Sharing the Experience - Digital Knowledge

I had the privileged to share some of my projects (most of them showcased on this site) with 25 of my fellow young Pacific Islands Leaders at the East-West Centre here in Hawaii, on two session, one on the 3rd and the other on the 8th of October 2014.  Despite being given a limited time to present, I was able to deliver brief stories of my commitments to various projects that are displayed on this blog.

My first presentation titled "Providing Digital Opportunities for the disAdvantaged" aimed to inform young pacific island leaders about the importance of including the middle and lower class citizens of the Pacific Island nations in gaining access to digital knowledge to help them fit into the digital error.

Connecting people and nations through ICT

The core message was that majority of the population within the pacific island nations who drive the economy are the middle to lower classes and maybe we should start shifting our focus to them to address the digital barrier between those in the urban and those in rural areas by looking at how we can provide them with hopes to digital opportunities.

Providing digital opportunities for the disAdvantaged

I briefly discussed the growing trend in heavy use of technology where the world is heading and and where most of us Pacific Island nations would head too.  Therefore, we should also educate our people who are digitally disconnected with those basic ICT knowledge because every thing would be dependent of technology in the future.  By educating people on how to effectively use technology in trade, business, education or communication, they would be in a better position to appropriately use various tools to help them contribute to the economy of their island nation.

In my second presentation on the 8th of October, I provided alternative tools available on the internet for young leaders to use in sharing their participations with their local communities to the world.  This presentation was on "Bridging the Digital Divide" which I talked about using open source services to reach out to the bridging the digital divide.  I also talked about the importance of data security and safety, internet privacy and copyright issues and most interesting was when I took the participants through a phishing experience where they were shocked at how easy it is to extract someone's user credentials.  Note: For user awareness purposes, members only went through experiencing the outcome, not the process.

2014 Digital Exhibition Participants

Information Communication Technology (ICT) has become a pressing factor in today's business everywhere across the globe.  There are still many people dragging behind in terms of their contribution to development as a result of barriers in technology.  A lot of people nowadays are caught up with the habit of "using the latest" of everything from both hardware and software applications.  Though most people in Papua New Guinea are trying their best to cope with the rapid technological changes and the demands that come with it, still majority of these people lack proper knowledge of appropriately using them.  Barriers in such can be bridged if we provide digital opportunities for all the digitally disadvantaged men, women and children so they learn how to effectively access and use various ICT services and in return would enable them to contribute to the developments.  

For this post I will share some of my many contributions in the domain of ICT in bridging the digital divide in Papua New Guinea.  
Members of communities living in Port Moresby had turned up in numbers to attend various Free computer training conducted by volunteer academics and university students at the UPNG ADOC Center (located within the University of Papua New Guinea).  The project is aimed at bridging the digital divide and provide possible digital opportunities as alternatives for those that are digitally disadvantaged.

As a requirement for the Center, every year it hosts events to showcase to the public various activities and training that benefited participants.  During these events, participants share their experiences with the public through the media interviews and encourage those that are less fortunate to look at other alternatives to find hope instead of resolving to negative solutions.  For the year 2014, the Center proposed to host different kind of event that is expected to be massive.  We have registered almost 90 participants in different categories to undergo basic to specialized training prior to an exhibition scheduled for late November or early December 2014.

Part of the UPNG ADOC 2014 - Digital Exhibition Students

This exhibition would be a collaborative effort with inputs from different strands & departments within the University of Papua New Guinea.  The areas to be covered in this event include Graphic design, Digital Music, Information Technology, Typing and PC Maintenance.

The exhibition, known as the "Digital Exhibition" intends to promote a various objectives which include;

- Engaging divisions within the facilitating institution to collaboratively participate in disseminating vital ICT knowledge as part of their community outreach.

- Provide an avenue for university students to share some of their acquired knowledge and gain confidence in delivering content (especially those intending teachers)

- Giving basic specialized skills/ knowledge to those digitally disadvantaged men, women and children

- Provide opportunities for the digitally disadvantaged people to secure employment through their showcasing of various computing skills during the digital exhibition

- Contribute to the government's various visions such as;
* Human Capital Development, Gender, Youth and people Empowerment
* Institutional Development and Service Delivery
* Spiritual, Cultural and Community Development

To work toward the exhibition, the Center organised training schedules for all participating members.  

From February to June, I sent out notices through media (Facebook) and my mobile phone to contacts in my network letting people know of the proposed training and project.  People started flooding in to register for the program. Due to limited number of volunteers to train members, I had to limit the applicants.  I registered only 96 however, 86 made it through.

Again using my contacts, I had to invite member staff withing the University to participate in this project.  A formal invitation letter was sent to various staff members within the different areas proposed for the exhibition.  A meeting was then called on Friday the 27th of June 2014 and volunteer staff members came where we discussed about this event.  Everyone thought the idea was great so the first class began on Saturday the 12th of July 2014.

Each of the proposed specialized training had their first turn and so far participating members have expressed a lot of positive comments and satisfaction.

From Manual to Digital [Bar-coding Local Products]

In mid 2013 around October, as I walked passed a street in Port Moresby - the capital of Papua New Guinea, I came across a group of people gathering around someone speaking.  Eager to see what everyone’s packing for, I went by and joined the crowd.

There were about15-20 people standing there listening and it was a little bit uneasy to look through however because I have the height, I was able to stand behind everyone and listen.  There, in the midst was an elderly man exultantly speaking of his products and how beneficial it is to his customers.  His name is Simon Moga and he hailed from Rigo in the Central Province, Southern region of Papua New Guinea.  Simon is a Medical Missionary - Natural Therapist who had spent over 20 years working in the herbal industry.  He produces and sells home-made up-to-standard products made from herbs. Slim with friendly characteristics, he smiled as he spoke of one of his products, the Natural Herbal soap.  This soap, a regular standard bar soap which weighs about a 100 grams can be used for a vast treatment and sells for a hundred and thirty kina (est. US$90).   It can be used both as an external and an internal product which means you can use it to bath or rub on your skin and also boil and drink using instructed medical advice.  

While Simon was speaking and trying to explain the use of this product, a lady’s voice sounded from the crowd.  I looked over and saw an elderly woman interrupting to testify of her recent experience with this product.  Modestly speaking, she tells everyone about her story on how the product had unbelievably healed her.  She said she couldn’t walk for weeks and used crutches to support her when moving around.  She stressed that she can’t walk for more than 10 meters so she had to spend most of the time at home.  A family of hers bought the soap from Simon and brought it to her.  Using the medical consumption advice given by Simon, she used the product.  She confessed that within three days of using product, the condition got cured.  I could really see from her face the emotions she showed despite being shy in front of the crowd that the product had really great significance.  

I thought of the story as a convincible one because it really does seemed effective from the evidence given by the lady.  I formidably tried to loop the logics of how this great product could reach out to more customers and expand Simon’s business.  At that moment, I kind of switched between a user and a product manufacturer’s perspective trying to figure out what made me like the product and another side regretted to get the product because of something not right.  

While Simon continued with his marketing, I examined the product from a distant to fit the puzzle I have.  I realised that this great product could sell even more if the presentation is boosted so I noted down Simon’s number and left the scene without trying to find out more from Simon himself.  That night, I called Simon and told him that I am interested to buy one of his products.  I asked him of the product (soap) and he clarified to me the different types of soap he had.  He advised me to take the multi-purpose Soap which sells for K6 (US$2) so I told him that I would take 15 to give it to families and friends.  The real motif for me buying the soap was to develop new marketing campaigns for Simon and help him promote his initiative.  I thought this would be a good contribution to add to my list of community outreach support over the years.  

I got my orders two weeks later after new stocks were manufactured.  When I picked up the soap, I talked to Simon about how he can improve his sales.  I gave him my business card and told him that I am willing to assist him promote all his products.  Because that was our first contact, there weren’t much attention to details. 

Within the first week after I talked to Simon, all his corporate identities were developed and a sample package was designed for each of his soap.  When I presented the designs, I could see the happiness on his face.  I told him I wanted to see him succeed and this is the beginning of greater things ahead.  We both agreed to take his products to the world market in 2014.

In the beginning of 2014, it came to Simon’s attention that a retails shop is going to shelve his products and requested him to place barcodes on his products.  He came to me and I advised him to do necessary arrangements with the shop prior to running several packets for him.  Because I also ran a small scale off-set printing, I assured him that we can do everything.  Simon requested us to produce 50 packages with barcodes for his first distribution in the shop.  It was done as required and delivered to him within two days.

From this day on, Simon had moved on from manual to digital, bar-coding his home-made products for international markets.

This year-2014 alone, we intend to develop Simon’s posters, video campaigns and promote his digitisation drives.  I will help him do a major review on all his promoted products at the end of the year.

Providing Digital Aid for Remote Schools

The are many educational institutions around Papua New Guinea that still lacks access to basic ICT knowledge.  Throughout parts of PNG, remote schools still find it very challenging when it comes to the use of ICT such as the access to mobile communications, computers, internet and/or television services.  All of these happened as a result of the complex geographical make-up of the country which made it hard for these services to get there.  Governments have tried hard but still there are more areas yet to access and experience these ICT services.

Over the years, those have prompted us to come up with small ways that would contribute to help reducing some of these problems.  My team (My family) and I started focusing on providing access to digital knowledge and introduced the idea of donating computers and learning materials such as reading books to schools in our local area. 

Our initiatives started in 2011, when we saw the need to support and encourage children in the village to pursue education and study hard to go to higher institutions.  For some unknown reasons, the school doesn’t normally have a lot of children in the village go to higher institutions so we decided to provide support using available resources to help the school and encourage the students to study hard. 

Throughout the year (2011), we collected books from bookshops as well as from friends to donate to the Local Schools.  Our first donations went to Bukawa Primary School in Nawaeb District, Morobe Province. 

During the presentation of the reading books, I pledge to donate a computer set for the school which they could place in their Resource Center.  I reminded both staff and students to flow with the rapid technological changes which were brought in by technological interventions.  With my long-term vision in mind to connect these remote schools with a system in town, I reminded them to utilize ICT for the advancement of their knowledge.  I also assured them of any technical assistance and advice which I would give when need arises.
 

Donation of PC to Bukawa Primary School Board, 2012

Installation of PC before delivering

The following year in December 13 of 2013, we again donated another computer to Taimi Primary School in Nawaeb District of Morobe Province.  This school (Taimi) is a few hours ride away from Bukawa Primary School.  The head of the school organized our transport so we took the computer and accessories over to them on a dinghy.  Because the school was already on break, the school committee organized with the village elders for us to do the presentation in the heart of the village using one of their meeting houses.  Everyone was very happy to witness this presentation since it was the first of a kind donation done to support ICT in the school.

Short speech given with a live demonstration of using Fruity Loops PE Vr. 11.

I had to unpack the computer before officially handing it over to the School board to confirm to them that the computer is working during the time of delivery.  With help from some village youths, they set up a generator and in less time the computer booted.  I was asked further by some youths to demonstrate the use of computer in music creation and luckily, I had fruity loops installed so I demonstrated a bit on using fruity loops to create music.  I also advised everyone that the computer is more that what they see.  It comprises of a complete e-Learning environment containing all relevant materials the students would want to use such as encyclopaedia, dictionary and other video tutorials to help them out. 

Presenting the PC to Taimi's school board, 2013

After almost an hour of demonstrating the use of various digital media and e-learning aids, I presented the computer to the school board and assured them that there'll be more support coming if they look after the initial donation.  I summed it up by giving them my vision of having all the remote schools in my local district (along the coast) connected to a central system which I intend to set up in future that will help students in remote places gain vital knowledge to help them excel in their studies.  I even showed them to use an internet dongle to connect to the internet after I got a request from their headmaster to do so.  It was fun demonstrating and everyone was very happy.    They gave us few presents (traditional mats/ instruments/ beads) as well as organizing food for us to eat and we later departed for home the same afternoon.

Extending Digital Training to GFX Lae

I went for my break last December (2013) and heard various positive comments regarding the previous training we had for Graphic Designers in Lae, Morobe Province at the Unitech ADOC Center.  Words went out that an enrichment training session was conducted in December 2012 so interested participants who missed out on the previous session in 2012 asked whether we were going to have another training again however, because I had to attend a cultural event at home, the time couldn't allow me to conduct another one that Christmas.

Fortunately, for those attending the session in 2012, we had 3-days of interactive training with full number of participants who made use of every computer, thanks to the Unitech ADOC Center for allowing us to use their lab.

We had a group on Facebook called PNG-GFX DeSigners which have over 100 registered members who share and propose new ideas and also get support from each other.  Most of the time, members in Port Moresby were fortunate to attend contact classes however those in Lae and other parts of PNG were unfortunate so the members in Lae decided to form numbers and propose for a training to be held that Christmas in Lae.   Because I was going home for break, I decided to step-in to share some of what I know with these members.  We had some members who came directly from Madang to attend the 3-day session.

Apart of responding to the request made by GFX Members in Lae, I also had that conviction of helping the up and coming designers especially in the field of graphic design and multimedia design acquire quick tips and tricks in various computer application. 

The other group of people who joined us during the training were the youths from Bukawa village.  The intention of involving these youths was to help them have a feel of computing and also introduce them to the ADOC Center at Unitech so they can come in anytime when they organize themselves.   

Further to this training, I personally donated a computer on behalf of my firm ArTech to the recourse center of the primary school where the 4 youths came from (Bukawa Primary School).  It was anticipated that upon learning to use a computer from this short interactive training, they could go back and use the donated computer at the primary school.  I also gave the 4 free “training DVDs for the beginners” which I created earlier for them to use when they return home to use the computer donated to the resource Centre at the primary school.  There is also an ADOC Centre in the nation’s capital Port Moresby which I coordinate so I had to organise with our Centre in Lae to use the facilities.