Horizon Lanka Foundation has been able to make a significant name in the country in terms of using technology for development. Following projects will tell it all.

1. With the work achieved by the Horizon Lanka Foundation, the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lankan has awarded Mahavilachchiya the status of a model e-Village . Mahavilachchiya has become the first rural village in Sri Lanka to embrace the Information Age. Our work and use of technology will be used as a model to bring ICT to all other rural villages around the country.

2. Digital Ambassadors is a project where youth are empowered with the latest technolgy and equipment to take on ICT related jobs, both offshore and local. Here we hope to equip the youth with a laptop, digital camera and a motorbike to work on ICT projects islandwide. Hiring Horizon Lanka youth will be worth as they know how to handle grassroots level projects since they have first hand experiences.

3. Internet access is largely perceived as a way to reduce isolation, provide educational and economic opportunities, and ultimately improve the quality of life. Unfortunately, high capital and operating costs have limited rural access to a handful of heavily subsidized and supported demonstration projects in Sri Lanka. An innovative integrated strategy, based on existing technology and rural social structures, could address a variety of barriers and ultimately help get large numbers of villagers on the Internet. Mahavilachchiya is a part of the rural sector of Sri Lanka that still remains largely unconnected to the Web. Even though there is a high density of computers in the village, they do not have internet access nor are they connected to each other. This project aimed at installing a modern communication backbone providing connectivity to all segments of the rural community of Mahavilachchiya. A new wireless technology called ‘MESH Networking' was proposed where peer-to-peer communication can exist between any two nodes which are located within the radio coverage range of each other, as per the IEEE 802.11 wireless technology standards. This pilot project created a wireless Mesh Network where villagers have access to information and this knowledge stimulates economic growth by creating new products, increasing productivity and promoting new commercial and administrative methods. In addition to economic development, this connectivity fosters social development, cohesion and inclusion, through its applications in education, health and increased citizen participation in civil society and government.

4. Thanks to Mr. Mark Frazier of the US based company OPENWORLD LEARNING, Horizon Lanka is now committed to venturing forward into the world of e-learning. OPENWORLD LEARNING, using special voice and animation technology, can help us to produce e-lessons for the Horizon Lanka Virtual Academy. It is hoped that in the future HLVA will be accessed by many around the country.

6. Every student is encouraged to buy a used computer under the Digital Butterflies program. Students must save Rs-5000 and then the program will find a donor for the other Rs 5000. So far about 50 students have received computers. Around 10 more students have saved 5000 rupees each and waiting for donors to match the other half. We are proud to say that our village has a high density of PCs compared to other Sri Lankan rural villages. The value of these computers is not just monetary. They are providing students with access to technologies they could not dream of and parents, too, are being educated in the benefits of computers over TVs. For more information on this program please visit our blog, http://digitalambassadors.wordpress.com/.

7. The skills of our young students in ICT have advanced enormously over the years. They now are the managers of all Horizon Lanka websites, designing and producing all the web pages. Their skills have impressed many and they are now providing services to companies to design web pages and graphics. We hope to use this service as a long term solution for sustainability for Horizon Lanka Foundation.

8. OnTime Pvt. Ltd. BPO (Business Proecess Outsourcing) is the newest venture Horizon Lanka Foundation started with the help of FAROLANKA and ICTA. This project aims to provide job opportunities to the village youth in and around Mahavilachchiya. Visit the blog http://ontimetechnologies.wordpress.com/ for more details.
( Monday, February 4, 2008 6:09 PM )