There are new models emerging that offer some insights into things that will achieve significant impact over time. The initial focus by most telecenters on employment development was restricted primarily to education and to training in computer skills. As the global infrastructure has developed, it is now possible to think about how to use the availability of such technology as the basis for local employment. One interesting example is the emergence of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) as a way of providing employment in the communities. Jobs such as customer support, back office paperwork, data entry, and telemarketing can be performed by well-trained individuals from the local community, at pay scales that are attractive to business clients. This has already become an active business area in India, where it provides an interesting comparison to the macro-level phenomenon of international outsourcing. Two telecenter-oriented activities that are interesting in that regard are the Gram IT project of the Byrraju Foundation(2) and the Rural Information Technology Enabled Services (Rural ITES) project of the Telecommunications and Computer Networking Group (TeNet) at the Indian Institute of Technology—Madras (IIT-M).(3) These projects are discussed in somewhat more detail in the section of this chapter entitled, “Growth in Microfinance, Employment, and Business Services.” As the underlying infrastructure develops, one can expect to see a rapid growth in interest in projects focused on employment that is facilitated by information technology, as opposed to employment in the information technology sector.

5.5. Case Study: Community Learning and Information Centers (CLICs) of Mali(4)

Rural Environment

Mali, with its predominantly rural 13.5 million inhabitants, remains one of the poorest countries in the world, and 72 percent of its population is estimated to live below the poverty line. The literacy rate is about 46 percent (and likely much lower for women), and while the official language is French, not everyone speaks it. Eighty percent of the population speaks Bambara.

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