To assist in the rebuilding of East Timor by using information communication technology to deliver skills development, education and employment through the creation of a sustainable not-for-profit social enterprise.

Info Timor is the first not-for-profit enterprise in East Timor focusing on using information communication technology for nation building.

The Info Timor mission is to assist in the rebuilding of East Timor using information communication technology to deliver skills development, education and employment through the creation of a sustainable social enterprise.

Info Timor is staffed by Timorese who have spent time in Australia at Infoxchange workshops developing the skills required to build and manage the Info Timor enterprise.

Infoxchange Australia is Australia's leading not-for-profit ICT focused social enterprise and has been working in East Timor over the past four years supporting education and skills development. Infoxchange is a former winner of the Stockholm Challenge

Info Timor employs and trains young East Timorese people to implement and support ICT use across East Timor. These positions include technicians, training staff, support staff and administration staff. The majority of these positions are located in the Districts responding to local needs.

The plan is to establish an ICT Resource Centre in each District and to skill people to be employed as qualified technicians, certified trainers and administration staff. The first of the ICT Resource Centres has been established in the District Baucau and currently employs six paid staff and six volunteers who are learning the ropes.

ICT support is also provided to other Government offices and NGOs and community groups. Through this model, a whole-of-community approach can be achieved.

The ICT Resource Centres will also provide community internet access points and be the hubs for local intranets using wireless technology. This will give communities the ability to rapidly communicate and share local information and knowledge.

The enterprise has the following four strategic objectives.

• To seed and develop a new self-sustaining social enterprise that will train and employ East Timorese citizens who will contribute to their country’s future.

• To provide fee-for-service IT support services to the local business community and supply quality refurbished computers to schools and NGOs.

• To train and employ young people in computer and related businesses.

• To generate income that will be put back into the enterprise to support its growth and provide further employment and training opportunities.

There is an emerging and growing demand for ICT services across a new nation like East Timor both in the capital and throughout the Districts. ICT support services are required in the education sector, the NGO sector, the small business sector and across government departments. Meeting this demand is a prerequisite for national development and the whole community must, therefore, be equipped with the necessary skills and support to use the technology.

The Info Timor enterprise provides a complete range of ICT services that complement each other and create skills development and employment outcomes for East Timorese citizens.

There is a pressing need for basic and reliable computers across the country. The use of unlicensed software, the unchecked spread of computer viruses and the high expense of internet access are key drivers in the demand for ICT support activities. A central aim of the project is to develop a sustainable enterprise that will meet the ICT needs of a newly emerging nation.

The project will provide employment and training opportunities for young people in East Timor. The young people will work beside experienced technicians to provide ICT services. They will also gain experience in starting and managing an innovative business venture.

The project will not only build a sustainable enterprise but will also create a model that can be replicated in other Districts across East Timor. The enterprise will provide both community-based and commercial IT services that benefit the local communities in which they operate. Info Timor will therefore also provide a long-term revenue stream that will assist in the provision of affordable community services.

The Info Timor enterprise model is built on the very successful enterprise model developed by Infoxchange Australia over the past ten years.

Transferability is a key element of the model. Infoxchange has successfully transferred its social enterprise model across Australia through the establishment of workshops and training centres in four of the five mainland states in Australia.

Info Timor follows the same principles and guidelines. The enterprise as established in Baucau will be established in each of the other Districts across East Timor to create a network of enterprises supporting local communities through employment generation, skills development and a capacity to deliver a robust service to support the rollout of ICT.

The social enterprise model is also critical. It is important that these enterprises are not delivering profit to individuals, but rather, that return is for the common good.

Government support and encouragement are required but this should be done in a facilitative way rather than through a controlling model. In developing countries where significant aid money is being distributed, the social enterprise model can deliver longer term benefit. Skills development and education can be delivered through the enterprise and support given to individuals to seek employment in the private or public sector or to establish their own businesses. The idea is to have a regular flow-through of people ensuring that the initial investment in the enterprise is having a positive impact throughout community over and beyond the life of the enterprise.

The Info Timor enterprise has been operating for twelve months and has a sustainable business model.

This is a remarkable achievement and is testimony to the commitment of the young East Timorese staff who spent time in Melbourne, Australia, last year learning how to become computer technicians.

To date, the enterprise has supported computer access in schools, non-governmental organisations, community centres and government offices including the District Administration, the Department of Education, police and prisons through the provision of refurbished computers and technical support services.

Info Timor and Infoxchange Australia have proposed to the Minister for Education the rollout of 500 computers to the 50 secondary schools across East Timor.

Part of the rollout will be the implementation of the 'Ubuntu' desktop operating software that will allow computers to be used in any of East Timor's four main languages.

Info Timor is developing a partnership with a number of NGOs and schools in Baucau to develop a pilot project to establish a wireless intranet network in Baucau. This network will allow internet technology to be used to build a local communications network.

The vision of Info Timor is Teknologia ba Justisa Sosial - empowering people through access to technology.