Tothyo Tori
Description
CARE Bangladesh with support from Grameenphone began this unique project to provide communication services to people in remotest parts of Bangladesh. It made sense to use boats as the service centres as they are the only reliable mode of transportation for most of the year in the Haor region, a wetland ecosystem in the north eastern part of Bangladesh. Hence the initiative was named ‘Tothyo Tori’ or information boats as the boats serve as information hubs for the people residing in these rural communities, providing them with the opportunity to learn, share and communicate with the world. There are currently four information boats in operation, and they travel up and down the villages on a fixed schedule in the Sunamgonj and Kishoregonj districts. A typical boat is equipped with computers for accessing the Internet, photocopiers, printers, scanners and more. Periodically, depending on the local demand, the boats also organize health camps to provide primary healthcare services to the community. EVALUATION According to the WFP (World Food Programme) Poverty Atlas 2005, the Haor basin is one of the poorest and most vulnerable areas of Bangladesh. Chronic widespread poverty has denied the people of this area access to basic services such as health and hygiene, medication, information, water and sanitation, markets, etc. The Tothyo Tori project has been the first step towards bringing these marginalized communities in contact with the rest of the country and providing them with these essential services. The one big challenge that is faced often by such undertakings is ensuring a regular and cost-effective supply of power. The Tothyo Tori operation has attempted to resolve this basic problem by roping in Intel to provide solar power to these boats. As a result, two of the four boats are having already been installed with solar panels. These are sufficient for 6 hours of operation and promise to bring down operating costs significantly.
What we deliver
1. Medical consultancy services
2. Access to low cost affordable medicine
3. Referrals to health service providers
4. Medical diagnosis services
5. Information on livelihoods, especially agriculture, trade and markets
6. Infotainment to young children, delivering powerful social messages
7. BCC education on health awareness and hygiene, which holds the promise to profoundly support disease prevention across the haor region
8. Video chatting with near and dear ones living abroad
9. Video conferencing with livelihoods and research experts in the main cities
10. Photo studios to get picture taken
11. Computer education to community youth such that they can acquire competitive advantage in the job market
12. Filling up forms on national websites to become enlisted as recipients of various government services
Why is the project unique?
Yes, there is no other initiative in the country that takes information, education, and health services to the poorest of the poor in a highly remote and inaccessible area like the Haor. Furthermore the concept of using boats, which is the only way of commuting during most part of the year in these regions is also unique, and rests on simple but highly effective innovation. Furthermore the services that are being provided on information boats are demand-driven, this is because CARE Bangladesh spent considerable time in conducting needs and vulnerability assessments in these areas to understand what the haor dwellers lacked and longed for the most. CARE also extensively studied existing documentation on the lives and livelihoods of these people- CARE has been on the ground there for decades through various other projects and programs. The combined result was a plethora of services that could make the business model viable. This brings us to another point- the information boats are sustainable businesses that operate on business models that CARE helps the entrepreneur prepare. CARE understands the need for sustainability and therefore takes extra measures to make entrepreneurs understand that this is their business and they are to run it and that CARE will be there to facilitate only. Also, services on boats are being fostered through innovative partnerships with the private sector, such as Grameen Phone, Intel, ACI pharmaceuticals, and many more are interested. This has brought in ample new resources, especially in green and cost-effective technology through Intel and GP that has considerably reduced operational costs and is contributing objectively to making the boats commercially viable. CARE is also exploring partnerships with the local government, especially in the health sector so that government health services, which are more affordable, can be accessed by poor families in the region. CARE is working with ACI to improve the quality of these services by working in conjunction with local government doctors to deliver health consultancy services on the boats. All in all, information boats are truly unique and bottom-up innovation, as well as innovation from partners has been at the heart of its success thus far.
Roadmap
Economic Empowerment of haor region people through providing proper information on health, education and livelihood solutions. Boat itself is a combination of ICT equipments. To empower a community economically, it is important to have the right information, like telecentres this boat based telecentre started providing information only. However, the local suffers more from other problems as well. And because of mobility, boat was able to address the health issues, education issues- which is saving their money. This is eventually building both financial and social capital to become empowered.
Contact
Omar Farook
CARE Bangladesh
20-21 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka
Dhaka, Bangladesh 1215
URL/Website – www.carebangladesh.org
