Currently, I am in the process of applying for a Fulbright to study and work in Ghana. I plan to work with Wireless Ghana; a community based group that provides free wireless Internet connectivity to rural areas around Akwapim.

Wireless Ghana: A Case Study, is a white paper that was commissioned by the World Bank and published in August of 2006 details Wireless Ghana’s objectives, methods for implementation, and plans for growth.

In this post I will focus on WG’s objectives, detailed below, and how I plan to contribute to their realization.

1. Promote a reading culture.
2. Train rural schoolchildren and teachers in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
3. Empower rural communities by providing access to information and breaking isolation.
4. Provide and use ICT to help increase direct participation in development and decision-making processes at local and national levels.
5. Help to make Internet access in rural communities a reality.

In short, Wireless Ghana’s mission is to promote a reading culture and decrease isolation through the use of multimedia technologies.

To achieve this end, I aim to run workshops focused on increasing Internet literacy. Specific instruction will range from an introduction to many of the resources that are available, which sources can you trust, and how to use the Web to find anything that you want.

Taking instruction to he next level, I will leverage the available free and open source applications to instruct and assist in the creation of original media.

My ultimate goal is to work with the people of Akwapim to combine their new literacies to develop their local community while participating in the global dialog of the Internet.

________________
Please check back soon for more information on the specifics of my plan, as well as some thoughts on potential challenges.