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Executive Summary
 The Village Computing Consortium - in partnership with Telecentre.org - organized a critical macro-level assessment of initiatives using shared-access computing devices to provide information and communication services in rural and peri-urban communities throughout the developing world (village computing) and the key trends in the funding, policy, content/services, technology, and socio-cultural and capacity fields affecting its development. The study draw on the insights of experts in the field and was conducted in two phases – 1) questionnaire and 2) in-person consultation – between July and October, 2005.
This critical assessment will serve as the initial event in a planned larger, on-going, coordinated effort to assess both the macro-level, longitudinal trends and the micro-level, domain-specific developments shaping Village Computing.
The final document digesting the outcomes of both the questionnaire and meeting phases provides a snapshot of the current state of village computing and its environment, generate actionable insights for practitioners, policymakers, and technology and service developers/providers, and strengthen the foundation on which further focused research can be undertaken. This document does not reflect all divergent viewpoints on the topics under consideration nor does it present or
attempt to rectify the contentious or competing viewpoints proffered either by the
participants in the consultation or their colleagues in the field. Rather, this report attempts to
divine from the participants’ commentaries and subsequent discussions a picture of the
particularly relevant themes shaping the growth and development of village computing
around the world.
Additionally, it is hoped that this initial meeting will lay the groundwork on which a more active and focused dialogue and collaboration between experts and practitioners can be cultivated.
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