The small mountain village of Kapitan Dimitrievo (1200 population) did not have access to the World Wide Web. Situated in the Rhodope Mountains, it is surrounded by the Besaparski hills, which additionally hinders the technical access of the Internet signal to the village. The cable and Internet communication providers did not have economic interest to build the necessary infrastructure for Internet access. The quality of life and the social standards of the population did not allow for a single family or a group of people to invest in the building of the infrastructure. The local school had computer equipment, but these computers were not necessary to offer to the children the most effective education with practical access to the Internet. People who graduated 7 8 years ago did not have any computer literacy and those, living in the village and working in the local institutions did not have access to Internet. These circumstances were hindering the modern development of the village, turning it into a sleeping community, away from the dynamics of the modern world. Another challenge was related to the fact, that children did not have equal access to contemporary education methods and in the long term this leads to the desertification of the village.
More than 97 years now the Sergei Rumyantsev community centre is the keeper and promoter of the local traditions and cultural life. For many of the community centre members one of the most important priority has always been the development and enrichment of the cultural life, as well as the preservation of the valuable Bulgarian local traditions.
In 1934 the community centre members were the ones to ensure the first ever TELEFUNKEN radio in the village, which has been a crucial event for the population. 72 years later again the community centre, in its role of a pioneer, provides the village a democratic information resource the Internet.
Due to the specific geographic situation of the village, the Internet providers claimed that it is impossible to ensure Internet connections and infrastructure; the lack of significant number of private users, who can afford to build infrastructure connection, was also an obstacle.
In this situation the management of the community centre looked for a better alternative and it has been discovered through the introduction of a wireless Internet access system. A working station with access to Internet has been established within the community centre.
Using the existing computer facilities in the local school, three one-month trainings have been organised in the area of building Internet and computer skills for interested participants. The training for the students from 8th grade has been successfully accomplished by 43 children. The second course targeted these citizens who have already graduated 7 8 years ago. As a result of the training, 15 citizens of the village, together with 17 unemployed women were trained and obtained computer and Internet knowledge and skills.
Using the new possibilities for access to Internet, the mayoralty administration, the local school and the many people from the village got connected to the Internet. This created an effective meaning to the computer room in the school. The village from the neighbouring village of Radilovo also used the possibility and got access to Internet.
The average number of visits per day is 10 children and young people, who use the Internet to find educational materials and information and find it also a new and entertaining way to communicate with other children around the world. Adults also benefit from the Internet: people receive urgent messages and regular communication; read newspapers on-line. In fact the overall fear from using new technologies and communication channels has been overcome and the distance between the generations shortened.
The people from the village use on-line forms and declarations, necessary for the provision of a large spectrum of public social services; it is now possible to consult the Internet for a variety of specific legal issues. Unemployed people can fill in their CV and prepare motivation letters, when applying for a job opportunity. It turned out that the Internet is a useful facility and search tool for second-hand cars and vehicles, as well as for finding the most attractive travelling or recreation opportunity. Those employed in the private sector use the Internet to find various partners, addresses and contacts, new markets and latest information in the sector they work in.
Of course, young people actively communicate with their friends both in the country and abroad, using chats and on-line communication systems.
The community centre affirmed itself as a powerful source of innovation and information, ensuring access to Internet for the 2 schools and thus created modern possibility for the application of new educational methods in the learning process for more than 150 children. A new quality provision of administrative services has also been ensured for the village through access to Internet within the local administrations.
The overall project sustainability is rooted into several key aspects:
- A contract with the Internet providers for free of charge access to Internet for the next 5 years;
- All library members and readers, who have paid their annual user fees, have the right to use 1 hour per week free of charge computer and Internet.
The provision of the wireless Internet signal to the villages helped to overcome the information isolation of the population of Kapitan Dimitrievo. The people s self-confidence has also increased: in fact the first steps towards creating equal living standards in the village and in the city have been undertaken.
The community centre fulfilled one of its major roles of a pioneers and innovator, bringing into the village the new communication technologies, once again affirming its image of a pro-active and working for the community organisation.
Contacts:
Stoyanka Ivanova
Village of Kapitan Dimitrievo
Sergei Rumyantsev Community Centre,
Village of Kapitan Dimitrievo, Municipality of Peshtera
Tel.: (0559) 369
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