35525 258 Knowledge Sharing January 2006 Findings reports on ongoing operational, economic, and sector work carried out by the World Bank and its member governments in the Africa Region. It is published periodically by the Knowledge and Learning Center on behalf of the Region. The views expressed in Findings are those of the author/s and should not be attributed to the World Bank Group. Distance Learning: Connecting Development Practitioners Information communications with the GDLN to organize a pilot technologies (ICTs) have helped to five day cross-regional distance reduce geographical boundaries learning course on Using Indigenous and connect people across differ- Knowledge for the Millennium Devel- ent countries, cities and villages. opment Goals in March 2005. Over The internet and mobile phone 100 participants attended the revolution have enabled millions course through local GDLN centers of people to engage in a global dia- in Uganda, Tanzania, Sri Lanka logue. Cyber cafes are thriving and India. These included policy­ businesses in the bustling cities makers from health, agriculture of Calcutta, Dakar and Rio and the and environment ministries, re- remoter parts of rural towns and searchers and academia, engi- villages such as Tanga, Mopti and neers, NGOs, civil society and IK Sally. The Global Development practitioners including farmers Learning Network (GDLN) is a World and healers. The primary objective Bank-supported initiative that of the multi-media course was to uses technology to promote devel- demonstrate to participants how to opment through learning. The goal address development challenges of the GDLN is to connect develop- through the application of Indig- ment practitioners across the globe enous Knowledge. The course was and enable them to interact with designed to help clients incorpo- each other through a virtual plat- rate IK into their programs/poli- form provided through video- cies and promote South-South dia- conferencing. There are several logue/cooperation among IK prac- GDLN centers in operation in ma- titioners. jor capitals in Africa, Asia and Latin America that offer regular courses Content on development topics to a diverse range of stakeholders. In addition A ten-part lecture series con- to training, the GDLN offers a cost- ducted by experts based in differ- effective platform for development ent parts of the world demonstrated Findings practitioners to share experiences, the role and potential of IK in help- network and learn from each other ing achieve the Millennium Devel- to improve their impact on the opment Goals (MDGs). The course ground. focused on instances where IK was applied to help increase food secu- The World Bank's Indigenous rity and agricultural productivity, Knowledge (IK) Program partnered reduce maternal mortality, treat enous Knowledge: Local Pathways to with international agencies such the opportunistic diseases associ- Global Development" proved useful as WIPO and the US National In- ated with HIV/AIDS and help con- to the participants. A special stitute of Health(NIH) on an equal serve biodiversity. The lectures website was created for the partici- footing. The video conference ses- centered around providing develop- pants that included the core pre- sions were supplemented with lo- ment practitioners a `hands on' sentations, project documents, cal translators to enable Swahili guide on the use of IK in the devel- case studies, debriefings and les- and Sinhalese speakers to learn opment process. This was achieved sons learned during the course. more about how to address the dual through lectures by (i) IK experts The course materials were comple- challenges of scientific validation and practitioners who shared their mented by multi-media learning and intellectual property rights pro- lessons of experience; and (ii) ex- tools including video documenta- tection. In some cases, local IK perts from the scientific commu- ries of real life IK applications, practitioners challenged the wis- nity (US National Institute of which facilitated the internaliza- dom of contemporary development Health) and UN agencies (WIPO) tion of IK in development by par- paradigms. For instance, partici- who addressed critical challenges ticipants. The outputs from the pants in Uganda and Sri Lanka felt related to the efficacy, validation, course have been developed into a that a project that set out to reduce protection, documentation and con- DVD which serves as a stand-alone maternal mortality had focused too servation aspects of IK. IK Toolkit1. heavily on information technology, without paying due attention to lo- Delivery approach Outcomes cal maternal health practices. The most productive part of the The course consisted of presen- Cross regional exchanges course was the cross-regional ex- tations by experts including case Participants engaged in conver- change among the participants studies, as well as interactive sations and discussions with 10 which facilitated South-South co- group and cross -regional discus- speakers from developed and devel- operation and indigenous technol- sions. These were facilitated oping countries. The presentations ogy transfer on a virtual platform. through video-conference sessions enabled them to understand the The local facilitators in each coun- by the GDLN centers. The train- dynamics of IK systems and the try had helped identify like-minded ing course was delivered through processes through which IK can professionals in the same fields. a series of presentations of IK case potentially help development prac- Often, sector- specific presenta- studies and subjects related to IK titioners achieve the MDGs. The tions sparked off intensive cross development and application, by cross-regional discussions enabled regional discussions that enabled selected resource persons with IK the two regions ( Africa and Asia ) the participants to carefully dissect knowledge and experience from to share experiences and learn the subject and adapt the lessons different countries. Each center from each other. For example, the of experience to their own specific had a local facilitator who was an Tanga AIDS Working Group, an context. In the field of agriculture IK expert and served as a resource NGO in Tanzania, revealed how for example, when a participant person to guide the participants traditional medicine can help treat from India spoke of banana fertil- through the course, address their the opportunistic infections related izers he used in the fields, a par- concerns, and help them develop to HIV/AIDS. India responded by ticipant from Uganda responded individual action plans during citing the example of a similar NGO that he had also used the fertilizer; offline sessions. that had used Neem based herbal however had not worked for him. The on-line and off-line interac- remedies to treat over 3,000 pa- He asked the Indian participant for tive group discussions as well as tients of similar diseases. details on the time, quantity, and cross-regional discussions helped The course enabled local IK prac- application of this fertilizer to see participants clarify and discuss IK- titioners (traditional birth atten- related issues and share experi- dants, healers and farmers) to talk 1 Each DVD contains the course description, agenda, course ences. Additionally, the course to each other across countries and materials, video conference sessions, participant action plans, material provided through the continents. Also, local healers facilitators reports, course evaluations, local media coverage World Bank Publication, "Indig- were able to raise their concerns and participant contact details. if the scientific methodology used tors and activities to allow for on the course subject and famil- by the Indian participant could wider participation and deeper iar with local stakeholders who yield similar results in Uganda. understanding of the sector or could be potential course partici- activity. pants. Action plans · In order for IK to penetrate in · It may be necessary to provide At the end of the course, the par- many areas through many play- local facilitators with advance ticipants developed an action plan ers, some of the training mod- training on how to recruit par- outlining how they intended to in- ules could be presented in train- ticipants and deliver the course corporate IK and the relevant ing programs not designed for IK through off-line and video-con- course materials : (i) into their own per se. For example, the module ference sessions. work programs; (ii) at the project on IK and health could be incor- · It is also critical to provide the level; (iii) at the policy level; (iv) porated into a general training facilitators with autonomy to en- through cross-regional exchanges course on HIV/AIDS. The IK and able them to adapt their own and dialogue, and (v) through spe- agriculture modules could be in- teaching approaches to meet the cific activities to promote South- corporated into agricultural specific and different needs of South Cooperation. The most no- training courses. This could sen- participants in each country. table achievements to date as a re- sitize project teams and policy · In geographically large countries sult of the course include the fol- makers not currently dealing like India, it may be necessary lowing actions in the four coun- with IK, towards considering the to have two different locations for tries: incorporation of IK components the distance learning centers, · Ten national institutions have into their thinking and imple- which would enable participants initiated work on documentation mentation. to simultaneously attend from all and incorporation of local farm- · The time for the course was lim- over the country. ing practices into their programs. ited. Future courses should be · Seven universities have incor- expanded to two weeks to cover Conclusion porated IK into teaching curricu- all the required topics with Distance learning provides a cost lums. shorter courses for specific top- effective medium of instruction. · Four Ministries of Health and ics. The costs of running such courses Agriculture have promoted vali- · The entire course material amounts to about $30,000, with the dation and protection of IK to sup- should be made available in hard potential of reaching a target group port integration into national copy to each participant as not of 150-200 participants spread development projects and poli- everyone has regular access to across four to five countries. Dis- cies. the internet. tance learning also provides a prac- · Five World Bank projects have · Presentations should include tical platform for a global develop- allocated resources to finance more photos, pictures as it helps ment dialogue, enabling experts to specific IK activities within to visualize the situation better. make presentations from across projects; Some presentations were not vis- the globe and stakeholders to share · Sixty-five participants adapted ible during the VC sessions ­ experiences and learn from local lessons of experience from other there is need to develop a VC- and cross regional exchanges. countries into their own work friendly format for screening The potential for using distance programs. power-point presentations. learning as a tool to help clients · The use of videos is an effective achieve the MDGs can be gauged Lessons learned way to introduce a subject such through the impact of the pilot There are several lessons to be as IK that focuses on intangible course on IK. Participants rated learnt from the pilot experience assets that are often difficult to this novel form of doing business that can be used to improve the visualize. Documentaries should on a virtual platform as being ex- delivery of future courses. be used to start off-line sessions. tremely useful and have requested · Follow-up courses could be di- · It is critical to recruit dynamic the organization of such courses rected towards IK in specific sec- local facilitators who are experts on a regular basis. The technology Karnataka Watershed Develop- enabled participants to share ex- ment Project, India, Coordinator- periences, but also imparted tech- Prof. K. Pandurangaiah nical knowledge and challenged "It was the first time I have attended conventional development para- such a course at the international digms. Recognition of one's efforts level. It has been a really good expe- by peers through serious discus- rience and helped the persons in- sion also added to the popularity of volved in extension work with differ- the initiative. ent stakeholders. Indigenous Knowl- edge is a very appropriate subject for Participant feedback the MDGs." The 87 participants have urged their institutions to allocate bud- TAWG, Tanzania, Coordinator - getary resources to fund their par- Dr. Mtullu ticipation in similar activities in "The course was useful because the future. Some have managed to many people were able to participate go even further. The Distance and share experience on one topic Learning Centre in Tanzania, for something which is not easy other- example, has incorporated indig- wise and would be very expensive. enous knowledge into its core ac- The course gave us exposure to learn tivities and schedule of courses. from others experiences and estab- Similarly, in Sri Lanka a Univer- lish new contacts. The course not only sity Vice-Chancellor has agreed to exposed our program to other coun- establish a small video-conference tries but also to in-country partici- center to promote distance learn- pants." ing courses on IK. Plans are also under way to organize a follow-up IK course to assist post-Tsunami This Findings article was written rehabilitation efforts in Asia. by Siddhartha Prakash, Consultant, World Bank Africa Region Knowl- edge and Learning Department. For National Institutes of Health, more information and to obtain a copy USA, Research Scientist - Dr. of the course DVD, please email: Gordon Cragg sprakash@worldbank.org or "I feel that the pilot distance learn- Phone: 202-473 5863. ing course was a very effective way of optimizing interaction between knowledgeable groups and practitio- ners in the countries involved, and .. I felt that there is a real interest in learning from the experiences in dif- ferent countries...your website (is) an invaluable link for anybody who has an interest in learning more about the value and applications of IK to health care."