Social Sustainability vs. Financial sustainability, which one is appropriate for telecentre initiatives?

[Fatema Begum Labony]

When we discuss about sustainability of telecentres we often discuss about financial sustainability. Drive for financial sustainability sometimes creates obstacle to provide quality information service. What is your opinion regards this issue?

Please share your ideas and experiences.

[S.Srikanthan]

what nenasala Telecentre put with concreate wirh direct community good track. in that case Community abosrbed that kind of telecentre autometically Sustationed with Vast Socilaly and Finacilay. Koslanda Nanasala ahieving that root we open Door our local Community that market Rural BPO, now we already gave came traffic Highway door with inderducing Wimax Technology just 12$per month 512kbs any custermer,same time we distributing Outsourcing JOB this koslanda Nanasala internet family. last 3 years each month 100$. I we proudly once again Say to thanks. ICTA. now we runing Under Koslanda Nanasala every village knowlegde centre under concept10centres. this centre also slowly grewing social susnabilty. Dear Mr.Thilina
With reference to your mail regarding the dialog solution for Koslanda Nanasala for which you have asked for further explanation, I wish to give Below more details.
At the moment I have the internet through the contract with ICTA, which will be expired shortly.
present connection is VSAT 128kbs,
Since we continue with BPO Buisness we need a vast network area and a fast internet wimax connection which will support our Idea of e- village concept.
according to our serverys we have come to that there are about 20 families interested in getting the connection through wimax.
in each of those interested families there are some cases where One person may Share 1IP address with 3or 4 members or friends.Location Cx Name Address GPS Reading N GPS Reading E' Elavation
1 Upasena Wallawaya Rd Koslanda(Near Police Station) 6 43' 49" 81 01' 47" 698 m
2 Koslanda MO Doctor Quarters, Koslanda Hospital 6 43' 56" 81 01' 10" 682 m
3 Koslanda D M O Doctor Quarters, Koslanda Hospital 6 44' 14" 81 00' 59" 688 m
4 Koslanda A M O Doctor Quarters, Koslanda Hospital 6 44' 18" 81 01' 00 698 m
5 Doctor Doctor Quarters, Koslanda Hospital 6 44' 20" 81 01' 01" 707 m
6 Doctor Doctor Quarters, Koslanda Hospital 6 44' 17" 81 44' 59" 692 m
7 Prasanna Sandasiri Printers, Koslanda 6 44' 42" 81 01' 05" 725 m
8 S. Srikanthan Koslanda Nansala, Meeriyabedda 6 45' 30" 81 01' 20" 902 m
9 Vijay Near the Nanasala, Meeriyabedda 6 45' 29" 81 01' 20" 906 m
10 Rev. Andreew Koslanda Church, Koslanda 6 44' 54" 81 00' 53" 803 m
11 Abeywardana Poonagala Rd, Koslanada 6 44' 34" 81 01' 04" 711 m
12 Newil Sumathipala Poonagala Rd, Koslanada 6 44' 33" 81 01' 04" 715 m
13 Anoja Poonagala Rd, Koslanada 6 44' 40" 81 01' 22" 745 m
14 Arunajith Central Bakery, Koslanda 6 44' 36" 81 01' 05" 724 m
15 Indunil Palatuthanna Rd, Koslanda 6 44' 11" 81 00' 52" 685 m
16 Balasundaram Palatuthanna Rd, Koslanda 6 44' 11" 81 00' 53" 663 m
17 Nimal Palatuthanna Rd, Koslanda 6 44' 18" 81 00' 55" 672 m
18 Thangaraj Palatuthanna Rd, Koslanda 6 44' 18" 81 00' 56" 670 m
19 Liyanage Wallawaya Rd Koslanda(Oposit Rice Mill) 6 44' 31" 81 01' 02" 676 m
20 Sampath Kotabaththara Rd, Koslanda 6 44' 23" 81 00' 09" 689 m
21 Kusum Kulasooriya Kotabaththara Rd, Koslanda 6 44' 22" 81 00' 10" 690 m
22 S. Srikanthan Koslanda Nanasala, Kotabaththara Rd, Koslanda 6 44' 19" 81 00' 55" 685 m

[Mohamed Alasow]

Blending both, might be a good idea, but, the key to all answers will be the capacity builidng of the operators and the implementers. I take the issue of capacity building as the key to encouraging users to learn ICT so as to create a critical mass, once we are sure that the ICT literacy is high belending social and financial sustainability will take shape. As part of community development, you cannot talk about financial sustainability when the users feel suspiscious about their knowledge and feel ICT is appropriate for the educated. But, if empowered with ICT literacy, you bet, they will be happy to pay some fee and participate as users. The questions high which comes first before, we blend? I would say social sustainability for the sake of building on the community ICT literacy, and maybe contributing to the overall public literacy rate.

Mohamed