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Internet Access and Training Program (IATP)
IATP News - Best of 2002
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Ukraine
Ukrainian Alumni Chat With US Ambassador
On September 11, the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, more than 50 Ukrainian alumni of US government-funded exchange programs engaged in an online discussion with US Ambassador to Ukraine Carlos Pascual. Two alumni from each IATP access site in Ukraine gathered for a chat entitled "The World after the Terrorist Attacks." While conversing with the ambassador online, the participants were able to view the ambassador and Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer Scott Urbom via a live Internet video broadcast from the IATP access site at the Parliamentary Library in Kyiv. After an introductory message thanking Ukrainians for their support in the struggle against terrorism, Ambassador Pascual answered a series of questions posed by alumni from Kharkiv, Sevastopol, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zhytomyr. The alumni--all leaders in their communities--were interested in changes in America after the attacks, measures taken by the US Congress to freeze or eliminate terrorists' funds, and collaborative efforts to fight terrorism. In response to a participant's question about what Ukrainians can do to help, Ambassador Pascual emphasized their engagement in community activities and local politics, multicultural and interdenominational religious events, and support for pending legislation in the Ukrainian parliament to combat money laundering.
First Nationwide Video-Internet Conference on HIV/AIDS in Ukraine
On December 2, IATP Ukraine and the medical information center Vector organized the first nationwide Internet-Video Conference, entitled “Time Demands Action – together against HIV/AIDS.” The aim of the conference was to discuss the results of events that were conducted throughout the last year, also known as the “Year of Struggle with HIV/AIDS” in Ukraine, as well as events that took place on International AIDS Prevention Day. Approximately 80 participants from 25 regions of Ukraine, including representatives and members of regional AIDS centers, specialized medical clinics, information centers, NGOs working in the area of AIDS prevention, and mass media visited IATP access sites to participate in the conference. Ukrainian AIDS activists had an opportunity not only to talk online, but also see their colleagues from Kyiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk through the Web cameras, working at the conference in these three cities. The conference was organized in the form of dialog between representatives from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, Ukrainian AIDS center, United Nations Development Programme, UNAIDS, World Health Organization, Renaissance Foundation, World Bank, and participants from the regions. Regional HIV professionals asked questions about the plans and programs of these organizations for the next year. All regional participants were excited about the interactive communication with the main Ukrainian HIV/AIDS information hubs--they received valuable information, established key contacts, and had important questions answered. According to a declaration by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, a multi-sector approach to the struggle with HIV/AIDS has allowed Ukraine to become one of the leaders in solving the AIDS problem in Europe.
Kazakhstan
IATP Kazakhstan's Work with the Deaf featured on BBC News
On March 25, 2002, the Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) regional coordinator for Central Asia, David Mikosz, participated in an interview with the BBC World Service about IATP's work with the deaf and disabled in Central Asia. The interview focused on the ways that Internet access opens new possibilities for hearing impaired and physically disabled people. The interview focused on IATP's work with the Almaty School for the Deaf in Kazakhstan. "The importance of the Internet and programs like the IATP is not the technology or the people behind the technology," Mikosz stated, "but rather in what people do with the technology." He went on to say that "the BBC interview gave me the chance to share some of the exciting work the IATP and our partners are doing with a worldwide audience."
IATP Builds Skills for Disadvantaged Women in Aktobe
IATP continued its collaboration with Aru Ana Women's Organization by organizing an extensive training event from September 30 to October 4. A group of representatives of Aru Ana were trained to use common computer software. Next week the same group will start working with the Internet and e-mail. In recent months, 20 of the NGO’s members, mainly unemployed and abandoned women, participated in training sessions to learn the entire package of basic skills (computer skills, Internet and e-mail skills). Alima Abdirova, who administers Aru Ana, says that the unemployed women trained at the IATP access site have made another step to becoming more competitive on the labor market thanks to the basic computer skills they obtained during the trainings. Aru Ana is a nonprofit organization rendering diversified help for women and taking part in other various socially important initiatives. IATP Aktobe access site and Aru Ana have worked together for over eight months to train dozens of people. The leader of the nonprofit organization communicates through e-mail with her counterparts and supervisors from other cities.
Uzbekistan
Information Technology Development and Education
On November 18, IREX, in collaboration with the US Embassy, American Councils, and the Fulbright Association of Uzbekistan, held the conference “Information Technology Development and Education.” This conference brought together regional alumni, Fulbright scholars, and local representatives from Tashkent universities. US Ambassador to Uzbekistan John Herbst opened the conference with a discussion on future exchange opportunities and the outcomes of past exchange programs. PAO Michael Reiner, and PAS Alumni Coordinator Sevara Melibaeva also took part in the conference. Ludmila Shibarshova (CI 02) gave a presentation on "Information Technology Development and Education." On behalf of the Ministry of Higher Education she outlined IT and higher-education programs sponsored by the government of Uzbekistan. Adilya Suncheleva (CI 96 and RSEP 01) discussed "Teaching and Learning in Cyberspace." Anatoly Kochnev (FLEX 96), Bukhara IATP Administrator, delivered a presentation on "Integration of IT into the Classroom" and introduced participants to I*EARN program. The discussions that followed the presentations were active and many questions were asked and answered. The conference also included a discussion of Islam, via the Internet, led by Eren Tasar and Patrick Hatcher, Fulbright scholars on Islamic studies.
Kyrgyzstan
Internet Training Participants Discuss AIDS Issues with Jalal-Abad Specialists
On December 12, juniors majoring in information science from Talas State University, medical staff of the Central Medical Unit of Kyrgyz Ore Mining Works, and specialists from Jalal-Abad AIDS Center and the AIDS Department of Red Crescent Society’s Youth Center participated in a one-hour online chat on AIDS. The students had previously participated in the “Internet Basics” training in the Talas IATP access site, and this was a chance for them to practice the skills obtained in the earlier training. The other objective was to provide a platform for a discussion of AIDS issues. During the chat, the students had an opportunity to talk with specialists about the AIDS transmission and its symptoms, preventive measures and medical treatment. Medical specialists from Kara-Balta and Jalal-Abad interactively shared the present AIDS situation in their regions.
Belarus
IATP Belarus Collaborates with Women’s Organizations
On September 26, the IATP access site in the Republican Science and Technical Library in Minsk, Belarus, conducted a seminar entitled “Internet Resources for Women.” The event attracted 30 women from Minsk, Mogilev, Kobrin, and Smorgon, and represented such women’s organizations as the Mogilev Women Center for the Support of Self-Education, Diva Virtual Beauty Center, the Belarusian Association of Young Christian Women, and the Youth Press Club Harmony. Trainer Natalia Khazyaeva, a representative of the Organization for Cooperation of Business and Creative Women and the author of the website SunLight, told the participants about the rich virtual resources available for women. She also gave an overview presentation of world, Russian, and Belarusian websites for women. Natalia noted that the SunLight website, designed with IATP assistance, had helped to advance the development of the Organization for Cooperation of Business and Creative Women and to establish new contacts for the organization. The success of Natalia Khazyaeva’s website led the participants to conclude that running a website would be extremely important for the development and promotion of their organizations. Many of the participants enrolled in future IATP Web development classes to acquire the skills necessary to create their own websites. In a related seminar on September 29, the IATP access site in Gomel, Belarus, hosted a seminar for women’s organizations. Oleg Filon, IATP Gomel trainer, explained Internet basics to the participants, who had a wide range of experience using computers and the Internet. Despite the different levels of the participants’ knowledge of the Internet, the trainer managed to find the right approach to each woman present and actively involved them in the educational process.
Alumni Chat Launches International Education Week in Belarus
On November 18, IATP access sites throughout Belarus hosted an online chat for alumni called "Returning from US Fellowship: Expectations and Reality.” The event launched International Education Week in Belarus and preceded a multi-country chat within Western Eurasia. Christine M. Sheckler, country coordinator for the US Agency for International Development in Belarus, took an active part in the chat and encouraged alumni to talk about their diverse experiences. Twelve alumni shared their professional accomplishments based on their rich US exchange opportunities. They also discussed the personal and professional obstacles that they have faced since their return. The majority of alumni link their success with their US fellowship, which has given them new opportunities and allowed them to accomplish many projects. Some have created distance-learning courses, designed personal Web pages, developed new teaching courses, conducted advanced research, presented at international conferences, and published materials abroad and at home. Others have reinforced positions at their work places, set up their own businesses, extended a network of professional contacts with American counterparts, and developed joint projects. Among the obstacles that prevent alumni from effectively using the knowledge and experience they gained during their US fellowship, alumni highlighted a low level of social and economic development, a lack of demand for experienced professionals in the governmental sector, an underdeveloped private sector, unfavorable state policy toward NGOs, a lack of international foundations and democratic institutions, and denial of new trends in world community development in Belarus. As a result, some alumni have been discharged or limited in applying the latest scientific knowledge and practical experience in their work.
Tajikistan
Alumna- Journalist Conducts Journalism Seminar at Alumni Resource Center
Rukhshona Najmiddinova (FSAU 01), a journalist of the independent informational agency of Tajikistan Asia-Plus, led a journalism seminar teaching the basics of writing techniques to alumni and a newspaper editorial team in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Najmiddinova began her presentation with an introduction to journalism. She revealed the most interesting aspects of being a journalist and noted that only a strong will makes one a true journalist. Najmiddinova then focused on the main topic of the seminar--how to write articles. She explained the necessity of brainstorming while searching for an article topic, proving that even a simple object can have a lot of interesting information to write about. She covered the structure of an article, the importance of the first sentence as a tool of drawing the attention of readers, as well as what the body and conclusion of a quality article should contain. Najmiddinova pointed out several rules to distinguish a professional article from a weak one. Participants found some rules and ideas completely new and useful. For example, they learned that an article should not contain a writer’s opinion and must not use the first person as well as how to make the reader follow the writer’s idea. At the end of the seminar everyone exchanged contact information with the presenter and agreed to continue working with Najmiddinova in the future.
Moldova
High School Students Learn about Publishing Online Newspapers in Balti, Moldova
From November 5 to 7, Igor Mironiuc, site development coordinator for IATP Moldova, conducted a workshop for eight students from Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu High School. These eight students are very active in writing articles for their school newspaper, so online publishing is of particular interest to them. Gheorghe Poting, a computer science teacher at their school and coordinator of the school newspaper, requested the workshop for his students. After an introduction to the IATP access site in Balti, Mironiuc familiarized the attendees with the Internet and explained major search principles. The main part of the workshop dealt with the creation of Web pages. Trainees learned the basic steps necessary to create websites, namely formatting text, adding images, and creating links between existing Web pages. The workshop inspired the young journalists to start developing an online version of the school newspaper. The successful launch of the website will count as a completed term project for each student involved.
Armenia
IATP for Public Health
From October 8 to 10 the IATP access site in Kapan, Armenia, conducted seminars and workshops for medical workers and students entitled "Medical Resources on the Internet.” The Syunik Regional head of the State Medical Department, Dr. S. Orbelyan; various other doctors; four Kapan Medical College students; two FLEX alumni; and one CC alumnus, Dr. A. Vardanyan, participated in the seminar. The seminar consisted of two parts—theoretical and practical approaches to medical information available on the Internet. Dr. Orbelyan talked about the effectiveness of using the Internet for medical information, using examples of cooperation among international organizations, institutions, and industry owners. Dr. Vardanyan talked about the role of information technologies for professional development in the medical industry and provided his own examples of computerizing his hospital and using the Internet for obtaining important information. The practical part of the seminar lasted three days. IATP trainer Karen Arzumanyan and Eghishe Davtyan, a volunteer in Kapan, conducted the training sessions with the following outline: the history of Internet, Internet services, educational resources, as well as World Wide Web and e-mail services. The professional segment of the seminar included the following components: medical catalogues, professional websites, international medical organizations websites, scientific research institutes, educational institutions, and encyclopedias. Most of the participants were not acquainted with the Internet and its services. As a result, they created medical Internet catalogues for themselves for future reference.
IATP Building Civil Society
On September 20 IATP representatives participated in a seminar entitled “The Role of Women NGOs in Civil Society” at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. Svetlana Aslanyan, an IREX alumna and active IATP user, organized the seminar. Aslanyan is the scientific secretary for the Department of Foreign Relations of the Institute of Linguistics at the National Academy of Sciences and is president of CDCS/WSC. The seminar topics included “The Importance of Coalition Building” (Alison Smith, peace-building project officer, Catholic Relief Services), “NGOs and the Atmosphere of Irresponsibility in Armenia: A Socio-psychological Analysis” (Samvel Tchshmarityan, PhD, psychologist), “An Analysis of the Activities of the Women’s NGO Coalition” (Nora Hakobyan, president, Armenian Women’s Republican Council), “Women’s NGOs and NGO Coalitions” (Artemis Lepejyan, president, Women’s Union after the Virgin Saint Sandkht), and “Women and Women NGOs in Civil Society” (Svetlana Aslanyan, PhD). Women from all 10 Armenian regions gave panel presentations describing the problems currently facing the women’s NGO movement and civil society in Armenia. They discussed the issues confronting rural women every day, and provided ideas on how to overcome the hardships of the current transition period. Donor organizations, such as IREX, Project Harmony, and World Learning, also gave panel presentations. Margartia Ghazaryan, IATP Web designer/trainer, described the goals and objectives of IATP in Armenia. She also explained the objective of IATP Armenia in relation to women and women’s management, and she answered questions posed by participants. The participants were especially interested in Internet access training and other training courses offered by IATP. After their orientation to Internet technologies, the women realized the new opportunities for them to raise their level of communication through the Internet.
Azerbaijan
Internet for Disabled Veterans
On August 22, Fuad Teymurovthe, head of Karabakh War Disabled (KWD), attended a meeting at the IATP access site in the Ayna-Zerkalo publishing house to talk about the assistance he has received from IATP. During the meeting, Fuad Teymurov explained that IATP played an instrumental role in his obtaining a wheelchair from the Azeri Diaspora in Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine) for Shahin Mammedov, who is a disabled veteran of the Karabakh conflict. This wheelchair acquisition was coordinated and completed by Fuad Teymurov who sent the request to Dnepropetrovsk using a dial-up connection provided to KWD by IATP. In addition to the wheelchair acquisition, Fuad Teymurov applied to the Moody International Foundation for a grant; the results are still pending, but Teymurov remains confident. Fuad Teymurov, who attended IATP web-development courses over the last year, created a website dedicated to KWD. The website was created with the assistance of IATP and "Galajek Namine," a local non-governmental organization, which has been cooperating with IATP in Azerbaijan to bring up the level of computer knowledge for citizens. The segment of the physically impaired population in Azerbaijan lacks financial support, equipment, and, in some cases, websites for publicizing various organizational activities targeting this minority group. They hope that they will be able to resolve some of these issues through the use of the Internet. IATP will continue assisting KWD and the disabled through special programs and adapted, IATP-training sessions. IATP center at the Ayna-Zerkalo publishing house is currently the only place for them to accomplish their goals at no charge.