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Internet Access and Training Program (IATP)
IATP News - Best of 2001
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Uzbekistan
IATP Cooperates with Boarding School Number 61 for the Deaf in Samarkand
On May 2 to 5, IATP's deaf trainer Nicholay Gladkiy traveled to Samarkand in order to train students at School Number 61, a boarding school for the deaf in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Gladkiy has conducted training for deaf Internet users in Central Asia for almost one year. He has conducted his courses in Almaty and Shymkent, Kazakhstan and in Tashkent and Samarkand, Uzbekistan. His pioneer training in Almaty has resulted in a strong partnership between IATP/Kazakhstan and the Almaty School for the Deaf. During the course, the nine students learned how to use the Internet and e-mail to communicate with other deaf individuals. "My name is Rahimov Avaz. I am studying at the 61st Boys School in seventh grade in Samarkand. I thank people who help deaf children to learn computer science, and especially I thank Nikolay Gladkiy who taught us how to work with computers and the Internet." The students, their teacher, and their director all plan to use the IATP access site in Samarkand on a regular basis to continue to improve their information technology skills.
The next month, IATP's cooperation with the school continued when IATP staff gave a brand new Hewlitt Packard Pentium III computer to the school. The computer was donated by Hewlitt Packard at the request of IATP. IATP staff installed the computer, donated one modem, and connected the computer to the Internet. IATP will be providing free dial-up Internet for the school. The new computer and Internet access will allow the students, some of whom are not physically capable of leaving the school, to use the Internet.
IREX Develops a New Online IATP Small Grants Directory
IREX has just launched an online IATP Small Grants Directory of web projects to highlight web resources developed by award recipients. Located at www.iatp.net/grants, the online directory can be browsed by region and country with links to funded projects located in nine countries of the Newly Independent States (NIS). The directory provides the names of award recipients, the competition round in which they were awarded funding, the title of their web project, as well as a brief description.
The purpose of the IATP Small Internet Grants Program is to promote IATP sustainability through the development of local language Internet resources. The competition provides the opportunity for targeted audiences to develop Internet resources in local languages; organize training programs or distance-learning initiatives; and/or conduct any other projects judged to be in the interest of the program’s goals by a local selection committee and/or ECA and the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassies.
Targeted IATP audiences can apply to the grants competition. Proposals are reviewed by an in-country selection committee consisting of representatives of the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the US Embassy, IATP staff, as well as local key players in the international NGO and telecommunication fields. Local selection committee recommendations are reviewed by ECA for final approval. The maximum funding limit is $1,500. Proposals are evaluated based upon their relevance and usefulness for IATP’s targeted audiences, overall feasibility, cost effectiveness, and potential for sustainability. All projects must be completed within a period of six months. Seven hundred two proposals have been submitted since 1999 with 162 grants awarded.
Projects selected for funding to date include the first Belarusian photographic magazine on the web, created by Vladimir Parfenok in 2000. The magazine entitled Photoscope, deals with photography and provides reviews of Belarusian exhibits as well as galleries of Belarusian photographers. The website appears in Russian and English.
Tajikistan
IATP in Tajikistan Bridges the Generational Gap
On May 19, 2001, IREX staff in Tajikistan organized an event entitled "The Next Generation of the Internet," dedicated to the parents and grandparents of alumni of US government sponsored exchange programs. Participants were introduced to IATP; staff described the program goals, services offered, and upcoming activities. They also took part in a seminar entitled "The Importance of Internet in the 21st Century." During the seminar participants learned about the role of the Internet in professional and private spheres. Alumni who were involved in the event prepared speeches about IATP. They spoke about how they use the access site, why they use the Internet, what kind of information they obtain from the Internet, and the importance of the Internet in their lives. In the second half of the event, IATP staff conducted a training for the parents and grandparents on the basics of the Internet and e-mail. Following the training, alumni from other Central Asian countries sent e-mails about IATP and the Internet to all alumni parents in Central Asia. Parents sent responses discussing IATP and the Internet as well as the impact of the exchange program on their children. Alumni helped parents with the translations into English and with typing the messages. "The Next Generation of the Internet" also took place in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. All the participants took part in an on-line chat. IATP/Central Asia is planning to organize more events as part of the "The Next Generation of the Internet." The events will help IATP fulfill the goals of the program and extend its reach to a wider audience.
For more information on the event as well as photos of alumni with their relatives, please visit www.iatp.irex-tj.org and www.arc.freenet.kz.
Kazakhstan
The first ever Summer Internet Camp (SIC) began in Kazakhstan on June 1, 2001, and celebrated its resounding success in a ceremony held at the Academy of Sciences on September 6, 2001.
The SIC trained Kazakhstani citizens in Internet skills while also giving them a chance to explore the resources of the World Wide Web. This was a national endeavor, as the SIC included 12 camps in five cities. Besides being trained in Web technologies, the campers received the opportunity to use the Internet throughout the summer—all at no cost to the participants. In total, over 600 people participated as campers in the SIC. IATP also trained 64 people from various backgrounds to serve as volunteer trainers during the camp.
IATP partnered with eight different Kazakhstani Internet organizations (primarily in Almaty) to run the SIC. IATP itself provided 32 computers at its Access Sites in Almaty, Astana, Atyrau, Karaganda, and Shymkent. IATP’s partners contributed valuable volunteer service, space for the camps, and 73 total computers to the overall project. In Shymkent and Astana, the SIC conducted activities for 72 secondary school teachers. The Regional Educators Professional Development Institute hosted activities in Shymkent, while in Astana operations were conducted from IATP/Soros Internet Access Site at Eurasian University. “Campers” received information about the history of the Internet, gained practical skills in Internet usage, and held roundtable discussions that were dedicated to how to improve Internet training methods in schools. The educators plan on training their own students in Web technologies at the IATP Internet access sites during the coming academic year.
In Karaganda, with the assistance of Peace Corps volunteer Ms. Wei-Jean Strand, 30 young people were trained in Internet basics and another 26 were trained in Web design. The SIC’s activities in Karaganda were held in conjunction with Ms. Strand’s GLOW Camp. After receiving training from IATP at the SIC, the campers created their own website, highlighting the activities of Camp GLOW. In addition, as a direct result of these activities five young women from Karaganda are now full-fledged Internet trainers
Armenia
IATP/Armenia Small Internet Grants Recipient Opens a New Art Gallery
On May 1, 2001, IATP staff participated in the opening of a new art gallery named after Albert and Tove Boyadjyan at the Yerevan Academy of Fine Arts. During the opening, the academy also introduced its new website, which was developed with funds from an IATP Small Internet Grant. The website includes links to different art departments of the academy, contains a photo gallery, and provides insight into the development of arts in Armenia. The website has been very popular, especially among users in Armenia and the diaspora. The academy is IATP's partner and its faculty and administrators have participated in an IATP seminar entitled "Internet and Art."
IATP Country Coordinator Grigori Vahanyan along with other IATP staff members also demonstrated the multimedia CD-ROM entitled "The 1700 Year Anniversary of the Adoption of Christianity in Armenia," which was created with funds from an IATP Small Internet Grant. The grantee, Khachik Karapetyan, also developed a website that features a video and photo gallery on the subject of Christianity in Armenia as well as a section on Armenian history.
Attendees at the opening ceremony included US Ambassador to Armenia Michael Lemmon with his wife and son, Dean of the Academy of Fine Arts Aram Issabekyan, Armenian Apostolic Church representative Gagik Aslanyan, Vice Speaker of the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia Khosrov Harutyunyan, Mayor of Yerevan Robert Nazaryan, a number of Armenian artists, and representatives of the local media. The gallery will organize exhibits of student and faculty work, such as oil paintings, sculpture, metal works, and computer graphics. The first exhibit, which opened in May, is dedicated to the well-known Armenian painter and professor at the Yerevan Academy of Fine Arts Arpenik Nalbandyan.
Kyrgyzstan
Members of the Association of
Independent Communication Operators
meet at the IATP access site in Bishkek.
IATP/Kyrgyzstan Supports the Association of Independent Communication Operators
IREX/IATP in Bishkek helped organize two meetings of the Association of Independent Communication Operators in the first half of 2001. The telecommunications market in Kyrgyzstan is competitive with large foreign companies vying for their share of the market. The association provides support to independent Kyrgyz companies struggling to stay in the game. It also encourages and facilitates cooperation among them, which gives them a stronger negotiating position. In addition, the association helps the companies in dealing with government pressure. For example, KyrgyzTelecom, a state-owned telecommunications company, wants to increase the line fee for an ISP. The proposed fee would raise Internet access prices significantly and the ISP involved would lose many of its customers. The association will negotiate with government representatives in order to prevent an increase in fees for telephone lines. Representatives of all main ISPs and telecommunication companies were present in order to discuss various business strategies. Also in attendance were representatives of the Kyrgyz-American telecommunications company Katel as well as members of international organizations such as UNDP and Soros.
Ukraine
IATP/Ukraine Opens a Virtual Center in Bar
On May 22, 2001 IREX/IATP in Ukraine opened a new virtual center in Bar. Bar is a small town situated 70 km west of Vinnytsya. It hosts several educational institutions such as the Teacher High School, Road-Transport High School, and six middle schools. The center is located at the regional library. The official opening coincided with a celebration of the town's 600-year anniversary. The mood was festive with over 300 guests present at the opening ceremony. Attendees included local government officials, school administrators, teachers, students, and representatives of the local media and libraries.
The center in Bar is one of seven IATP virtual centers that opened in Ukraine in May, in Brody, Drogobych, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zhytomyr, Mirhorod, and Luhansk. IREX is planning to open four more centers in the next several months. Virtual centers are located primarily at secondary schools that have computers and an administrator but do not have Internet connectivity. IATP provides connectivity while the host provides free access to IATP's targeted audiences. Each of the centers emphasizes civic education and is part of the Ukrainian Civic Education Network (CEN). IREX administers CEN as a component of IATP in order to create a functioning national civic education network in Ukraine. The network provides for effective spreading of information on democracy and civil rights among the Ukrainian people. Secondary school teachers, higher education faculty, scientists, librarians, and leaders of nongovernmental organizations are target audiences of the project.
Educators in Bar have been collaborating with IATP over the past year in order to make Internet access available to local schools. The director of the Road-Transport High School was awarded an IATP grant in the CEN October 2000 grant competition. The project focused on providing a satellite Internet connection to the high school. It was implemented in early 2001 and the school became the first institution in Bar with access to the Internet. Upon completion of the grant, the authors of the project envisioned the development of an educational center with access to the Internet for local educators. With IATP's support, a virtual center was established.
IREX staff at the new virtual center will provide trainings in computer and Internet basics. In addition, IATP/Vinnytsya staff is developing distance-learning courses which will be offered to teachers. Educators will also have the opportunity to participate in weekly online chats focusing on civic education issues in a CEN chat room. The virtual centers in Bar as well as in other cities in Ukraine will provide Ukrainian people with an excellent tool to strengthen the civic education network within the country.
Moldova
IATP Alumni Coordinator Cezara
Hahehu and members of the
Moldovan Alumni Club
Alumni Organize an IATP Moldovan Alumni Club in Chisinau
Alumni of US government sponsored exchange programs in Moldova are a close group. They develop lifelong friendships, work together, and spend many evenings at the IREX Alumni Resource Center. At the center alumni socialize together, share ideas, thoughts, and dreams. In May 2001, alumni decided to organize a Moldovan Alumni Club in collaboration with IREX/IATP staff. The new club has energized the alumni community and has given alumni the opportunity to meet many other participants of various exchange programs. The first meeting of the club began with a lottery organized by Public Affairs Officer of the US Embassy in Chisinau Lisa Heilbronn. The four winners received tickets to the Tony Hawks Comedy Night in Chisinau. Following the lottery, alumni had to name three positive qualities they possessed and tell a story about an interesting event in their lives. After the introductions, alumni discussed names for the club and ideas for future projects. One of the projects planned for the future is entitled "Places in Moldova." Alumni were divided into three groups and each group chose a place in Moldova that is interesting to visit. For one month, all the groups will work on creating a web resource that will contain information and photographs about the region, town, or city. Upon the completion of the projects, each group will present the web resource to the other members of the club. IATP staff photographed the new members and posted their photos on the IATP/Moldova website. IREX is confident that the alumni club in Moldova will strengthen the bonds among alumni and will also help them in making a substantial contribution to their communities.
Belarus
IATP Helps Belarus Alumni in Establishing an Alumni Association
US Ambassador to Belarus Michael Kozak opens the Annual Alumni Conference Alumni at the Annual Alumni Conference With IREX funds and IATP's technical assistance, alumni of US government-sponsored programs in Belarus are establishing an alumni association. The association will include alumni from different programs and from all regions of Belarus. The need for an association grew out of discussions among alumni regarding the lack of a single organization that can bring all the alumni together. At an annual conference in Minsk on May 19, alumni declared that "the contemporary state of alumni activity in Belarus needs a centralized body." Over 300 alumni participated in the conference in order to discuss the necessity of establishing an association as well as to amend the charter of the association. The charter was developed earlier in the year in order to begin the process of governmental registration.
Representatives of Armenian and Russian alumni associations also attended the conference and shared their experience with forming an association. Conference participants were divided into five working groups and each group was charged with a different task.
Participants of the conference also chose Petr Lapo, an alumnus of the Edmund S. Muskie & Freedom Support Act Fellowship Program 1996, as the president of the association. Participants also voted for members of the Executive Council, Trustee Council, and Check-Auditing Commission. The association must now complete the process of registration with the Belarusian government, which involves processing necessary documents with the Ministry of Justice. Upon completion of registration, the newly elected association representatives will inform all alumni about the new association. Surveys will be distributed to members in order to gather ideas and determine needs.
IREX/IATP is very proud to be a part of this initiative in Belarus. The association will serve as a forum for alumni as well as a facilitator in their contributions to Belarusian society. It will also help alumni in their career and personal development.
Azerbaijan
Audience gathered for the
official presentation of
www.discography.aznet.org
The Discography website is official
presented to the public.
Presentation of Website "Discography of Azerbaijan"
The Azerbaijani Musiqi Dunyasi magazine completed another milestone when the official presentation of its Discography website took place on September 17 at the Kappelhause building. The website was created in the framework of the second round of the IATP Small Internet Grants Program and contains detailed information on the discography of Azerbaijan from 1900-1940 in both English and Azeri.
Ramiz Zohrabov, chairman of the Composers' Union of Azerbaijan, opened the presentation by congratulating the authors and project group for their hard work and dedication. Tariel Mamedov, author of the project, presented the Diskographiya website and explained the history of its creation and publication on the Internet.
In attendance at the presentation were James Seward, public affairs officer at the US Embassy, and Troy Etulain, educational coordinator at the Embassy. The creation of websites in Azerbajani that contain information on Azerbaijani culture play an important role in stimulating interest in the Internet. The lack of websites in Azerbaijani poses a real problem for IATP prevalent language used outside of Baku. IREX/IATP is proud to present such a result of its grants program and will continue promoting and increasing the quality of future websites.
Georgia
IATP Serves as Communication Point for Turkish Students
A group of Turkish students studying in Kutaisi, Georgia, have been using the IATP access site at the Kutaisi Branch of the Academy of Sciences to communicate over the Internet with their friends and family. Initially isolated due to the availability of phones in the Kutaisi dormitory and the poor state of the Georgian postal system, the students have demonstrated greater attendance records and productivity since starting to use the IATP center. The visits came about after a local teacher noticed a decrease in the quality of the students' work and scheduled a field trip to the IATP center. Many of the students have also attended training classes offered, where they are learning new Internet resources and Web page design.