ICT Youth center in Rufisque (Senegal) in collaboration with Segrate (Italy)

The project was established between two active members of the GCD network, namely the cities of Segrate (Italy) and Rufisque (Senegal), during the Steering Committee Meeting that took place in March 2009 in Segrate, when the Mayor Adrian Alessandrini and the Mayor of Rufisque Mr Ndiawar Touré signed an agreement on this purpose.

The project aims to contribute to the reduction of the digital divide, through the diverse utilization of new technologies throughout the world. These different types of usage are due to the mix of two factors: the scarcity of available infrastructures and low capacity of ICT utilization. In this direction, a youth center was created and equipped with 40 PCs and a wide-band connection. Here, the young people in Rufisque will be able to attend formation courses and use the PCs and Internet.

The Municipalities of Segrate and Rufisque have as partners the German-Senegalese association “Senegal und Freunde”, the “Informatici senza Frontiere” association and “Sinapto” company.

Fostering digital solidarity in the Cape Verde Islands

The city of Luxembourg initiated a project in cooperation with the "Comité Spencer", addressing the Cape Verde Islands, in Africa. The aim is to provide at the beginning 3 schools in Cape Verde, with pupils between 6 and 18 years old, with 150 refurbished computers and mobile devices (Linux/Open Source).

The “Comité Spencer” is an association that organises, on a voluntary basis, the transport of goods from Luxembourg to the Cape Verde Islands, in particular system for water sanitation. The Cape Verdean diaspora communities in Europe have a strong representation in Luxembourg, after Portugal, France and the Netherlands.

The opening to a better education is one of the most important points in this project. For a good, qualitative education of the teachers and the possibility to show them how to maintain, therefore, to recycle the PCs in a sustainable way, the city of Luxembourg will contact the Government of Luxembourg, who has signed an executive program with the government of Cap Verde towards practice exchange of culture and education. Furthermore, the city of Luxembourg will also foster capacity building on these Islands, whose biggest problem is not the lack of energy but the shortage of water resources as well as micro-finance and basic health. The project will start in April 2010 and is currently being validated by the city council of Luxembourg.

• Composition of the stations;
• Reinstallation;
• Organisation of the transport;
• Distribution of the stations;
• Education and Maintenance;
• Recycling of the stations.

Two types of stations are required:

• Stations with office tools for primary schools (children between 6 and 12);
• Stations with more power for multimedia for secondary schools (children between 12 an 18).

For the first type of station, the city of Luxembourg provides 200 Apple-stations, equipped with a standard Linux and Open-Office Tools. For the second type a collection of stations will start soon and the departments of the city of Luxembourg will be contacted. Until now about 40 stations have been collected and will be equipped with educational Linux, which includes Office Tools and Multimedia Software.

The computers that will be shipped oversea are coming from Technolink, a state-owned institution. There are around 3,000 working stations available in Luxembourg and these may be refurbished with the help of Technolink, a city network centre offering high quality support to 6,000 students between 3 and 12 years old in 58 schools with 4,000 classrooms and 600 school staff involved daily in the city of Luxembourg.

For the marketing of the project a film will be made: the scenes are captured by local peoples and television and the city of Luxembourg will compile the final film. Once this project have been finalized with success other projects will follow. The city of Luxembourg thinks about an annual cooperation.

Contact Person
Mr Guy Breden
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