Integrated Community Development for SIWA

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ministry of Information and Communition Technology, and VFE Foundation joined hands to develop the community of the Siwa Oasis.

The project uses Vodafone 35 technology in developing the community of Siwa, tackling the following issues:

• ICT for illiteracy eradication, especially among women
• ICT for Health
• ICT for SME's
  

The project aims at impacting the community of SIWA, through establishing ICT centers in schools, hospitals, and community centers.

This project also outlines a mode for supporting Siwa’s women community, and enhancing their role in the society.

Project Objectives:

• Empowering the local community, especially women, in areas of literacy, education, health and SMEs through small, integrated and focused interventions using ICT as a tool
• Empowering local women by promoting their local products in a mini market portal
• Providing acees to communication and Information Technology to the community of Siwa
• Illiteracy eradication, especially among women
• Introducing the tele-medicine service to the community of Siwa
• Health awareness and the enhancement of hospitals and public health units 

 Tele-Medicine

This is a joint initiative between VFE Foundation, Faculty of Medicine of Alexandria University, Ministry of Health, Egypt ICT Trust Fund, and the World Health Organization.

The initiative aims at improving child health care services in Siwa Oasis, through tele-consultation with El Shatby Hospital.

ICT for Education

Besides establishing computer centers, VFE Foundation and the UNDP introduced an innovative tool called "tabluter" to encourage women to use the computer.

Tabluter is extracted from the word 'tableya' and 'computer'. Many Siwan women are not used to sitting on chairs, thus we came up with a tool which is culrurally acceptable. Now women can use the computer while sitting on the floor.

Project Achievements:

• Todate, 10 computer labs were established
• 210 women became computer literate
• 1200 children, and 60 men are computer literate
• 45 children benefited from the tele-medicine service