Rural Community Gateway

By Anna Bjerstedt

Poland has many rural areas in the country that need help and advice on how to become less agriculturally based in order to become more financially stable.

The Rural Development Foundation recognises the desire for growth in the rural communities and works to help them. The foundation is located in Warsaw, Poland, and works to improve the infrastructure of rural communities throughout the country. One way we support these areas is through two large projects that help to build technological knowledge in small villages: the e-VITA programme and the Witryna Wiejska portal. 

Program e-VITA has implemented two programmes in 2004 and 2006, and is beginning the planning stages for the third edition in 2008. This programme has two directions: one focusing on the local side and one focusing on the entirety of Poland.

The first angle is directed towards the implementation of the internet, the education and development of skills, and the personal growth of the locals. The second direction concentrates on Poland as a whole using the Witryna Wiejska website, which serves as a meeting ground for the citizens of Poland to stay connected and updated on activities in rural areas. 

The main goal of e-VITA is to encourage the use and development of Information and Communication Technologies. This programme plays a huge part in rural communities remaining connected through the internet and allowing the locals’ knowledge to grow.

There are five main components that make e-VITA successful: planning, providing internet access, education and training, building resources, and perfecting the skills and desire to learn. These five elements are key to improving the areas knowledge and assured growth from internet implementation and education. 

In the first programme, six communities gained elements of IT infrastructure and participated in the educational programme, and in the second the number increased to 13 communities scattered all across Poland. At the end of e-VITA II, 64 small villages had complete internet access. So far, 1,359 people have been provided with training for the internet and 1,100 people use their own private lines!

The Rural Development Foundation, partnered with the Polish American Freedom Foundation, provides the funding for e-VITA. Recently for the second e-VITA, the Polish American Freedom Foundation donated 2,474,160 PLN and the Rural Development Foundation donated 978,157 PLN. In the first program, Cisco Systems was also a partner and donated 500,000 PLN for the implementation and 1,500,000 PLN in computer equipment!

Polish Rural Gateway

The Witryna Wiejska portal coupled with the e-VITA programme makes internet use possible. The portal itself isn’t only for the inhabitants of the rural communities; it is also for the people in larger cities to stay connected and up to date on what is happening throughout Poland. One interesting part of the portal is the Atlas Initiative link. This is a list of the completed projects that have happened in rural communities all over Poland. They are a good example for users who would like to create a similar project!

Our website has many different links and stories from the Topic of the Month to films on how to make traditional Polish cabbage!  With 25,000 monthly users, they are encouraged to set up an e-mail account on the portal and visit the library to read articles on any topic of interest they prefer.

There are numerous links for how to start a business, how to set up internet in your own town, and how to use funding from the EU towards an education. The editor, Piotr Subotkiewicz, works hard to keep the website organised and informative for the visitors. 

Right now e-VITA and the Witryna Wiejska website are adding a new aspect to their programmes: both are working on getting more English explanations and summaries online. This will allow both programmes to reach a wider range of people and maybe even allow non-native speakers of English to learn a little bit.  Hopefully this will also encourage the members of the Scottish Rural Gateway site to visit and learn about the Rural Development Foundation’s activities! To read more about e-VITA and Witryna Wiejska in English visit the website.

Further information

For further information or if you have any questions about Witryna Wiejska or e-VITA contact either:
Klara Malecka, Director of e-VITA - kmalecka@fww.org.pl  or Piotr Subotkiewicz, Main Editor of Witryna Wiejska - psubotkiewicz@fww.org.pl

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