“`htmlShilpa Sayura Joins Finalists of the Stockholm Challenge Award 2008
The Nation, 13 April 2008

The i4D and Stockholm Challenge GKP Award-winning Shilpa Sayura was selected among the leading finalists in the Education category of the Stockholm Challenge Award 2008.

The award ceremony was scheduled for 22 May at the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall, the venue of the Nobel Banquet. The Stockholm Challenge is owned by the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH).

International Selection

More than 2,000 projects were registered for the 2008 awards. Of these, 400 passed the first evaluation stage and were reviewed by 25 members of the international jury. The jury selected 145 finalists across six categories:

• Culture
• Economic Development
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Public Administration

All 145 finalists were invited to participate in Stockholm Challenge Week from 19–22 May 2008.

Why Shilpa Sayura Stood Out

The i4D Award jury recognised Shilpa Sayura for using a local language to address a global challenge in a local context through strong multi-stakeholder partnerships.

“Empowerment through collaboration. The use of older computers is a great plus. A great example for other minority language groups.”

This assessment highlighted the project’s practical approach to rural education, local-language learning and the reuse of existing technology.

A Sri Lankan Success Story

By 2008, five Sri Lankan ICT projects had reached the finals of the Stockholm Challenge since 2000. Shilpa Sayura, which had already received two major international awards in 2007, was considered a strong contender in the Education category.

“What we tried was to provide a sustainable alternative for the global problem of rural education caused by the lack of teachers and educational resources. Shilpa Sayura now helps rural children to study the national curriculum independently in their own language.”

Niranjan Meegammana
Project Director, Shilpa Sayura

About the Project

Shilpa Sayura was initiated by e-fusion with support from the e-Sri Lanka ICTA e-Society Programme. It provided local-language digital learning resources to children in remote Nenasala Telecentre communities in Sri Lanka’s high-poverty southern districts.

The project’s success encouraged stakeholders to establish the Shilpa Sayura Foundation and plan an expansion to 500 rural Nenasala Telecentres. The Foundation also sought support from the Corporate Social Responsibility community to extend the programme to rural villages across the country.

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