The Community Empowerment Network (CEN) assists rural communities in developing countries to acquire the skills, attitudes, and resources to lift themselves out of poverty by capitalizing on information and technology. While many recent development approaches have emphasized technology, experiences have shown repeatedly that technology alone is not a solution to poverty. Technology and information serve as development tools only insofar as communities are able to successfully use them in a meaningful way. Technology can be a valuable tool in poor rural communities when applied to developmental objectives such as: reaching markets for locally made goods, sharing ideas among communities, facilitating the implementation of projects, and accessing information on topics such as health, agriculture, or income generation. CEN empowers communities to utilize technology to achieve their own development objectives.

Development Challenges in Rural Communities

Although each community is unique, many rural communities throughout the developing world share common challenges. Due to their remote location, rural communities consistently face limited educational opportunities, limited access to health care services, poor infrastructure and communications, and limited opportunity for employment. Due to such conditions, these communities have for generations relied primarily on others for their well-being, whether the patrón land-owner, the government, or NGOs. This cycle of dependency often inhibits the ability of communities to take on their own development projects. Regardless of how well intended outside agents might be, they have different agendas than the communities, and the communities are at their mercy.

Dependency has consistently been a major obstacle to development, reinforcing an "I can't" mentality among the rural poor - a feeling of helplessness where people believe that they are unable to control their own lives. On our recent visit to Suruacá in the Brazilian Amazon we observed a characteristic instance of this all-too-common "I can't" mentality. During a meeting with a women's group we asked the women why the modern kitchen, which was built with funds from a German foundation, was not being used. They responded that they were interested in using it to make fruit candies, but that they had not started because they were waiting for somebody to come and help them. They knew how to make the candies but didn't know where they could sell them, so they felt they needed outside help. The women were in a much better position than us or any outsider to work around these obstacles. What was necessary was for them to conduct some research and investigation locally. This could include seeking out and talking with neighboring communities that had experience making the candies or talking with local store owners about marketing their idea. However, the women were missing the skills and self confidence to make use of available resources. Similarly, many rural communities around the world have ambitions to create small businesses, start organizations, or plan projects, but they get stuck because they feel they won't be able to succeed on their own. CEN works to overcome this "I can't" mentality that has inhibited so many from taking charge of their own community development.

Our Methodology

Energy and ICT can be important tools in breaking this cycle of dependency. If utilized effectively, ICT can empower users and their communities with access to information that helps them make well-informed decisions and take effective action to solve their own problems. Improved communications can also help communities share their solutions with other communities. ICT access alone is not enough, though. Communities need to develop skills to utilize the technology and apply information. Key skills include leadership, communication, organization, research, and project management. When people put these skills to practice in a meaningful way, they gain a feeling of empowerment. The "I can't"; attitude becomes "I can", breaking down a major obstacle to development.

The methodology CEN has developed combines 3 primary components to help communities acquire skills they need to become more independent.

> Mentoring communities as they learn by doing

A positive mentorship role with rural communities is critical for our efforts to be effective. The first step of the mentorship process is to investigate what issues communities identify as meaningful. In our experience, prominent issues have included health, infrastructure development, and small business development. As communities bring specific problems to our attention, we then determine the knowledge and skills that communities need to address the problem on their own. We work with the communities to create a plan that will not only help them solve the specific problem, but at the same time will help them develop the skills and confidence to independently address similar problems in the future.

While our role may include providing ICT and electricity, our primary focus is to foster the skill development needed to get the most out of the technology investments. In order to help communities develop these skills, CEN mentors them as they undertake projects of their own design, which are relevant and meaningful to their everyday lives. As a mentor, we help them develop methods of inquiry to explore the questions they truly care about, and to encourage them to develop a sense of ownership about their projects. Our "learning by doing" approach means that learners not only acquire knowledge about the project topic, but also develop a wide range of skills which are critical for them to manage their own development. In the process, communities adopt an "I can" attitude as they witness the concrete results of their efforts.

Recently, a group of four Brazilian men approached us for help creating a business plan. Rather than creating it for them, we guided them through the process by asking some critical questions that led them to produce the business plan themselves. Helping with this specific request was a start, but as we worked through this problem we determined that the broader goal was for community members to develop the skills necessary to be able to start and run businesses independently. Through discussing the interests and ideas of the group, we determined that organizing a basic business course open to all community members would help people to develop the business skills they desired such as management and marketing, as well as exploring their interest in a rotating community fund.

Similarly, community members have approached CEN with very specific health concerns, such as a high prominence of back problems or vision problems. We specifically addressed these health concerns by providing relevant information via the community information portal. We also helped to put communities in touch with local resources that they can approach to acquire glasses and specific health care needs. Ultimately, we don't want the communities to rely on contacting us with every new health problem as it comes up. Rather, we seek to help them develop skills that will allow them to address health concerns on their own. This may mean developing workshops on research skills or courses on more general health topics.

> Establishing telecenters and information portals

Due to their isolation, rural communities often have limited access to the information needed to compete for resources. Computers and the internet can facilitate access to this information if applied effectively. CEN works with communities to determine what information interests them and then establishes telecenters and information portals according to their needs.

So far, we have used portals to provide information addressing a number of community interests, including specific health concerns such as HIV/AIDS, back problems, and vision problems. We have provided teachers with resources to help them teach math and Portuguese language skills. We have also provided community groups with study material on cultural and environmental topics of interest in the Amazon.

Oftentimes, low levels of education and inexperience with many types of information - especially in written form - are obstacles to using information effectively. CEN organizes workshops where community members learn how to utilize the info center and also develop writing and other communication skills. Also, we make sure that that the information in the portals is presented according to the skill level and educational background of the target audience.

> Facilitating community networks

Many remote communities, particularly those within the same region, face similar challenges. Some communities have met considerable success addressing specific problems, however their isolation has prevented them from sharing their solutions effectively with others. By sharing ideas and experiences, communities have an alternative to relying exclusively on outside "experts".

Chat, on-line forums, and e-mail access can help tremendously to facilitate idea sharing between remote communities. We have discovered, however, that while electronic communication can be very effective where personal relationships already exist, it can be very challenging for people who are not accustomed to using the telephone - much less written electronic forums - to engage with strangers from communities they have never visited. Organizing periodic workshops and exchanges between communities has proven an effective way to help communities begin a dialog with each other, which can then be maintained and broadened by electronic communications.