WorldSpace Foundation WSF

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WorldSpace Foundation (WSF)

• Reaching more than 55 million people in Africa
  with vital, relevant information

• Supporting a network of 300 African community
  broadcasters, rural community information centers
  and other civil society organizations with
  information ranging from HIV/AIDS prevention to
  food security to child and youth development
• Training a new generation of IT-savvy grassroots
  information proponents
• Giving voice to people who have been previously
  unheard

We as communities like hearing our own
voices. Noah LusakaArid Lands Information
NetworkKenya
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Mission
To improve the lives of people in the developing
world who are disadvantaged by poverty. We bypass
illiteracy, geographical isolation and inadequate
infrastructure to bring vital programs to
information-starved communities through our
award-winning digital broadcast and multimedia
services.
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WorldSpace Foundation

• Information and Knowledge
• Assembles information and knowledge produced by
  local civil society organizations
• Distributes the information to people in rural,
  isolated and other hard-to-reach regions of
  Africa, the Middle East and Asia
• Has 300 partners throughout Africa who provide
  local content, organize listening groups and
  rebroadcast WSF programs

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Audio Service
AfriStar Satellite
Material collected from groups in Africa
Server
Audio signal direct from satellite to receiver
Sent via Internet, mail or dropped off at WSF
office during visits
CD and Internet
Digitized and post-produced in Washington DC
studio
School, University or NGO
Community Broadcaster
Coordinated Listening Group
TFLS Hub Uplink in Johannesburg, South Africa
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Africa Learning Channel

• Award-winning collective channel of first
  voice radio programs
• A forum for Africans to share ideas, best
  practices, success stories and solutions to
  common problems
• Reaches an estimated audience of 55.5 million
  people with information on HIV/AIDS, child and
  youth development, food security, microenterprise
  and other vital topics

Production costs 300,000 annually, raised by
WSF from private foundations, corporations,
individuals, multilateral agencies and other
donors Cost to WSFs partners (NGO, community
broadcaster, information center, etc.) on
average 150 for a receiver (includes technical
support) Cost to the listener 0
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One Receiver Reaching Many Ears

• Based on Africas rich oral traditions
• Promotes group listening and learning
• Relies on WSFs extensive network of local NGO
  and community broadcasting partners
• Sustainable and effective strategy for receiver
  placement to achieve maximum impact

Above A listening group in a village outside the
city of St. Louis in Senegal discussing HIV/AIDS
prevention Right A group leader in Kisumu, Kenya
preparing for a listening session of an ALC AIDS
program
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Rural Community Information Centers
Radio broadcaster in the Bankilare Community
Information Center (CIC) in Niger. The center
downloads health, agriculture, cultural and
microenterprise development programming from the
Africa Learning Channel and Canal EF for
rebroadcast. The CIC often translates the
programs into the local language before
rebroadcasting them.

• Combine the use of WSFs satellite radio and
  multimedia capabilities
• Integrate WorldSpace technology with terrestrial
  (AM/FM) radio
• Multiply impact of WSF programming through
  rebroadcasts of radio programs from the Africa
  Learning Channel and Canal EF

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Rural Radio Network of Niger
Receiver antenna in a protective box over
community information center in rural Niger The
center houses a radio station and uses WSFs
audio and multimedia service as its primary
source of relevant news and social development
information. Centers like this are being
established by communities throughout Niger with
support from the government, UNDP and several
other agencies.
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Beyond Breaking the Silence
Launch of community outreach campaign in Ntungamo
District in Uganda, a program site for the
WSF-Africare HIV/AIDS Initiative
The beneficiaries identify themselves positively
with the program. When you ask them what
WorldSpace (Foundation) is, you will be impressed
with how they relate it with information on
HIV/AIDS. Milton Waiswa, Ugandan government
official
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WorldSpace Foundation

• Capacity Building
• Supports networks of organizations by
  facilitating information exchange
• Enhances capacity building with training,
  technical support and resource development
• Grassroots Focus
• Partners with local leadership in design,
  implementation and evaluation of all projects
• Enables people to enrich and empower their
  everyday lives

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WSF Multi-Media Service
WS Scheduler in DC
AfriStar Satellite
Internet
Server
Internet
Data edited and formatted for uplink by partner
organization
Satellite Radio Receiver
Via Digital Data Adapters
Internet
Data collected from groups in Africa
School, University or Library
Community Center
Health Clinic
TFLS Hub Uplink in Johannesburg, South Africa
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WSF Multi-Media Service

• Cost-effective and reliable mechanism for the
  delivery of web-based multimedia data
• Reaches target audiences in regions where
  Internet access is unavailable, unreliable or
  prohibitively expensive
• Bridges the gap between advances in ICTs and
  infrastructure that cannot adequately support new
  technologies

WSF charges a service fee to organizations that
use its multimedia service to transmit
information. Recent fees have ranged from 11,000
to 15,000 annually and are determined on a
case-by-case basis. The one-time cost to the
end-user, i.e., a local NGO or health clinic, is
on average 200 for a receiver and multimedia
adapter.
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Information on the Multimedia Service

• Climate charts, statistics, dynamic satellite
  imagery required for the development of early
  warning systems, reliable forecasts and crop
  cycles in Africa and Asia to help mitigate
  natural disasters, prevent drought and famine
• Community development best practices, training
  manuals and success stories of development
  projects in the arid lands of Eastern Africa and
  the Horn to help communities in the region
  stabilize their food supplies and engage in
  sustainable income-generation activities
• Public health relevant medical articles,
  diagnostic aids and treatment guidelines, radio
  scripts to aid in the prevention and management
  of epidemics and other public health challenges
• Other materials on the service include
• Agriculture and environment information
• Regional humanitarian, political and economic
  news
• ICT training manuals

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Other Beneficiaries of WSF Programs
Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) field
worker receives training manuals and best
practices for effective community development
UNICEF-OLS workers download teacher training and
classroom support material from the multimedia
service at a community center in Yambio, Southern
Sudan.
A woman in Eldoret in Kenyas Rift Valley region
waters her mini container garden she grew as a
result of being trained by ALIN community
development workers
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Global Reach
AsiaStar
AfriStar
AmeriStar
The WorldSpace satellite network consists of
three geo-stationary satellites AfriStar
AsiaStar, and AmeriStar. AfriStar and
AsiaStar were successfully launched October, 1998
and March, 2000 respectively. Each satellite
broadcasts on three beams with a coverage of
about 14 million square kilometers per
beam. Ultimately, this unique global network will
transmit quality information, education and
entertainment programming to a coverage area that
includes more than 4.6 billion people.