Strengthening knowledge exchange

Telecentre staff around the world will have a chance to learn practical skills and share experiences through short-term collaborative and knowledge sharing activities.
Meddie Mayanja, Senior Programme Officer, telecentre.org said knowledge exchange will provide an opportunity for developing sustainable solutions to telecentre practitioners. It will also enable them to adopt best practices across the globe. Mayanja was speaking at a three-day fifth East African Telecentre Leaders Forum on 10 June at Sudanese Central Bank Association Hall in Khartoum, Sudan.
“Through networks, telecentre.org shall support telecentre practitioners and network leaders on short-term placements, to travel, work, innovate and learn with peers at telecentre or network level until April 2009,” Mayanja said
When asked about how many slots are available for practitioners annually, he said priority will be given to staff exchanges within national and sub-regional.
However, he said networks have a responsibility to ensure that exchanges are developed with a clear problem solving intension, process for addressing it and plan for sharing outcomes within the network.
He further mentioned that telecentre.org will provide beneficiaries with travel and subsistence costs as well as other limited expenses for hosts while telecentres or networks will share the cost of basic expenses.
The global programme is part of the telecentre.org network building programmes that bring practitioners together on intensive learning and problem solving activities.
Other areas envisaged for facilitation include national and regional meetings, workshops, and other developmental initiatives that benefit the telecentre ecosystem.
Mayanja highlighted that the East African telecentre Network leaders were the first beneficiaries of the knowledge exchange in February 2008. Soon, Mali and Mozambique will do in-country telecentre staff exchange.