About Silicon Village Computer Centre (SVCC)
Silicon Village Computer Centre is a non profit organisation (registration number 88/2067/2068) with the aim of providing affordable ICT (information and communication) training to local people in the Terai region of Nepal. It was started up by Kumma (Kamal) Raj Subedi and Brett Hartshorn. It is a follow-up project of Silicon Village, a project with practically the same aims and objectives as SVCC, which ran for five years during a difficult political period in Nepal. Eventually, deteriorating conditions during the time of the People's Movement made it necessary to suspend classes. Now that the political unrest has sufficiently calmed down, Silicon Village Computer Club has been set up to continue a work which already had generated very successful and promising outcomes.
The project location:
One of the most beautiful places in Nepal! Silicon Village Computer Centre is located in Bacchauli, near the entrance to the worldwide well-known Chitwan National Park.
Project background and context:
Most of the population of the Bacchauli area are subsistance farmers. A minority work in the relatively affluent tourist industry, or in local companies. Others work far from home in order to gain an income for their families. There is a large divide inside Nepal between those that have access to computers and those who do not. This divide is especially large for minority and disadvantaged groups. SVCC aims to address this problem by providing computer training to local people, wherever possible in their own language(s).
Why computer training? There's a growing digital divide within Nepali society itself. Previously, very few people had access to computers. Now many affluent families have computers in the home. Their children go to private schools which are equipped with computers. But a large sector of society relies on subsistance farming, and has no access to technology. Computer courses in govenment schools are rare. Students that are already at a disadvantage are in danger of falling further behind.
Especially in our 'age of information', computer skills are much sought-after and can bring a variety of paid working opportunities. For many of these, it is not even necessary to move to other places. Also, the Internet offers countless valuable opportunities for learning, exchanging information, participating in projects, cultural exchanges. If used smartly, it can be a precious instrument for connecting to the world in a safe and easy way.
How do we work? Go here and find out!
