Hurikaduwa Nenasala: Telecentre that Empowers Rural Community in Sri Lanka

Following is a blog posted by Hurikaduwa Nenasala to 

http://community.telecentre.org/profiles/blogs/hurikaduwa-nenasala-telecentre-that-empowers-rural-community-in?xg_source=activity .

Hurikaduwa Nenasala: Telecentre that Empowers Rural Community in Sri Lanka

          Posted by Mangalika Kumari Wijesundara on February 28, 2013 at 1:27am

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Hurikaduwa Nenasala, located in Menikhinna is one of the successful Nenasalas (telecentres) implemented by the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka under the E-Sri Lanka initiative. Hurikaduwa was one of the rural and disconnected villages in Kandy district before the implementation of Nenasala in the area.

Hurikaduwa Nenasala was started on 5th July 2008. Thorough the Nenasala, we have rendered a great service to the community. Before the implementation of Nenasala, Hurikaduwa remained as one of the least connected rural villages of the Central province where Computers and IT was considered as a luxury. Yet, over the past 3 years of time with Nenasala services, digital literacy rate of the village has being improved and remains in a stage of satisfactory.

Our Nenasala is not a place reserved only for IT courses. Our vision is to take the ICT to the rural community and empower them with the dividends of ICT.  For the moment we deliver 14 different IT courses and conduct language classes to teach English. Following is the list of courses:

For School Children

§  Intermediate Technology

§  Tamil Courses

§  English Courses

For school leavers

§  Intermediate Technology Courses

§  In house and outdoor Planning

§  Commercial Flower making

§  Porticulture

§  Beauty Culture

Courses and Seminars

§  Electrician courses

§  Landscape

§  Driving learners

§  Photographic

§  Landscape

§  Sewing courses

§  Consulting courses

After two years of implementation, our Nenasala got registered  with Vocational training authority of Sri Lanka as a qualified IT training institute. It has enabled us to offer a recognized certificate to our Nenasala students.

Our Nenasla has offered IT Scholarships to the village youth and today 80% of the village youth regularly visit Nenasala for IT training and communication needs. Expanding the services today we provide services related to self- employment, vocational training, library, educational services, etc. Specially for village youth we offer:

• Conducting Leadership workshops.
• Conducting Education Seminars for O/L, /AL Students.
• Performance evaluations and Award ceremonies.
• Life skill training.

Further we have managed to conduct:

ICT Kids first
E- Channeling   Doctor
E- beauty
E-Jobs
E-Graphics

Not only that, as our Nenasala located in a religious institution, we support community development initiatives carried out my the village temple as well. Our Welfare and Religious activities include:

• Improvement and Development of dilapidated Religious Places.
• Provision of Scholarships to the children.
• Provision of Internet facilities for the Priests.
• Learning opportunities (English, Tamil) for the children who are in low income families free of charge.
• Opportunities to follow courses for the children of Ranaviru families free of charge.
• Computer Technology Facilities for the teachers of Dhamma (Sunday School ) School free of charge.
• Religious activities and services for the children and their family members.
• Blood Donation camps.
• Activities for the Pre School children ( English, Tamil, Computer Happy Kids).
• Shramadana Activities for Dengue Prevention, Improvement of cemetery.
• Health Camps(Eye, Rabies ).

Nenasala Team Wishing you all the best & Good Luck ... !