Geekcorps Mali

The Geekcorps Radio workshop in Gao

Olivier Alais — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:51:10 +0000

Geekcorps did its first radio workshop of the “Community Mobilization through Radio Technology” program in Gao from the 1st to the 8th of April. Forty-five people from the remote areas of Gao and Kidal came to be trained on the management of a radio station and the creation of radio shows. It was a real pleasure for the Geek team to spend 8 days with the community radio teams, to learn about various Tamashek and Touareg traditions and to spend time in the desert city of Gao. The communities are going to get the multifunctional platforms and we are going to install the radio masts during May. The final step for our Geek team will be to install the five radio stations and the multimedia centers before starting to set up other radio and computer centers in Mali.

Rhaly, our Desert Driver

Olivier Alais — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:13:03 +0000

Rhaly was born in the desert near Timbuktu and grew up in Gossi. Rhaly started to learn how to drive when he was still a kid. He drove between Algeria, Mauritania and Mali for a couple of years and spent weeks at a time in the desert transporting rugs, food, among other products. After that period, Rhaly spent a couple of years in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso as a mechanic, then came back to Mali as a policeman to pursue the desert traffickers. One day, Rhaly fell in love with Amy, decided to get married and to quit his job with the police to have a calmer lifestyle. He went to work in a tourist agency to drive tourists in the desert. It is easier to show a camel to a group of Japanese than to catch gangsters between the dunes!
Now, Rhaly is working for Geekcorps and proves each time we travel that he is able to drive the truck even where a bicycle cannot go. You need to ride with Rhaly along the Niger River or through the dunes to understand what I mean. If you decide one of these days to volunteer for Geekcorps, ask Rhaly how to use the stars to find the right way and how to read the color of the sand to know where you are. No sure that you will be able to do the same but you will definitely be happy that Rhaly is your driver when your latest GPS system with Bluetooth and color screen dies!

The latest Geekcorps creation

Olivier Alais — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:40:22 +0000

Ludovic, our Geek engineer, didn’t know what to do this morning. When a Geek is bored, he just wants to tinker with stuff. Ludovic loves the USB port of his computer because it’s universal and he can plug a lot of stuff into it. A scanner, a mouse, a cell phone even more if he uses his USB switch. Now, what can we do with an electroluminescent LED, a USB plug and Ludovic ? Maybe lights to illuminate his keyboard or to find his USB switch in his desk when there’s a power cut. Ludovic did a great job this morning and he’s going to build a couple of his new inventions for our Cybertigi centers and radio stations.

One more ! A new Cybertigi center in Kolokani

Olivier Alais — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:35:43 +0000

We’re happy to announce the opening of a new Cybertigi center in Kolokani, 140 km from Bamako. This new center would not exist without the enthusiasm of Westin Crosby, our Peacecorps friend from Kolokani and Mr Doumbia. Now, Kolokani inhabitants can type word documents, photocopy documents and use Moulin, our offline Wikipedia encyclopedia. All the equipment works off of solar panels, as electricity has not yet reached Kolokani. Geekcorps is waiting for the March arrival of Renaud Gaudin, our Cybertigi Guru, for the development of Cybertigi 2.0.

Visit of Cybertigi centers

Olivier Alais — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:25:24 +0000

We took a long trip on Thursday to visit 2 Cybertigi centers. First, we went to Niagadina where we met the photographer of the village. At the beginning of the project, he was reticent to use our digital camera and he’s now in love with it. Easy to use and easy to get pictures. He just has to go to Faraba, our second stop, to print the pictures. In Faraba, the Cybertigi is in the heart of the village at the town hall. We met the General Secretary who asked us to provide a new training for the center staff, which we will do in the coming weeks.
Finally, we stopped by Ouelessebougou to say Hi to Papou. He is enjoying running his computer center, which provides the Internet, printing, photocopies, and a complete digital photography lab. Papou was launched by Geekcorps a couple of years ago and he can now fly by himself.

Geekcorps Mali gives a warm welcome to Aïssata Touré

Olivier Alais — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:32:35 +0000

After 2 years working at the UNESCO office of Bamako as a program assistant, we are pleased to have Aïssata joining us as the new financial manager of Geekcorps Mali.

The new Geekcorps program : Community Mobilization through Radio Technology just started !

Olivier Alais — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:06:59 +0000

The brand new Geekcorps office in Gao is ready to go to remote areas of Mali to set up our FM radio transmitters which are suitable for use in hot and dusty climates. The first three villages that are going to get the new radio technology are Bamba, Ouatagouna and N’Tillit. They are all in the Gao region and they will broadcast local content using digital audio technology.
This is a new challenge for our geek team which is exited to discover the Sahara and to see the 50 m Geekcorps antennas on the bank of the Niger river or in the middle of the Sahara desert. Pictures are coming soon !

Vote for moulin Wiki! Go to WWW.Netsquared.Org

vina — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:50:04 +0000

Our project -moulin Wiki: the offline Wikipedia- has been submitted into a Netsquared competition where anybody can vote for their favorite tech projects. This project is an attempt to fill the information gap in developing countries which is caused by lack of books, internet access, and other resources. Geekcorps volunteers put the entire French version of Wikipedia (400,000+ articles) onto a 500mb CD which can be accessed at any computer, regardless of internet connection. If moulin Wiki wins this contest, it will receive aid to continue the development and distribution of these CDs to encompass other languages and hit many other countries. Help make this happen by voting for your favorite project, moulin Wiki: the offline Wikipedia!

Taking A Turn Toward Technology

vina — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 10:03:49 +0000

A former student from Carleton College in Minnesota contacted Geekcorps Mali in order to receive technical aid on equipment that she will be using in her project in Segou. Sara had first come to Mali in the winter of 2006 on a 3 month study abroad program. The group of exchange students met with a women’s organization called Nyeleni. This group is located in Segou and specializes in weaving rugs. The students donated wool carters to the women to be used for combing wool. Upon return to the states, they raised $700 by selling photos of Mali on campus. The funds were raised with the idea to support future partnership projects with the Nyeleni womens’ group.

During their visit, the students observed the womens’ activities and decided that a computer would allow these women to start recording their data, do simple accounting, and manage this income generating activity better in order to foster business growth. Geekcorps volunteer Brennan provided some guide lines for selecting equipment appropriate for the Mali environment.

Sara received these recommendations and bought the necessary equipment including Norhtec’s mini ITX computer which has qualities like a VIA. It only uses 8-12 watts of power, can withstand hot climates due to it’s casing, and is sealed to protect from dust. She bought a HP laser printer and a UPS (battery backup) in Bamako and was able to find a flatscreen LCD monitor, mouse, and keyboard in addition.

Based on Geekcorps’ recommendation, Sara put Ubuntu Linux on the machine, however she needed some help installing the printer. Sara brought her computer to Geekcorps where technicians, Ludo and Tamian, helped her get the printer working. They also installed additional accessories like XMMS (a program for playing music), VLC ( a disc reader), Tux Type (practical typing tutor), and moulin (Geekcorp’s offline version of the french Wikipedia). Aside from these additions, Sara had previously installed Abiword, Open Offices’ version of Excel, and Power Point.

Next week, Sara will travel to Segou to implement this computer project and train the Nyeleni women in using the programs. She will spend a few weeks with the group and try to teach all the basics that are necessary to start using these programs. Open Office’s Calc, like Excel, will be very useful due to its built-in calculating capabilities.

Although it may be challenging for them at the start, Sara is confident that if these women continue to build their computing skills, their business will see improvements. The next group of exchange students from Carleton College will be coming to Mali in 2008. By this time, the women may be ready to start marketing their products online. Geekcorps hopes to be of assistance as Nyeleni makes headway into their new turn toward technology.
-Vina Verman

Collaborating Between Corps

vina — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 10:19:46 +0000

On Friday November 10th, Geekcorps met Peace Corps Small Enterprise Development volunteer Miguel, who lives in the region of Segou. Their goal: to help establish a small computer based enterprise to be managed by the youth association that Miguel works with. Geekcorps’ director Matt Berg, volunteer Brennan Casey, and I, Vina Verman, a Peace Corps volunteer partnered with Geekcorps, came to Miguel’s village to contribute technical expertise and equipment. Miguel, who lives in this small village, will offer on-the-ground support that this youth group needs to start managing this new enterprise.

It was volunteer Miguel who initially approached Geekcorps with questions about the possibility of doing a computer related project for his community. This would allow individuals to develop technical skills like how to write papers, letters, or reports, and allow individuals seeking jobs to create resumes or practice typing. These would help give the youth a competitive advantage to acquire jobs in larger cities.

Out of a partnership with Intel, Geekcorps received 4 Community PC (CPC) computers to be used in a pilot. The intention of this pilot is to help Intel gain a better understanding of the rural African market for these computers, and more specifically, what services can be promoted using these computers. With two of these computers now installed in the region of Segou, time will show which services are important to Malian’s needs. The computer lab was also equipped with a digital camera and a PictureMate Deluxe digital photo printer, income generating tools proven to be successful in other Malian communities. This will help generate income for the lab while the managers build its client base and expand their activities.

During my service, I have seen many projects started by NGOs where there is little or no support provided at the local level to those implementing and managing the NGO’s project. Unfortunately, this results in millions of FCFA wasted every year because the local managers who run these projects lack the experience needed for managing such an enterprise. Very often, after just a few months of activity, these new businesses come to a quick halt. Miguel, lives in this village which he is very committed to, and takes pride in the new services he has helped bring to his community. His presence in this project and the advice he can offer will provide the assistance necessary to overcome challenges this group may face as they begin their new computer lab venture. He will train the lab managers on how to record the activities that clients carry out on the computers. This will help show what services are valued more highly by community members. Using this information, the new managers of the computer lab can develop marketing strategies to build a larger client base, while Geekcorps can identify what computing needs are of greater importance to communities such as this. In addition, Miguel will put in place things like accounting systems to help with daily operations.

Peace Corps Volunteers sometimes struggle with feeling like they have not made a substantial impact in their communities. Information on available resources is sparse and difficult to attain when means of communication is limited. But when an NGO, like Geekcorps, is accessible and willing to offer their technical assistance to a volunteer specialist in the field, this creates a synergy that is likely to result in a positive outcome.

This partnership between Peace Corps and Geekcorps presents a solid example of how projects can be strengthened to provide the best possible assistance to a community through collaboration, shared interests, and solutions that are mutually beneficial to all involved.

– Vina Verman