November 07 Report

Monthly Report of November 2007

I. General Information
Project title: Informatics for Rural Empowerment and Community Health (i.REACH)
Funded by: International Development Research Center (IDRC)
Executive Agency: Ministry of Commerce (MoC)
Implementing Agency: Maharishi Vedic University (MVU)
Project Duration: August 17, 2006 to April 2009
Prepared by: Long Dimanche
Date of Report: November 30, 2007
II. Summary
According to the master plan from project meeting in KEP, our KCM staff committed to perform all their best to reach the milestone of the project. This month we do not have MC to coordinate the multimedia work, so the CDs try to work by themselves with support from the PC. Within the good team work KCM pilot achieved some of activities such as: In term of multimedia production we had completed 4 audio productions (Domestic Violence, Seasonal influenza, Brown Plant Hopper and Pregnancy Health Care) and recorded into cassette for disseminate to pagoda. An audio production on Composting was produced and waiting for other two audio productions (New Traffic Law and Typhoid Fever) to record to cassette. Beside of these, the CDs also wrote up a new script on Chicken Raising and preparing to make an audio. Most of the minute of project meeting and Management Committee meeting is produced. This month the RC and CDs conducted the survey on feedback of community on broadcasting in pagoda and the report of this survey is still in developing. Three i.REACH notes (Composting, Soil use and Harvesting & Storage rice) produced but still not yet publish. By the way, the infrastructure of KCM pilot is mostly completed installation. The Solar power was installed at all hubs and the internet connectivity hope to complete on December 1st, 2007. In term of Connectivity in HQ we use AP 523c with Omni and P2P 2218 at Hubs.
III. Detail Activities and Results:
Infrastructure: On November 13, 07 the people from KC Solar Company arrived KCM pilot site to install the Solar Power in left 6 hubs such as: Pong Ro hub, Chamkar Check 1 hub, Prey Thom hub, Kum Num hub, Prey Plorng hub and Beuk Touk hub. Five sets of Solar Power installed by KC Solar Company and the other one is the Solar Power that used as temporary in Headquarter. This Solar Power is moved by KC Solar people to install at Beuk Touk hubs in Smaong Cheung Commune. Up to the present, the power for support to the project is already in-place, in HQ have 2KVA, 8 hubs with 220Wp and Only one hub with 150Wp (the one which moved from HQ to hub). For connectivity in KCM, right now, we can say that all locations is accessible, this work have been done by Gateway technicians. On November 29, 2007 Gateway technician started their work at HQ first, before they installed Trango but now the installation at HQ is AP 523c with Omni. With this, they installed P2P 2218 to get the signal from HQ at 6 hubs. Those are Pong Ro, Chamkar Check 1, Prey Thom, Kum Num, Prey Plorng and Beuk Touk hub. Beside of the installation of this connectivity KCM Technical Supporter worked closely with Gateway technician in managing of the whole network. As the result, Gateway Technician suggested to our TS to remove the previous system with the new system which secure and easy to manage because now the connection is possible at all location. So in term of infrastructure, I would say that, mostly of the system is completed.
Research Activity: this month the project staffs conducted a survey on audio broadcasting through pagoda in arming to get feedback and find out the additional methodology in disseminate the information to reach the Community. This survey was conducted on November 7, 2007 at 11 areas surrounding the pagoda which received cassette from project. 110 samples were selected for the interview; this amount was divided by 10 samples for each location and the report of this survey is still in developing. The i.REACH note (leaflet) is another way in disseminating the information to community and this has been wrote up by RC in October 07 on Composting. Up to the end of November 07, the i.REACH note is developed three topics (composting, soil use in Cambodia and harvesting & storage method). But unfortunately, these notes not yet published because it still revise and edit for the final version by RC. For the process of Needs Assessment and Management Committee Election is still in progress, these works have been done and responsible by RC with assisting from CDs. Beside of these, the RC was dispatched to Prey Veng Province and Phnom Penh city aimed in building relationship with the other NGOs, Institution and Government Department (Provincial Department of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture Extension, CARDI and VSF). He came back with the good result and also gets some books for the reference in developing the contents.
Content Development: November is the month that all Content Developers produce media without Multimedia Coordinator because the MC was resigned since the end of October. With strong commitment of CDs in their work 5 audio productions were produced those are Brown Plant Hopper, Seasonal Influenza, Domestic Violence, Pregnancy Health Care and Composting. Among these 5, except only composting audio that not yet recorded into cassette for broadcast because we need to record three audio in one cassette, so it’s waiting for the other two audios which is finalizing (New Traffic Law of Cambodia and typhoid Fever). A script on Chicken Raising also wrote up and for all scripts was comment and edited by PC, PC also assisting in comment on the audio production before recorded into cassette. Based on my observation, the CDs, right now, developed their skill in writing script and producing audio by themselves but they still need to train on some more technical term to produce their products in a high quality.
Service Accessing and ICTs Training for Community: in the end of November, there are 87 students were trained on computer literature and 221students were instructed on Internet Using. Due to this is the new initiating for the community, the accessing/using the services is still in low condition. But even though we found that there are some businessmen come to use project service in finding the information on exchange rate. Other users come to find the information from website and contact to their friend and relative, those users mostly are student and teacher. As the result, project earned 22 000 Riel from services providing to clients both in HQ and hubs. This month the member of Management Committee tried to in Skype from hub to HQ as their first time and they were happy because they can see each other with project staff.
Project Staff Meeting: in arming to build team work and following up the daily work of project, in every two week on Friday all staff come and sit together to share and discus about the result, difficulty and find way to solve the difficulty or any problems if have. For the first meeting on November 15, 07 KCM staff conducted the first meeting presided by Mr. Chea Sokhuor the Project Manager of i.REACH from Phnom Penh city. During the meeting the project staff reported the result that have been done by their own to the PM and the PM also give some comment to all staff in aim to implement their own works with successfully. Regarding to the management system and the information flow of the project, PM also introduced his experiences in working with many firm both in Cambodia and Oversee for all staffs to keep the quality of work and flowing information smoothly. On November 30, 2007 the project conducted the second meeting to sum up the results that have been done by all staff which presided by the MVU Project Director. During the meeting beside of presenting the result project activity, MVU Project Director Mr. Pin Vannaro also mentioned about the work performance and the evaluation of all staffs in the end of October, 2007.
Attending meeting and Workshop: On November 12, 2007 I attended in the meeting with the Resources Person of IDRC from Canada at Seim Reap. In the meeting we have three presentations One by i.REACH presented by both PCs and RM, One by PAN Localization presented by Mr. Chea Sokhuor and the last One by APSARA Authority. On November 16, 2007 the i.REACH project get a high honor to facilitate a workshop on Unicode and Its application to the students of MVU in both faculties. This workshop presided by Project Manager of PAN Localization. This workshop was separated into 2 groups one in the morning and other in the afternoon, and attended by more than 300 students of MVU. Based on my observation, this workshop was very satisfactory and useful for the students and the student also express their proud our own Khmer script in computer, and they very happy with the result of PAN Localization.
IV. Conclusion:
In short, for the whole month of November 2007, all of project staff in KCM pilot performed their best in implementing to achieve the plan. Even though this month Cambodian people have some national holidays such as Independence Day from the colony of France and water festival day but we still can completed the plan that was submitted. In general, we can say that with the close cooperation of all project staff and also the strong support from the central our activities plan was achieved 90% because it still has some report and process that not yet completed. The left few activity shall be completed at the beginning of December, 2007.

Best Regards,

Dimanche Long