SorosSoros Foundation - Moldova Foundation - Moldova

Dumitru Chitoroagă

InformaInformattionion ProgramProgram

Priority Directions:

•Information policy and resources for implementing e-Democracy and e-Governance

•Extending Access to Information

•Information Resources Development

•Community Network and information culture

InformaInformattionion ProgramProgram

Extending Access to Information

Goal: to provide access to information for rural area by offering new services based on ICT and training regarding ICT use.

Program priority areas:

• establishing Access to Information and Training Community Centers (AITCC) in rural area

• supporting public libraries initiatives in improving information services for different categories of users (until December 2005)

Public Library InitiativesPublic Library Initiatives

Implementation Data:

Total financial support offered by Soros Foundation-Moldovafor diversifying information services within 81 public libraries– $377 561

Year Public Libraries

SFM support, $

1999 1 17 780

2000 5 29 500

2001 10 75 868

2002 7 17 062

2003 19 80 725

2004 25 98 570

2005 14 58 056

Extending Access to InformationExtending Access to Information

Access to Information and Training Community Centers

Objectives :

• to facilitate access to information and new forms of communication of community members;

• to promote new concepts about information, access to information, ICT and training;

• to provide ICT training for community members.

Extending Access to InformationExtending Access to Information

Implementation Data:

Total financial support offered by the Foundation – $761 672

Year AITCC SFM support, $

Community

support, $ 2002 10 67 904 30 260

2003 22 139 785 70 595

2004 30 224 695 151 285

2005 19 213 454 83 784

2006 22 115 834 41 250

Extending Access to InformationExtending Access to Information

Eligibility Criteria:

applicant’s and community’s contribution - 30% - 35%

services offered by grantee - free of charge: 60% - 70% / fee based: 30 % - 40%

main budget lines supported by the Foundation - equipment and Internet connection

qualified local team

selfsustainability for the second year

eligible organizations: NGO, libraries, secondary school educational institutions.

Context (2000-2005) insufficiency of transparency of normative acts and decision

making at national and local levels that reduces the possibilities of citizens, NGOs, and media to influence this process;

insufficient quality of information resources in Moldova

gap in access to information resources between rural and urban areas

shortage of free and unlimited access to information for all social categories of people

shortage of qualified specialists who could ensure access to information

no on-line services and on-line payments

SorosSoros Foundation Foundation MoldovaMoldova

Extending Access to InformationExtending Access to Information

Main issues in 2000-2005:

Low number of IT specialists in rural area

High turnover of IT specialists

Low speed of Internet connection

High price for Internet connection

Exclusive use of Microsoft Software

Language (interface, content)

Context (2012) low quality of information resources in Moldova

shortage of qualified specialists

few on-line services are available in Moldova

about 90% of the country is covered by internet 3G+ and wired internet offered by Moldtelecom

growing number of free WiFi areas

dramatic increase of the number of PC’s & notebooks in rural area

smartphone is becoming a “must have”

Skype – cheapest communication channel with relatives working abroad

SorosSoros Foundation Foundation MoldovaMoldova

Extending Access to InformationExtending Access to Information

Main issues in 2012:

Internet cafe – low profit business

Smaller target groups

On-line payments in Moldova are not

developed

Low number of IT specialists in rural area

High turnover of IT specialists

Language (interface, content)

Key factors for future growth

Increasing the number of on-line services (e-government)

Developing of on-line business (on-line bank transactions - widely available for citizens, PayPal in Moldova, on-line auctions [including agricultural products], …)

Diversification of business (NGO activities, IT training & consulting, software & hardware support, WEB advertising, …)

AITCC Network development (joint projects, effective exchange of information, …)

SorosSoros Foundation Foundation MoldovaMoldova

Thank you for your attention!