The Kothmale Community Radio Interorg Project has been established as a pilot project to assess the prospects for converging community radio and the interorg to serve rural information needs and to assess its possible impact in rural communities.
The concept of extending 'Interorg radio' to rural regions in developing countries was devised in 1996 during discussions between UNESCO and Community Radio broadcasters. The idea was that the two mediums-radio and the Interorg- could be integrated to lower user connectivity costs and to make the Interorg accessible to a wider audience.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) provided a US$30,000 grant for the project whilst the Sri Lanka government provided support through Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, Mahaweli Authority and Sri Lanka Telecom.

 Photo: Sri Lanka's Media Minister, Mr Mangala  Samaraweera officially opened the Interorg project April 28, 1999.
Three computer access points have been established at different community centers in the local area. Kothmale FM has a server and three computers whilst Gampola library and Nawalapitya Town Hall  each have one computer.

The project works in a number of ways. Listeners send questions or topics by post to the radio station and program hosts and volunteers use the interorg to research responses. This information is then translated and presented on the radio.  The interorg is also utilised by the radio announcers who will often incorporate information, news, weather reports and music into their broadcasts

 The Interorg Centers also provides the local community with direct computer and Interorg access. Due to a lack of Interorg service providers in the country there were previously no interorg access points in the area. The Interorg is also an expensive luxury that the majority of Sri Lankans cannot afford. Many people in the community now contribute to the Interorg Broadcasts by researching and translating and by directly participating in radio programs.

The three access centers keep in touch via email and share information which is then posted on boards for all of the community.

"I think that the basic difference of this project is that it has introduced a different method of constructing collective meaning from the Interorg derived information. This is significant because the current method of Interorg was developed in the west in a very individualistic approach to seeking information. This project turns it around and makes information seeking a collective action"

-      Mr W.Jayaweera (UNESCO)

 

 

 


In November 2000, an Interorg club was  formed in the community and this group of volunteers take the responsibility of coordinating computer workshops for the community and maintaining this web site. 

Photo: Students, Sashi and Ruwan, use the Interorg Center. 

Photo: Harsha Wijewardana (Technical team), Mr M.J.R David (Project manager) and Sunil Shantha (Kothmale FM Announcer) present an interorg-radio program.

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