nogales. Michelle is one of the founders of Bolivia’s first feminist online magazine called Muy Hueso. And Michelle is a social communicator and journalist with a diploma in digital media for education and women’s rights and journalism. And she was part of the first generation of Sembra Media’s Metis Mentorship and Google News Initiative. With Muy Hueso, she’s exploring many digital media formats and let’s see what she has brought us today. Michelle, are you there?

Michelle Nogales:
Hi, Nils. Hi, everyone. Do you listen to me? Yes, we can hear you. We cannot see you, but we can hear you. How about now? Great. Thanks, Nils. I can start speaking now, yes? Yes, the floor is yours. Thank you so much. Good evening, everyone. I’m really happy to be here with you. Well, right now I’m speaking from a small town in Bolivia in the heart of South America. So thank you so much for this opportunity. You know, it means a lot to me, to my team. So as I was introduced by Nils, I’m the CEO and co-founder of Muy Hueso, the first feminist digital native media in Bolivia. We were born in 2018 with a quest to break the old hegemonic narratives of traditional media and tell what was not being told. And we were born in this digital world because in this space we found an opportunity to talk about the problems, the solutions and the needs of many women in Bolivia. Working women, indigenous women and people of sexual and gender diversity who work every day, but whose those stories were not told, you know, whose those stories are not heard. So at Muy Hueso, we work to make women the protagonists of their own stories. Not only through this journalism that tells these stories. but also to a journalism that is able to co-create with our communities, with our readers, you know. And this year we were able to produce a special article on gynecological violence that talks about some different experiences of women, where we had the participation of almost 300 people, you know, that are part of our digital community. And these people shared their information with us on a topic which there’s no open data available in Bolivia. So we made a co-creation of this article together with all these people, you know. And also at Muy Huaso, we seek to make this journalism and information very accessible to all, you know. We try to use language that is close to our communities, that is simple, but it’s not simplistic or incomplete, you know. And we have this as an unbreakable rule. On the contrary also, we seek to bring full, verified and qualified information in data that is understandable and attractive to our communities and has really interesting formats. In this matter, you know, we also published our third book this year. Well, actually, beginning of this year, which is called 31 Myths and Legends of Bolivia, you know. And this experience is really interesting because this book seeks to compile the mythological oral tradition of our country. And it’s a co-construction with people from the community who narrated these traditional stories. And young artists and illustrators made drawings, more than 1,000 drawings, during October 2022 and spread this oral tradition in their social media. So it was the stories from some people who other artists draw. And we just made an article about each story. And then we published a book. And this book went back again to the community. So it’s a whole. collaborative production together, you know. And in this project also we saw this great great impact that can be achieved through organized collective action, you know. And also this process helped us to maintain a close relationship with our audiences to identify their needs and how they generally generate an impact in our environments. And also in addition to using the internet as a tool, we try to encourage free feminist and independent journalists, you know. We try to share this learning and knowledge that we have gained during this time with members of our communities that live in rural or remote areas, you know. Actually right now I’m really really far from my hometown because today I just came to to do a workshop with some workers with some harvesters really far from my hometown, you know. And we shared about how to use digital media, how to use digital tools to share their own needs and problems, you know. And in that matter we’re actually this year working on creating games or gamified, you know, training experience about media literacy to curb misinformation and the hate speech in the run-up to the 2005 elections that are here in Bolivia, you know, presidential elections. So we want to reduce the internet access and usage gap which in Bolivia is very significant and widening every day. And we want with this Bolivia’s digital media ecosystem to grow and strengthen every day. We want the gap in smaller…

Nils Brock:
Sorry, you’re breaking up a bit. I think we lost Michelle, but the message came through. I’m sorry, my internet just got crazy. Am I back? Yeah, you’re back now.

Michelle Nogales:
Thank you. I’m really sorry. Can you hear me okay? Yes. Yes. Okay. Sorry. Just I’m really in a really small town. So I was telling you that we want the Bolivian media ecosystem to grow, you know, and be like more strong. And we also want to reduce this gap in access and use of technologies, you know. And we want many more women and sexual and gender diversities to be able to occupy the internet and fill it with their needs, with their initiatives, and also with this diversity of languages and actions, you know, and for there to be diverse ideas and voices that reflect the real demands of the communities themselves, you know. And in this project, I was also working in Colmena, where Niels was coordinating a lot of things and other people who is here in the talk. And we were trying also to gather a lot of different people who is working from their communities and sharing their own experiences through radio or through other audio formats that could get together this idea of communities and to take the internet and to be able to have more diversity of voices and cutting up this gap that we have in South America to access and to use the internet. So that’s for my intervention. Thank you so much. I don’t know if you have any questions, and we can keep on talking on the chat. Thank you.

Nils Brock:
Thanks a lot, Michelle. So our next speaker is James Gondwe. He is Executive Director of the Center for Youth and Development in Malawi. And that organization is an organization that works with youth and children and related with digital inclusion matters. So welcome, James.

James Gondwe:
Thank you so much for the opportunity to be part and parcel of this panel. As rightly introduced, my name is James Gondwey, and I’m the director of Center for Youth and Development. Our organization focuses on education, but we leverage on ICT and connectivity as well, and we’ve been exploring ways of how best we can increase access to connectivity and ensure that children, students have access to connectivity and then are able to effectively learn. And one area that we recognize is quite a potential solution in addressing this challenge is community networks, and early on we did recognize that for us to be able to do that in Malawi, we needed to have a conducive policy environment that would ensure that we are able to set up community networks or people are able to set up community networks. And so all along, Malawi has never recognized community networks as a solution, but also they never had a framework or a licensing framework, a greater framework that would actually ensure that community networks are developed. So with the support of our partners, Association for Progressive Communications, but also World Association for Christian Communications, we did work on advocacy, policy engagement with the regulator, but also Minister of Information to make sure that Malawi as a country should be able to develop a conducive policy and a greater environment for establishment of community networks. And despite the fact that what we have at the moment, we would not say it is what we really wanted to see, but I think there is some success because there is a framework that has been created, though not entirely to the way we would have desired it to be created, but there is a framework that has been created. And that would ensure that community networks, community initiatives can actually be established in Malawi. and that people can actually be connected. So, my presentation is mostly focusing on sharing best practices around policy engagement. What did we do to make sure that we are able to get the regulator, but also get the Minister of Information interested and get them listening, and eventually leading to the successful establishment of this policy and regulatory framework. For us, a lot of people think that it is very obvious that the regulators are aware that community networks are a solution. But it’s not. We need to raise awareness. And for us as a country, as an organization, together with our partners, we started with raising awareness. So, you start with the basics. Raise awareness about community networks. Get people to know what community networks are. And you can do that by sharing examples of where this has been successful. And for us, we did have examples from within the region. So, Zenzeleni came in as an example from South Africa. We also had PamojaNet coming in as an example. And later on, Kenya came in as a very good example around policy, because Kenya had developed a licensing framework. So, we’re able to say, look at Kenya. This is what they’ve developed. And for us as a country, we can also do something similar. So, that was a starting point. And so, as we are sharing these experiences around best practices, it is important for us to make sure that we’re also providing evidence. So, the evidence is available. Within the country, we know we’ve got rural communities that are not connected. And we know that ISPs are not going there, because it’s not profitable for them. They would rather stay in the very same communities. So, the conventional method of connecting is not working. And we need to provide that as an example. And then, another very important element. And that really worked for us is an element around collaboration, leverage on others. So throughout our policy engagement, we leveraged on other institutions within the country. So we leveraged on Mizzou University, University of Malawi, as organizations, as academic institutions that supported us with the academic research, you know, and we also did leverage on the ICT Association of Malawi. So the ICT Association of Malawi has got a huge membership of people in ICT, and we were able to leverage on their numbers, to be able to convince the regulator, to be able to convince the Minister of Information to say this is a solution. So leveraging on others is another important strategy that we are able to use. And then another element is in advocacy, it’s difficult for you to organize the events on your own. You know, policymakers, regulators, it’s difficult for you to find them. Even booking a meeting with a regulator is difficult. But try to engage them through other events. So we targeted the events that were happening within the country, and then we would be able to reach them, contact them while they were at those particular events. So a good example is we’ve participated in a number of ICT expos that have been organized within Malawi. And we know for sure that the Minister of Information, but also others from the regulator And that is the point of engaging, you know, with those regulators. Malawi hosted the IGF last year, and that was a great opportunity for us to be able to engage with these duty bearers. And even the National IGF is also another opportunity. So try to leverage on what is already happening in your country, and then build from there. Another very important element is to try to build a network of allies. Try to see who else is interested, you know, in this topic. So smaller ISPs is another very good example, so much as we may not be fully aligned with community networks. But I think those So, we started building a database of allies from around 2019, and now we are even happy that that particular database has actually developed into a community network alliance. So, Malawi has got a community network alliance, and that particular alliance is now going to be looking at how best can we sustain the effort, the momentum that has already been created. So, we started building a database of allies from around 2019, and now we are even happy that that particular alliance is now going to be looking at how best can we sustain the effort, the momentum that has already been created. So, it is the one that is actually now engaging with the regulator, engaging with the government, and getting them to talk, but also to see the successful implementation of the framework that has been created. So, my presentation focuses on sharing those best practices. Thank you so much.

Nils Brock:
Thank you, and our next guest from India will be presented by Shobhani.

Sarbani Banerjee Belur:
So, our next speaker is Amodan. Amodan is an engineer, an entrepreneur, proving how system administration and development can solve real-world problems. He currently works with the social enterprise Vakoma, developing a technology part for local communities and their needs. Amodan, let’s hear from you now. Thanks.

Nils Brock:
Hello. Can you all hear me? Yes. Okay.

Amudhan Manivasagam:
Thank you, Shobhani, for the introduction. Good afternoon. Good evening. You know, have a good day, everyone. And it’s nice to be here. I’m glad to be sharing all of our work with you today. At Vakoma, we’re working towards kind of implementing technology for local communities and their needs. and building solutions to connect the global south. Our efforts involve the deployment of open hardware and software, and we create open tools that enable anybody to build a network and adapt it and purpose fit them to their own needs. A lot of our work involves a portable, rapidly deployable networking equipment and hardware, but also software and firmware. To that end, I would like to share with you today a project that we call the Nimble. It’s a device that encapsulates all of our efforts in these various different areas. The Nimble is an integration of open source hardware, software, and firmware, and it’s designed to be modular, customizable, and portable. So let’s start with the Nimble. The Nimble is essentially a series of 3D printed mounts, and it houses hardware that is chosen to fit within a Pelican case, and what this allows is for it to be taken anywhere and be rapidly deployable, and it’s extremely portable. And the designs of these shelves and these mounts are all open, and anybody can download and print them for use, and they can modify them to fit their needs. Users can also design and share their own pieces, so if they have something that they want to put in the Nimble that we don’t already have a mount for, they can design and share it back to the community. In addition to this, to make this hardware more accessible, to everybody else. We’re working on creating parametric designs that change the models dynamically based on the specific hardware that you’ve chosen. So you can much more easily customize it and it makes it way more accessible for people to get started with. And as part of this, it’s also important to mention as we integrate open hardware, software, and firmware and educational resources into this, it’s also important to talk about other ecosystem projects that enable us. And we’re also, the Nimble, when it’s deployed, we also work with open firmware projects. We leverage OpenWRT and what it enables for us is that as part of when you build your own network, communities are able to take any commodity hardware they have on hand and use that to build and deploy the network. And at the end of the day, we want to make building networks more accessible. So the idea is you bring your own hardware, software, your own networking, whatever you have on hand, whatever is available to you locally, and you put it together as the Nimble and it helps you build a community network. And once the network is up, we work on a software platform that we call Local to add value to the network. So once you have the network, what do you do with it? You need to, there is no point in just having a bunch of nodes connected, it has to serve a function. And to that end, we have Local. Local is a software platform that aggregates and enables, again, the rapid deployment of a suite of open source applications. that can fit your needs. So this is a short basket of the applications that you can run on local. And the nice thing about it is you can handpick any combination of these applications that best suit your needs and deploy them rapidly to one or many nodes all at once. And all of these applications can be run offline first. So you can make calls, you can get educational resources, you can run a community forum, you can create content and share it back to the community, all completely offline. And local can be deployed on almost any commodity hardware. You can pick any computing resources that are available to you. It could be an old computer, it could be a Raspberry Pi, it could be a little box. If your community has a lot of users, you can scale it up and down as needed. And it can be deployed on most hardware. And you can select the applications that best suit your needs. And you can also include specialty hardware to serve your specific application. And we’re always working on adding and integrating newer and more open source projects into local. And so if you have an application that you don’t see in this list or on our website, chances are that we can probably integrate it and get it working in a short period of time. And much like the rest of the Nimble and the open firmware ecosystem, local is also designed to be platform agnostic. So it can be run independently of the Nimble. The Nimble is independent of local, but they all connect to create this ecosystem that enables rapid deployment of networks along with the local content and services. And this type of thing really shines. in an offline first environment because it makes building networks for communities that much more accessible, right? When these components and the ability to deploy software, it kind of democratizes the thing. So people can just come and get started much more quickly. And a great example of this would be the collaboration with Colmina. And Colmina I think has been mentioned a few times already in the series of talks. It’s an offline first decentralized platform that can be used to create and disseminate content in a community. The people can just create, edit, mix, add text. They can create content right in Colmina and then disseminate it out to the community. And as part of our collaboration with them, we made a customized Nimble unit which has an audio interface. So you can create and you can take it out in the field. It’s less than a hundred Watts. You can plug in a microphone and create content right there and disseminate it in a volatile situation. And so this is a great example of Nimble being customized along with local integration for a specific use case. And this would really enable offline first volatile situation. You know, it’s a great way to get out news media, for example. And yeah, so this is a nice overview of I think everything we’re working on. We’re always open to collaborating and we actually have a demo of this Colmina Nimble with Neil. So for those of you that are on site. please check it out. You should be able to see from Niels. You can look for the local.network wifi name. You can connect to it. You can explore the content and services, the platform, you can explore the software. And if you have any ideas and you’d like to collaborate with us, you can reach out to us. You can learn more about all of our various projects on the website. And yeah, thank you for your time and your attention. It’s a pleasure chatting.

Nils Brock:
Thank you. Thank you, Amudjan. And yes, as he said, the Nimble is set up at the APC booth in the Global Village. So if you want to check it out the next days, it’s already set up and yeah, happy to meet you there also to show you some more of the facilities. But now let’s jump to Latin America. And we have someone invited here from Costa Rica, Kemli Camacho. Thanks for having made the long way to Japan. And with the permission of the Indigenous Women Association from Alto Pacuare de Cabecar, Kemli will tell us a little more about social technology designed and maintained by indigenous women. Just a few words, or would you like to present yourself, Kemli, as you wish?

Kemly Camacho:
Yes, very fast, because I prefer to take my time for the presentation. My name is Kemli Camacho. I’m from Costa Rica and I’m the coordinator of Zulabatzu Cooperativa, a 20 years old self-managed enterprise from the social economy. And we have been working during now six years with the Association of Cabecar Women to develop communication strategies and with technologies, but in a process of appropriation of the technology. The slide that you are going to see is just for you to illustrate the work that we do in this place, because what I’m going to do is to tell you a story. I would like today to talk more about the transformation that a local communication strategy can make in women organizations. This is what I wanted to address more than talk about the technology. This time I would like to talk about the transformation produced by this technology. I want you to imagine that you are entering in a big, big mountain with no connection at all, no mobiles, no electricity. It takes myself 12 hours walking to arrive to Calabasas, this place where we meet all together women from the Quebecer community. I want also you to imagine this community. Each home is between eight hours to two days walking distance. We don’t have a center in this mountain where you have the home, where you have the houses. They are totally dispersed in the mountain. You have to walk, and if suddenly something happens, you have to walk eight hours. In general, they send one of the kids to one house, to the other, to let them know that something is happening. What is happening, for instance, a woman is having a hard birth, for instance, or there is a bridge that was fell down because of the river or any other thing, but they needed hours to two days to communicate one home to the other. We began to work with them about, at the beginning it was about creating a community network based in internet protocols, but I’m not going to tell you all the story, but their decision were not, not. We don’t want that. What we want is to really have a technology to strengthen the communication inside the territory and to strengthen the communication between women, because we want to strengthen the women’s organization. This is a matrilineal community. Women are the leaders and they heritage the land. Then for them to be organized is very important. I want to tell you the last story. This is an authorized story by them. I cannot tell this story without authorization, but two months ago, a leader drowned in the river. Drowning is a good word, yes, and the body was lost in the river. In other occasion, local authorities will come and look themselves, Red Cross and police, look themselves for the body. In this occasion, women using the walkie-talkie networks organized themselves, and when the local authority came, they said, we don’t want you to look for the body because that is very important for us, and that ceremony is very important for us. We are going to organize ourselves using the walkie-talkie networks to go alone and organize the community to go alone and look for the body of our leader. They do that, yes, they do that and they use all along the river, they organized the way to try to find the body. When they found the body, also, because the authorities asked them, they have to take the body for the morgue, they also said, and organized themselves, all together, talking around the mountains with the walkie-talkie network, walking around the mountains, one to each other, how they are going to define what to do with the body, what to do with the morgue, what to do with local authorities, and how they can and want to do their dead ceremony as they want. Then, I wanted to tell you this simple story, maybe, because it is really the result. On another occasion, if we didn’t have this strategy, communication strategy, based in the walkie-talkie network, the only possibility is the local authorities came and took the body and did the occidental process instead of the cabeca process and ceremony for death. Then, this is only one example about how we, for us, the most important is how we are strengthening, we together, the association, Cabeca Women’s Association, and us, together, we are developing and strengthening the community organizations, leaded by women. Other thing that we have done, and it’s related with communication, is about building infrastructure together. You can see there, this is Hutsini, and we have just finished to build a huaraki. Those are spaces that we are building together. or they are building together, using all the building practices, yes, and they are organizing themselves for having, for the first time, spaces to meet safe and for women to meet in safe conditions. And that is also a result of having a communication strategy. Finally, I wanted to let you know that they are, they began to develop what they call the Kaweka Women University, which is a place in this Huaraki and Hutsini. They are creating this university, Kaweka Women University, where they are teaching agriculture, construction, health practices, or health career, spirituality, and handicraft. These five programs they have created using the second part of our project, which is Okama, which is a platform that contains, this is a bad word, I don’t know how to say in English, but a platform where we are collecting all the wisdom of women in Kaweka language, about this different wisdom in agriculture, construction, et cetera, and by the way of audio, videos, and drawing that young women and boys are doing, using interviews to the older women. Then we have this platform and we are using them to collect all this wisdom and to use in this training for the University of Quebec women. Also, I wanted to let you know, they only speak Quebec, then we are using a lot the drawing for agreements or for presenting ideas and for making decisions. We are, of course, interpreters, young women interpreters, but we are using all this drawing as a communication ways of work also. Finally, let you know that we begin in Halabata. You see, this is our decision-making process. We begin in Halabata, now we are expanding the process to other communities, other Quebec communities, and also in this next part of the project, we are integrating children to the process also. Then, for now, this is what I wanted to share. Thank you.

Carlos Baca:
Thank you, Kemly, and thank you also for this trip that you make us go to Costa Rica and feel some of the feelings to be there. The next speaker is Deborah. Deborah is a journalist and activist, and she is the communication associated in the LockNet initiative led by IPC and Rizomatica. She is in Brazil and is very late there, so she preferred to send us a video, and she has some great news about… a gift for you.

Debora Prado:
Hello, everyone. I’m Deborah. I’m joining from Sao Paulo, Brazil today. I want to start by saying thank you to everyone that’s here on site or online to make this conversation happening and also for the organizers, the facilitators and IGF to make this space happen. And I’m here today to talk about the podcast that we just launched this year. The podcast is named Routing for Communities and we have a motto that says this is an audio journey tracing community connectivity around the world. So this podcast bring live stories of people that are connecting themselves while defending the fundamental rights and the well-being of the communities. This is a podcast produced by the local networks initiative. This is an initiative led by the Association for Progressive Communications, APC and Rizomatica in partnership with people with support organizations with grassroots communities in different parts of the world, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean and working on the local networks initiatives through the years. We have witnessed a lot of inspiring stories of community-centered connectivity, of community networks, of this kind of initiatives that started bottom up and we thought about the podcast as a way, as a channel, as a strategic communication tool to share these voices and these stories and to bring the reflections to this dialogue, to the dialogue about the future of connectivity and the future of digital technology that we want. So more than anything, we believe this podcast is just an entry point to these voices and these stories that are really, really inspiring. I want to share a brief teaser of this podcast, of the teaser that we made, actually, to launch the first season now with you, just for us to listen to a few of those voices as an example and as, of course, an invitation for you to access our landing page, routingforcommunists.apc.org, to listen to these stories. They will bring different perspectives as the involvement of women, how access inequalities can be related to other inequalities, gender, race, and class inequalities, how can connectivity and digital technology, digital communication be mobilized to promote social and environmental justice, how indigenous people, indigenous communities have been using them to preserve the language, the culture. So a lot of different inspiring examples from different countries, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Kenya, South Africa, and more. So I will just play a bit and with this make an invitation for you to listen to these stories and also to share them with people that are interested in this topic. Routing for Communities, an audio journey tracing community connectivity around the world. Hi, my name is Renata Porto and I will follow you along this 12-episode season where we are going to travel to different places, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina, Kenya, Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, India, UK, Colombia. I am originally from Philadelphia in the United States, and then I’ve been in Mexico since about 2010. We will meet stories and voices that are intertwined, connected by a common thread, building internet and communication community networks. I will stop here just to be mindful of the time, but this is an invitation, please. We have also a Telegram channel if you want to join or visit our landing page, we’re also in the main audio podcast platforms. I also want to thank the people that made this season happen. This was a collective work made by many hands, of course, by those that were generous enough to bring their voices and their stories, but also the work behind the scenes. So here are some credits, and I want to thank you all for being here, listening, and for creating this space, and I’m looking forward to engage with you more. Thank you.

Nils Brock:
Thank you, Deborah. I don’t know if you made it to the chat, and now Shabani will announce our next speaker. Thank you, Nils.

Sarbani Banerjee Belur:
Thanks, Deborah, for that nice presentation. We would like to mention that we have keychains present in the room where you are there, as well as in the APC booth with the scan. You can scan the keychain and you can go directly into the podcast that Deborah mentioned about. So please feel free to collect the keychains from the table. Carlos Baca has it with him there in the room. and you can also collect it from the APC booth. Yeah, so over to the next speaker for today. The next speaker for today is Elisa Heppner and she has joined the foundation in March, APNIC Foundation in March, 2023. She has more than 15 years of professional experience in program or project management and the design and delivery of complex projects after working in the private sector, government and not-for-profit sectors. She came to the foundation from the NGO sector where she was responsible in driving the implementation of local, national and international programs in relation to improving education outcomes and literacy using EdTech within a variety of international locations, including Asia and the Pacific. So over to you, Elisa. And the topic of her presentation is Funding Diverse Connectivity Initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. Over to you.

Ellisha Heppner:
Hi, thank you for having me, everyone, this evening. Hopefully my presentation will come up on the screen. There we go, wonderful. Appreciate the time that you’re giving to me today. My previous project role, I was doing closing the digital literacy divide with solutions which was for primary school children doing digital library solutions to rural and remote areas. So I’m really interested in hearing some of the connectivity and discussions that everyone’s bringing to the table today. But I’m here as the grants management lead for the APNIC Foundation. And I wanted to just share some of the great work. that we see that we’re also funding through our foundation and share some of those stories and thoughts that come with that. So how the foundation works, the APNIC Foundation looks to fund predominantly through infrastructure inclusion and knowledge with a goal to have an open, secure and accessible internet for all. And we do that through technical training assistance, community development, grants and awards, internet infrastructure and research and collaboration. So we have a vision to have a global open, stable and secure internet that’s affordable and accessible to the entire Asia Pacific community. We are predominantly focused in the 56 economies through the Asia Pacific region. And the foundation is made up of a variety of different initiatives, from foundation led projects specifically to ISF-Asia grants, ISF-Asia awards and foundation community assistance. I predominantly look after the portfolio of the ISF-Asia grants and the foundation community assistance programs. I just wanted to share with you just a brief snapshot of some of those initiatives that are in play at the moment. We’ve got around 21 different infrastructure projects, 23 knowledge projects and 24 inclusion projects underway at the moment. And over this period, there’s over about 200 different initiatives that have been put through our 32 different economies. Some things to dive down on, these projects, we’ve got at least six that are. focused on internet and specifically the environment. We’ve got a couple that are focused specifically on disability and inclusion. We’ve got eight that are looking to fill the connectivity gaps. And when I say remote, we’re talking those really remote last, you know, areas. Sorry, remote providing those ones is, we’ve got some internet providers that are supporting through that. We’ve got four projects really looking at alternative infrastructure solutions to make that kind of connectivity affordable. A couple of health projects. We’ve got some at the moment focused on forest fires and what that looks like for climate change. We’ve got many focused on social impact. We’ve got IPV6, which is infrastructure. And then yes, 10 on last mile connectivity and 13 around cyber and security. I don’t want to speak specifically about the projects. We’ve got, you know, I’ve got Dinesh here who is one of our recipients, who is CEO of Zervalots and he’s presenting on his organization there. But I wanted to try and highlight the fact that we do fund and support collective efforts around community networks and what that looks like. And that can be really, really diverse. So these are projects and project solutions that have been put forward to us for funding and support that range from this year we’ve got Pacific Broadband who are connecting 100 educational or health facilities across 10 countries through their solution to, you know, Agility is working in really rural and remote hard to reach areas of India. CVSNET Foundation are looking at how to do small, stable broadband across those islands. We have a company with DistantCurve who is servicing remote rural Australia that can cover vast distances, but we have a very, very small population across those large distances. I think what I’d like to share and highlight is that there are a variety of different opportunity solutions based on context and that we really support that kind of diversity of spectrum and we love to support initiatives, whatever they are, that are servicing the community and the community in need. I think the other thing that I’ve seen come through with projects that we like and that we look to support and some of the conversation that I hear from our recipients is that power is also essential for community networks and connecting communities. As part of that, we do support as well initiatives that are looking at alternative power solutions to support that connectivity, ability to be able to provide effective connectivity for services. So an example there is we’ve got a project called MeSoul who is doing peer-to-peer solar microgrids in Rohingya refugee camps. SatSoul is in our Solomon Islands, which is a transportable tower that can be moved from site to site. Common Room, who also do community networks, they are understanding and support and look at alternative power solutions, knowing how important that is to maintain that connectivity. We’ve got Palau National Communications. corporation who are introducing and looking at hybrid solutions to ensure that there’s sustainability through power and backup so that that connectivity can continue to occur. And lastly, I just wanted to share a few selections of our initiatives that are focused on environment and social impact. So this is our inclusion and grants specifically. So we have one of our grantees is here, but not in the room. It’s an organization called Simile, and they’re looking at how the internet and communications and connectivity can be used for climate change and water management. We’ve got the International Research and Exchange Board there. We funded a Myanmar book aid and looked at language and preservation and what libraries meant in that location to be able to support community hubs. We’ve helped to support ICEA and how building models and community networks and looking at those kind of sustainable models through research and funding. And then Devao Medical School, connecting healthcare locations. So that’s essentially the diverse range of solutions that are coming to the table. And I just wanted to highlight how that has happened and how we support that through those kind of public locations, looking at power supply, context-specific solutions, leveraging for impact, and just really reflecting on that many projects are ill-equipped with connectivity and how do we make sure that we’ve got that before we do projects. Thank you.

Nils Brock:
Thank you, Ellisha. And, yeah, nice to see this from a funder perspective and if there are other… Funders in the room thinking about how they can support bottom-up connectivity and content production I think you already gave some nice examples and you also touched an important topic that is Solar energy and photovoltaic systems and our next speaker from Germany has yeah A long history of having worked on such and similar technologies some of you might have heard of from her already Elektra Wagenrath will be here with us. She’s been developing wireless mesh technology for community networks and solar power systems in Germany, Bangladesh, India, Chile, Tanzania, South Africa, so she has been around the world. Wireless networking, she has published several books and articles on this. She has also worked on the Freifunk community and has developed now already the third generation of the Freifunk open MPPT, an open software hardware solar controller and she will tell us more about it now. Welcome Elektra.

Elektra Wagenrad:
Hello, I hope you can hear me. Yes, we can. Excellent. Well, unfortunately, I cannot share the slides with you on the laptop, so I will try with the smartphone. It’s fine, but we can see you and hear you clearly. Oh dear. How do I get out of here. It’s the first time I’m trying to do this on a smartphone. I hope you see my slides now. No, unfortunately not. We can only see you, which is nice. Okay, so I just have to go. Unfortunately, I can’t show you the slides. So, I’m a community member of the Freifunk Community Networking Initiative, and in 2017, I started to work for Freifunk on powering mesh networks from solar. So, I started to engineer and develop devices, solar controllers that you can build yourself and that you can program yourself, because they’re open hardware and open software. So, it’s open source hardware through and through. And the first devices were like small devices with like 50 watts of power for mobile mesh nodes or independent mesh nodes. And from then on, people kept on asking me if they could have more power. So, I increased the power and I increased the versatility of the devices. And so, there’s now three generations of these devices. Two generations are based on the ESP32 microcontroller, and they support telemetry. They support extending it with other software. For example, I’ve made a prototype for APC that is for irrigation purposes. I have a prototype that is monitoring the environment, because the solar controller cannot just provide power for your infrastructure. It can also be used for other purposes as well. So, it’s extendable for these purposes. Yeah, it’s a bummer that I don’t have my slides to show you. And one of the devices, an early prototype of the third generation. has been used in Antil in India and it can also be used to serve power to the Nimble project for example. So the latest device has a power of up to 400 watts peak from the solar system and it’s designed to work with 12 volt batteries but I’m also extending it probably to 24 volt batteries. So far I’m using AGM led batteries but I’m also testing now with Li-Ion iron phosphate batteries. Elektor we have found the slides do you want us to show them we can show them now. Oh that would be awesome. I can’t see them. Can you see them? We can see them. The first one is the Freifunk open MPPT. Yeah yeah so I have my slides here locally so yes. That graphic is just illustrating the purpose that we like two villages and in the middle of nowhere there is a opportunity to overcome an obstacle and then you the idea is to autonomously power a wireless relay in a mesh network so the villages can be connected. Can you go to slide number two? That’s the one on the picture on the left side you see one of the first uses. It’s a mobile pole with solar power and battery. So, which is integrating a mashed potato used back then, and the solar panel and the solar charge controller. And on the right hand, you see the app that can be used to monitor the device. It will also give you hints if something is wrong. Please go to slide number three. Here you see the modules that basically such a system is consisting of. Just step over to slide number four. Just a schematic, a block diagram showing the use in India in Ant Hill. Here the device was used to power a think center. The 400-watt device and the 100-watt device from the open MPPT was powering the TP link that was connected to the cow mesh. Slide number five, please. So this is a current prototype of the 400-watt version, and I’m going to start production this year. Slide number six, please. Yeah, some pictures from the field, from the deployment in Ant Hill. The left picture is when they prepared it, and the right hand picture shows the installation. I have to mention that this installation gave problems because the batteries and the device were overheating because they were exposed in a metal box to the blazing sun, which was not how I intended it to be used. Slide number seven, please. Next one. Yeah, I started to print housings for it. And this is a device that you can use in an environment where it’s not on a remote place. For example, if you use it locally, it’s a printed housing. And I added the display, slide number eight. And here you can see the OSPIT, Open Solar Powered Irrigation Tool, the prototype that I’ve built based on the device. And I have the idea to make a PCB for that as well, because I have the feeling that many people will be looking for such a solution. And last slide, it’s just a thanks to the contributors, the people that helped me with the funding. Thank you very much.

Carlos Baca:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Carlos. Our next speaker is Nwendoa Kiibuba from Kenya. And he is one of the board members of the KIKTA-NET, that is the Kenyan ICT Action Network. And he’s also one of the developers of the Angaza Community Networks in Matare slums in Nairobi.

Mwendwa Kivuva:
Okay, thank you so much for the introduction. So my name is Nwendoa Kiibuba from KIKTA-NET. And I have some slides to share, so probably I can be enabled to do that. So probably I can give a small brief of the Kenyan situation, is that host disabled screen sharing, probably you can enable that. Is that Kenya has a licensing framework and to get a license for community network. You pay around $50. So it’s a very affordable license that we have. And this was made possible through some collaboration through APC, Rizomatika, Communication Authority of Kenya, and UKAID. And this license is the one Malawi is referring to that many other African countries are looking to adopt. And recently, the regulator in Kenya started cracking the whip on unlicensed wireless service providers. So they are being shut down by the regulator. So many of them are now starting to get these licenses. OK. Thank you. Thank you. OK, I’ve shared the screen. And also, Kenya has formed an association for community networks with around 15 members belonging to that association. And they are able to lobby government and other players effectively because now the association has more members and they have numbers to be able to talk to the regulator. Some of the many challenges, of course, we are facing within our situation, power is a big challenge. We have had some speakers speak about power. Like for example, this is Angaza Community Network that we are running in Madari Valley. And this is a situation on the ground. Very many tiny shack, tin roofs, houses. And most of the location is not covered by a power grid. And the power grid that is there within the location, most of them is actually illegally tapped. So the power is usually. So, we have a lot of access points, and we have a lot of access points that usually fluctuate, the spikes, and the spikes burn most of the adapters for the access points that we have within the value. So, unreliable power is one of the big challenges that we are facing as a network. Within the network, we have four access points, and we have a lot of access points, and we have a lot of access points which communicate to the access points that are on the ground. And one challenge, like, this network faced is that some of the vandalism of equipments, so if you don’t secure your site very well, probably have tight security, razor wires and all that, you find the equipments get stolen. So, we have a lot of challenges, and we have a lot of challenges, like, some is competitors vandalizing, and some is just people looking to sell the equipments for money. Another challenge we have seen many community network phase is backhaul, because, like, for a situation, 100 Mbps backhaul cost around $1,000 per month, and how, as we are trying to cover the cost of backhaul is to talk to government, because government have access backhaul, like, Kenya, there’s a city authority of Kenya which provides Internet to government sites, and they are free backhaul, actually, just lying around. So, one of the things we are doing is telling them if there’s a fiber pipe passing through Kenya, if on the other side of Kenya, so neighbour hubs, if there’s a fiber pipe going from government house to a house, and also to a telephone, because they are forgetting precisely withEsco export or phone order and Why don’t you give them that back also so that they can be able to serve the members of the community with that Internet? And in Kenya, there is an initiative to serve, to provide, to have 25,000 access points within the country. And that’s a government initiative. So with collaboration with community networks, they can be able to achieve that target if the government provides back home. Community networks provide the access points and the community people to manage it. They can be able actually to achieve that number at a very lower cost. So that’s something we are really advocating, and we are talking to the ministry and the relevant government agencies to be able to support that. And within our network, we have several trained engineers who have been going through the schools of community networks so that they can be able to manage this network from the site. And one challenge, of course, is when we train these engineers and they are very good, they get poached or they go to larger, bigger organizations. So they go to the bigger ISPs because probably there is better salaries. So we actually say that we are building capacity for the nation, because you build capacity so people are able to manage these networks, then they go to work for the bigger ISPs. But of course, we have already built the community and also built human resource for the nation. So we don’t mind that so much when it happens. So one of the wins on our POPs, you can see like this solar panels within our POPs. And these solar panels are the ones which are powering the masks. But now at the village level, we have access points. that we have mounted on top of a residence, a residence house, and we are not able to power all these devices with solar. These are, we have around 250 devices, so that they can be able to supply Wi-Fi across the village. And these are the devices that we have problem with power because they get burnt out all. So probably the solutions that we have seen discussed here, probably some of them we can try to adapt and apply within our network. Some of the quick wins we have had with this project is support from APC and World Association for Christian Communicators. They have been able to provide a small funding to pay community people who are managing the network for us and maybe even support part of a backhaul and this small administrative cost. And of course, one of the other quick wins is collaboration with government and ministry and communications authority. So our regulator in Kenya is very engaging and very available. So it’s actually possible to have the regulator be part of your team. Actually, most of our equipment that we have not yet deployed the regulator is the one who is storing the equipments for us. And we hope that this program can be able to support the government agenda for providing 25,000 hotspots across the country. We have seen people, we know that free citywide or slam internet is actually possible. Even here in Kyoto, you go on the streets, there is free Wi-Fi with collaboration with the local municipality. And even if you go to New York, there is free internet provided by New York City, New York City Wi-Fi. So these models actually work and they can also. We have a network for informal settlement, who we can actually help to give Internet. We are targeting to have 20,000 unique monthly users by mid-2024 with this network. Thank you so much.

Nils Brock:
. Thank you very much. We see that solar energy is very important for the development of community networks, and I think we can also see the link which is between the policy work that James mentioned before and how it can create conditions to make those networks grow. And now let’s go back to India to hear a bit more about the work of community networks there and also community media, especially community radios, and someone who can tell us more about it .

Sarbani Banerjee Belur:
Thank you, everyone. I’ll just present my slides. Yeah, hope you all can see my slides. Yes, we can. Okay. Yeah, so I’m going to speak about the varied users of community media by women in community networks. So I’m a member of the community media association for progress of communication. I’m a fellow of ICR, that is institute for social entrepreneurship in Asia, and I am also the Asia regional coordinator of the LockNet project at the association for progress of communication. So all of you all must be knowing about what is community networks or the community-centered connectivity where in regions where there is no connectivity there is now, there are lots of coordination happening and so I’m going to share a guess a little bit about what is community networks and what we are in. Yeah, thank you, Kim. Yes, so community networks are seated by the community, for the community. And in these networks, women’s role play, it plays an important role. Women play an important role. Women play an important role in setting up these networks. One of the things that is very important to understand is that in these networks, women actually play a role of decision-making, of setting up the network. Like for example, they will think whether it has to be, they contribute to the decision process of making the network an online network or an offline network, based on various other criteria, which I’ll tell you a little bit later. And I think women’s role also is that they contribute to a better and equitable network because women try to put up the access points in locations where women usually visit, like the schools or the well, where they draw water, unlike the others. So it’s more equitable network. And it is an understanding of women’s capability to use the network. So here they use quite a lot of frugal technologies that are technologies that are like just a smartphone without any connectivity, but with using the audio recording session, audio recording feature of the smartphone. And it is towards developing enterprises and social entrepreneurs. So in India, we do have quite a lot of community radio in Asia. And I’ll tell you examples. That’s Servalots, Dinesh is there in the room. Servalots is one of the organizations and APC member who has set up a community radio, an offline community radio for the community. And they have actually set an example, and we have followed it for various other community networks. and this is an offline radio that is that is set up in the community for sharing information within the community. Then Asorkom in Myanmar that used to be there but has been as no more there had a Haisha FM that is a community radio that was set up specifically for the community and related to all it related to all the information that the community had and and it is closed down now because of the political coup there. Then the Pathardi community network is also has used community radio and it collects information on biodiversity and it is also an offline network offline radio. So what happens is that in these in these in these networks that by community radio is used is that it brings the community together and it if you look at the illustration on the left hand side it actually suggests that it brings the community together this type of media it brings the community together and the user is always a usage of Google technologies that are used like just a recording a mic that is used or or a mobile phone with the audio recording facility. So it is a very very very simple type of technology that is used and it also brings a platform for the people in the community to discuss various issues which is not there in which internet can you can just plug on to the internet and you can be connected to the outside world but the knowledge that is there within the community it really requires some of the knowledge can be recirculated within the community sometimes the community doesn’t know it and this indigenous knowledge sharing is is sort of used quite a lot through the use of the community radio and we have examples of indigenous knowledge like art and craft forms which the community doesn’t want to go into the internet and it should remain within the community and get enhanced by the contribution from the people in the community and this happens within the community radio space, the platform that it provides. So I just give you an example of a network offline network diagram, a mesh network diagram which is here and you can see that how the radio is used, how the information, various types of information is collected by the community in an offline setting and it attributes the community knowledge. What happens to the women is that women have find self-expressions for community radio, otherwise they don’t have, their voices are never heard in the online medium and it sort of gets diluted but in the community radio space women find self-expression, they can speak, they can speak for themselves and of course the community support is also there, the local community linking up the local community to the outside world and as you can see preserving indigenous knowledge in one of the networks that we are going to set up very soon now. We are going to use a combination of Nimble and Colmena for setting up a network for preserving languages in a tribe in a remote part of India where the language is totally getting eroded, it’s not there anymore, they don’t have a repository also of its own so we are setting it up over there and the community contribution to the knowledge repository is only is going to be only through this community radio, which is, again, going to be an offline network that we are going to set up. And what happens is that, through this type of community media, what happens is that women who are perceived to be not having digital literacy or not having devices, so they can adapt themselves to technologies that are very frugal and simple to use. That’s all. Thank you.

Nils Brock:
Thank you, Shobani. And now to our next speaker. I already wrote in the chat if you have questions. We will get your questions answered on quickly. It has been many presentations, but yeah, I think very interesting insights and two more coming. So now we will have Eric Huerta from Redis Mexico and also from Rizomatica. And he will tell us a bit about the work, interesting work doing in Mexico.

Erick Huerta:
Hello. Hello, well, thanks a lot for all the experiences that have been presented. It’s such inspiring and interesting. Well, it’s good to hear that we share sometimes common problems when we talk about electricity, when we talk about access. And well, I love all the presentations, but especially I like the one from the Quebecer woman because it reminds us a lot of the context that we also work with indigenous communities. Well, I’m going to tell you the story, our own story about what is happening now. 12 years ago, more or less. So, 10 years ago, we started a mobile network, a community mobile network with indigenous communities. So, that moment was a hit, because it was the first time a community, indigenous community got access to Spectrum for mobile services. And then, well, we started 2G services in indigenous communities from Mexico and the area of Oaxaca. But well, it has been 10 years since that, and well, things have changed a lot, and also technology has changed a lot, and we have new challenges and also new opportunities with this. So, especially after the pandemic, we have seen an increase of the expansion of big operators in Mexico. So, in some of the communities that we used to provide, well, the communities used to provide service for themselves, some big operators started coming in, too. And that, well, it’s difficult to compete with them, because these local networks have a specific type of numbering, so they don’t use the same numbering like the other communities, and some people switch them, because they’re not a national network. So, one of the things for us was to see, how shall we do? Are we going to continue with this project, or we don’t? So, the first thing that we did was to, as every year, all the communities met together and we explained the situation, how it was going, and they decided to continue. They say, we’re going. to continue with the networks, but each time we have to move the local networks to the smallest communities. So that affects the sustainability of the network, because the big communities sustain the small communities. But if all of them are small, well, that’s a problem. And the other option was also to create a mobile virtual operator, so that the communities don’t lose what they already have, a share within the calls that were done in the community. So we create this mobile virtual operator, and we continue with building infrastructure within the small communities. But this thing of the mobile virtual operator also brings us new opportunities as well. When we started these networks, we were so excited because we think that we could do a lot of side projects regarding to content creation or local economy development and that. But the real thing was that most of the time and energy was kept in sustaining the networks, in attending the services and ensuring that the network was more reliable and so on. So we have less time to work on these side projects. So the mobile virtual operator brings us these opportunities. And also, this mobile virtual operator is not just about providing service, but also to support content creation for the communities and also local product exchange. I would just quickly tell about two of these. experiences that are there. One is from a community, and this community says, well, we have our mobile non-virtual operator now, we provide service to the community, but we would like to have a local information centre for our community. And that’s why I was, I refer to these local networks and the ones like the Quebec has, because, for instance, this community has run a long history fighting against the mining in their communities, no? So they want to share these experiences, this experience to the new generation so that they continue to remain strong against the invasion of the lands and so on. And so we are working with them, creating this, well, we started this project creating this facility so that they can have their local maps, their local information centre to provide this in a local network. So this has been an important change, no? It’s not just about now that we don’t have to sustain the infrastructure, we can engage in different projects that can develop local content using the resources that come from the virtual operator. And the other is the strength in local economies, no? So the model that we use within the mobile virtual operator is kind of a service, it’s kind of a local savings group, no? Like a local savings group. So this is the, this other story is… a local university, a community university, and it’s mainly a peace and university. So they have a special area for communications. They are about six to seven students, they’re small students, and they decided to create this group to become a mobile reseller, from the mobile operator. So it was interesting because they have saved some money for some production that they did, and then from there, they restarted their MVNO. And with that money, well, it was very successful because at that place, it was the only operator, is that, we don’t, okay. Well, it was very successful because it was the only operator there, so a lot of money get started into the income, and now they are become a self, and they have, they are now founding themselves to support the acquisition of their computers, or their own mobiles, and so on. So, I mean, that’s what I wanted to share, this change from the local network to a virtual operator that moves into some different areas of the self-sustainability of the community, so that was all, thank you.

Nils Brock:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Eric, and sorry, we had to watch the time a bit because we have still one speaker, Whisper Rose, waiting online, and Whisper is from CBO from Kenya called Tandanet, some of them might know you, and she will tell you. quickly about a project that we heard mentioned already a couple of times, Colmena, where several organizations that presented here today are involved. It’s like a common effort for an open-source software and yes, RISPR will tell us more about it. And thank you for patience, RISPR, the floor is yours now.

Risper Arose:
Thank you. Thank you so much, Niels. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, everyone. I’m glad to be part of this conversation and just to commend the great presentation that I’ve heard from the different speakers. A lot I could resonate because we also have a community network and also we’ve worked with Colmena, so a lot of synergy also from the conversation from the different speakers that I’ve presented. So I’ll just share my screen. I hope you can see my screen. It’s still loading, yes, now we can see it. Yes, so briefly I’ll talk about our work, what we do in Kenya, and mostly it’s just an addition to what the previous speaker, Kivuva Mwendwa, has spoken about, painting a picture on the landscape of community networks in Kenya. And now I will talk about a community network based in the informal settlements of Nairobi, that is Kibera called Tandanet, where I work. Yeah, so Tandanet is a… is a community network that is dedicated to creating a digital ecosystem that combat digital inequalities within marginalized grassroots communities. And we also do this through a multi-faceted approach where we provide affordable internet access, enhance digital literacy, develop digital platforms, and also collaboratively create locally relevant content with the community. From the picture that you can see, that’s how the landscape is. Something very similar to also what was shared with the previous speaker. The Kibera has 13 villages, and the exact number of residents is not determined, but ranges between 170,000 to 1 million people. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a lot that was highlighted, especially around the ongoing problem where the many low income communities lack reliable or affordable access to connectivity. And hence they were being left further behind since most of the services were moving online. And the most internet providers that offer affordable data packages in the community, the problem is just that it’s not very reliable or very feasible. And also the quality of the mobile internet can be poor sometimes because of poor infrastructure. Yeah. So what you can see also is a mast. The mast is located actually in our offices, and our offices is at one of the communities. schools, that is where we are located. So our programs, our work revolve in two folds. So as I mentioned, we have the beat around access, providing affordable access. And here we currently, we have connected 60 centers in nine villages out of the 13 villages in Kibera and our goal is in the near future to reach, to connect the 13 villages in Kibera. And also we provide internet connectivity to community schools, CBOs, NGOs, community hospitals, community business, youth and women groups. So initially it was more around organized groups that we were engaging with. But starting this year, we have started connecting homes and individuals. Our path to sustainability, we have paying clients where the first is we offer public hotspot internet access for communities for as low as $0.5 a day. Also we provide fixed internet services to the community centers that I had mentioned at the rate of $15 a month. And with this, they get unlimited internet speed of up to 40 Mbps per month. And out of the 60 connected centers, 41 are making regular payments and the rest are not. But the beauty about community networks is the co-creation process. So figuring out with the community who cannot be able to pay for the internet, what avenues would make sense for them so that they keep connected. connecting regardless of that state. So really looking at also the idea around anchor clients who can pay for the internet in terms of the standard rate, then that can support our clients or the community who are not able to make regular payments. Also, we offer network trainings to the communities and these things are designed to educate the centers with basic skills around networking concepts, networking management, troubleshooting and security practices. So that in case the internet is down and there is a troubleshoot that needs to happen at the center level, then the community that you connected are able to do that. Yes, so beyond Kibera, our work also look at, sorry, beyond Kibera, our work also look at, sorry, just give me a minute. Our work also look at mentorship, training and mentorship program where we have trained over 200 individuals from 11 community networks in Kenya. Those are organizations that either emerging community networks or already established community networks on what it takes to design, deploy, operate and sustain a community network. And this is a project also that was supported by APC called Supporting Community-Led Approaches under the LockNet Initiative. And then after, so beyond the access, beyond the internet access, we also do a lot of activities around capacity building the community. So, we engage the community through human-centered design to focus on what their needs assessment is, and then through that, design trainings that will then support them in meaningful access of this technology. We also look at diversity, so looking at, from these centers that we have connected, how women are relating to the technology, and how men are relating to the technology, and if there’s any extra efforts that needs to be made for a certain group to be able to meaningfully access the technology, then we create and we co-create with them some of these capacity-building efforts. Also with this, just promoting ownership and control by the community, and this we do through local content creations and platforms, where we encourage the community to not just be creators of digital content, but also to be, not just to be consumers, but also to be creators of this content. So, we do, after the trainings, we think through what sort of podcast we can create so that it can be accessed by the general community beyond the connected centers that we engage in this training. We’ve also created comic strips, videos, just to showcase some of the work and amplify the voices of these community centers that we are connecting, and also the role of internet in amplifying their work. Also, we have created knowledge management platforms, which comprises e-learning platforms and also school management platforms. And in 2021, we introduced Colmena to the community network as a tool for local content. creating and sharing. So here I’ll just talk briefly about Colmena. So after connectivity, community members need locally relevant content. And that is where Colmena come in, where we have worked in three phases. In the first phase was when we first interacted with the platform. And we did user experience and user interface testing with the community medias, just to understand what are some of the gaps that they are facing as community media, and how is Colmena a tool that can be able to address those gaps. And from that, the platform was, we got really good feedback that went ahead to contextualize the platform. And also done workshops on creating awareness of Colmena, where we’ve invited the community medias and even community networks that we’ve worked with in Kenya to just understand what Colmena is and see how it plugs best to their work. And currently we are on the third phase, and we are looking into localizing and contextualizing the tool by creating an instance of the tool that will be locally hosted in Tandanet that is based in Kenya. So looking at that, seeing how the tool can then be, can serve with its feature that is online or offline, and be able to really contextualize on top of this engagement that will be ongoing at the community level. So those are what we are doing with. platform, Colmena, and of course, just benefiting from the cost efficient and affordable solutions that it has to the grassroots community. Also, the fact that it addresses the need for more urgency on the community level to ensure uninterrupted, safe and secure access for the information, and also improve the local collective ownership at the last mile level. And lastly, just to build or contribute to the resilient, decentralized infrastructure through the ownership of the community. So, I don’t know how I’m doing with time. I don’t think I’ll have time to go through my last slide. Niels? Yes, very quickly. We have five minutes left on the session, and then we have to wrap up. Yes. Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Just key areas that from our reflections, we thought that needs a lot of attention is number one, co-creation, especially with the community needs time, especially when you’re introducing platforms, when you’re introducing local content, when you’re introducing decolonization of this content, it needs time and it needs patience with the community. Also, there’s need to join forces with like-minded individuals and organizations and aligning capabilities and sharing resources in order to promote digital inclusion. And lastly, we need to actively participate in evaluating some of this digital inclusion efforts, considering the gender, different race, and control at the grassroots level, and also to participate in such spaces to strengthen the resilient digital infrastructure and community. participation. So thank you so much even to our supporters and yeah looking forward to you.

Nils Brock:
Thank you Risper and yes it was a big lineup of speakers so we did took almost all the two hours but interesting insights and I think this room there won’t be much time now for for questions. I don’t know if there’s anyone who who has one oh okay over there and then I would say also let’s take the time later at the gala or at the booth in the in the village to continue our

Audience:
dialogues. Yes thank you so it was really interesting but I have one question I don’t know who wants to answer it. So we have more layers than the network layer, the technical layer, we have also the regulation layer, we have the content layer, the administration and and the whole conference is talking about disinformation and how do you distinguish between these layers and how do you make sure that that your networks that you are building not in the end being misused when the number of users and active users are growing. So what what measures do you have in place for that? I mean I’ll add one more layer which is who are left out when we say participating you know the community is participating but who are left out. So I’m coming from the point of like low literacy and how do they engage and how do they become part of the content creation process or content engagement you know. Okay this was a question to Mwendua and probably RISPA. We are talking about network in the informal settlements and how do you make sure that the network is not in the informal settlements? And, I wanted to know the level of the quality of the Internet provided by these communities, but also in terms of connectivity, I wanted to understand, like, once an installation has been done to a house or a unit, what is the consistency in terms of paying the subscription done by the specific houses, so that we get to understand, is it affordable to them? What is your feeling about them paying, or what is your feeling about the consistency of using the Internet provided to this household? And that will also inform, when you’re talking about accessible and affordable and available Internet, what does that mean, looking at the context of the communities we are targeting. And the question on the quality of the Internet, we’ve had experience where Internet quality works in the middle of the night. What is the experience with that? Thank you.

Nils Brock:
Okay. Any takers for the questions? We can maybe start over there, and then everyone has a quick final say.

Erick Huerta:
Just, maybe I could talk a bit about the layers of the… The more sophisticated is the network, the more layers it has to attend, you know? And I think that we have to think about the small economies, or the economies for subsistence economies, how they work, and they subsist because they work collectively. You won’t make it if you think just in oneself, or in just one person. So the first thing that we did when we started was to look around who were working on these different areas and then discover who was better for doing what or was better for doing things. And I think that’s the case of Loch Ness. That’s how Loch Ness was born. After meeting together and thinking about all these different layers and how we attend, there were there were people that were more experienced in regulation, were more experienced in technology and that. And so with that we have been organizing as a network to help us and prevent and subsist within these small different networks. Because trying to attend everything one network would be impossible.

Kemly Camacho:
And Danish, the Kavekar culture is not a written culture at all. They don’t have written, only in the university they have tried to write, to create a written for the Kavekar culture, but their culture is not written at all. Then what we use, the platform, Okama Sway, the platform that we use is only audio and image. Okay, we don’t use writing at all because it’s not part of the culture. And also, we use a lot of drawing. Drawing is something very crucial for this interaction, especially because I don’t speak Kavekar and they don’t speak Spanish. Yes, and we have the interpreter, which is the younger women, yes, that speak both, but we communicate a lot using drawing. Then those are the strategies that we have used, but we use a lot of recording, video, images, drawing, photos, yes. And with that we have created the platform. of wisdom of the women, the Quebecois women.

Nils Brock:
Thank you. I’m really sorry, but I was just informed that we run out of time, so the last question, we will have to take it outside, if we can do. Would you help to answer it later, James and Kivuva? Okay, thank you. And for all of those who are still around and who want to know more about Colmena, about the content creation software that we saw, we will test it here during the events. Anyone who wants to have an account and also to help for participatory coverage, you will find me at the APC booth, and then, yeah, let’s talk about it and create some content together. And thank you all, all who were there online, on-site, who contributed to this session. I think it was a really nice insight into all the interesting work done. And yeah, let’s take advantage of the next four days here to inform more about the work done by and for communities, networks, and media, and engage in the discussions and make this our IGF. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Have a great day and go, North Carolina. Go, North Carolina. I don’t know what to call you. I don’t mind saying it. I’ll go, Chicago. I don’t mind saying it. I’ll go, Chicago. All right. All right.