Full coverage: Capacity building

30.01.2008

28.01.2008 First of its kind in India, the Rajasthan State Cooperative Department has launched the ‘Kisan SIM card’. Farmers can now get free tips on various aspects of farming from weather updates to guidance on livestock rearing to crop infection through SMS and voice messages.

28.01.2008 First of its kind in India, the Rajasthan State Cooperative Department has launched the ‘Kisan SIM card’. Farmers can now get free tips on various aspects of farming from weather updates to guidance on livestock rearing to crop infection through SMS and voice messages.

22.01.2008 Vandana Shiva continued to stand up for the rights of women, small farmers, and others marginalized by modern society, particularly in the face of corporate-led expansions in the agriculture and biofuel sectors.

22.01.2008 An initiative to boost computer literacy in southern India’s Kerala has achieved a new milestone under an ambitious scheme that has provided a software to 15,000 primary school children in their mother tongue. Learning computer skills in one’s own language greatly enhances the grasping power.

22.01.2008 An initiative to boost computer literacy in Kerala in southern India has achieved a new milestone under an ambitious scheme that provides a software to 15,000 primary school children in their mother tongue. Learning computer skills in one’s own language will greatly enhance the grasping power of these children.

21.01.2008 Chitamma, an old and frail woman in eastern India’s coastal state of Orissa is the driving force behind Samudram, a state level federation of organisations of women fish workers. She has helped them become economically independent and has fought social evils such as alcoholism.

18.01.2008 Not long ago there was a time when Chinese toys had invaded Indian markets. However Chinese products are no longer seen as safe to play with. Hand-made toys by Indian artisans are now increasingly becoming popular in international market because of their innovative designs, improved quality and safety.

18.01.2008 With computerisation of local governing bodies, e-governance in India is likely to take deep roots. If central government accepts the recommendations submitted by an expert group, some 250,000 panchayats will go online over next three years, benefiting grassroots organisations and bringing in transparency.

17.01.2008 First of its kind in Bangladesh, DreamsPower is a 250 KW biomass gasification facility. Using the rice husk, this will generate renewable electricity and is part of a rural electrification project that will benefit hundreds of thousands of people living in villages.

17.01.2008 Video Volunteers and local NGOs are helping rural communities in India voice their issues to a global audience. Locally relevant video produced by community video units, are empowering people to lead, change and take action.

17.01.2008 The Socio Economic Development Trust has succeeded in bringing thousands of dropouts in villages of western India back to school. Bal Panchayats or village-level children's organisations have played a prominent role not only in mobilising kids and their parents, but also teachers and officials to be responsive to their needs.

15.01.2008 A family-run newspaper in India gives marginalised women the opportunity to tell their own stories by making them reporters. Launched in 2003, Mahila Paksh was borne out of the need to focus on women’s concerns and help them get justice.

15.01.2008 The designers of the "$100 Laptop" are driving modern technologies to be more accessible and relevant to the vast billions who previously lacked access.

14.01.2008 Bitcomp, a software company known for developing software for agriculture and forestry, has come out with a unique SMS service for farmers in Finland, Poland and Czech Republic. Known as RemoteAdvisor, the service is based on centralised Internet application called WebWisu.

14.01.2008 A resource book: NGO Law and Governance authored by Grant Stillman is an excellent reference for volunteers in the development sector and students of social change. It provides a detailed information about international and domestic laws and generally accepted governance principles impacting the operation of the civil society sector.

12.01.2008 Concept of micro-credit is bringing about a silent revolution in more than 60 districts of rural Nepal by helping people in augmenting their income. Hundreds and thousands of poor families have access to different micro-finance institutions and they indeed are trying to take the maximum benefit out of this facility.

11.01.2008 In northern Indian state of Haryana, an all-women Muslim panchayat is making real improvements in their village by taking up developmental projects. More importantly they are challenging the conservative and patriarchal attitudes.

11.01.2008 The recent Annual Micro Finance Colloquium 2008 at Jaipur underlined the need for more initiatives for the financial inclusion of the poor in India’s western state of Rajasthan. A report released at the meeting highlights future opportunities and challenges for scaling up the sector.

09.01.2008 Maharashtra government is planning to set up thousands of Internet kiosks in this western state of India to boost e-governance. Once operational, the move will greatly help people in accessing various government services while making the process transparent and less time consuming.