Please use the activity category definitions below to determine how best to classify your project within the Clearinghouse. Note that the activity categories are meant to describe your project's current primary activities only, and are not meant to encompass any potential secondary applications. For example, a telecenter project may provide tools that could be used to offer healthcare or education programs. But if that telecenter is not actually offering or actively planning to offer health or education services, then it should not check those categories.

• Agriculture - projects that provide benefits specifically to farmers and other agricultural practioners.



• Business Services - projects that provide business assistance and resources, such as software, mentoring, training and funding, to small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs. Generic fax, photocopy and other services do not qualify under this category.



• Computer Training - projects that provide computer training, either as a primary activity or in support of a primary activity.



• Computer Training Center - a computer center set up for the sole purpose of computer training. All computer centers that are open to the public for general Internet use, whether or not they also provide computer training, should be categorized as telecenters.



• Cultural Preservation - projects that document, promote, market or otherwise preserve local and indigenous culture and ways of life.



• E-Commerce - projects that engage in or facilitate e-commerce to and from developing country populations.



• E-Governance - projects that provide e-government services; i.e. projects that use information and communication technologies to facilitate participatory government and/or bring government services to individuals. These may include the computerization of government offices, the creation of e-government networks, e-government portals, or other similar initiatives.



• Education - projects that provide educational programs, or content or support for such programs. Four sub-categories describe specific education applications:
  
  
  • Distance Education - projects that provide distance education services.
    
    
  • Educational Content Production - projects that produce educational content relevant in developing country settings.
    
    
  • International School Collaboration - projects that link schools in developing countries to schools in developed countries for purposes of collaboration and learning.
    
    
  • School Networking - projects that provide computers and connectivity to schools in developing countries.
    
    
• Empowerment of Women - projects specifically geared toward women, providing tools and services designed to further women's social and/or economic empowerment. Projects in this category may also serve men and youth, but will emphasize programs or services explicitly targeting women.



• Empowerment of Disabled - projects specifically geared towards the disabled, providing tools and services designed to empower their social and/or economic empowerment. Projects in this category may also benefit non-disabled people, but will emphasize programs or services explicity targeting the disabled.



• Enabling Technology - projects that develop or utilize innovative technologies appropriate to developing country settings. All Enabling Technology projects fall into one or more of the six sub-categories below:
  
  
  • Enabling Hardware - projects that develop or utilize innovative hardware to provide services to developing country populations. Projects that use standard hardware, like the standard desktop PC, do not qualify for this categorization.
  
  
  
  • Enabling Software - projects that develop or utilize innovative software to provide services to developing country populations.
  
  
  
  • Handheld Enabled - projects that utilize handheld computers.
  
  
  
  • Satellite Enabled - projects that utilize satellite connectivity.
  
  
  
  • Smart Card Enabled - projects that utilize smart card technology.
  
  
  
  • Solar Enabled - projects that utilize solar energy.
  
  
  
• Environment - projects geared toward conservation or more efficient use of natural resources.



• Equipment Recycling - projects focused on the recycling of desktops, laptops and other hardware.



• Financial Services - projects that enable financial transactions either to individuals or to small and medium enterprises, like microfinance programs or remittance services.



• Handicrafts - projects that use ICTs to provide local artisans with access to new markets, business support, and increased profits.



• Healthcare - projects focused on providing health services.



• Telemedicine - projects focused on providing telemedicine/telehealth services.



• Job Training - projects that use ICTs to provide job training.



• NGO Capacity Building - projects that provide resources or services to non-governmental or civil society organizations.



• Microfinance - microfinance projects that use ICTs to improve their efficiency, and provide access to new clients and sources of funding.



• National Network Development - projects that develop the infrastructure for large, national networks.



• Portal - projects centered around Web portals that provide content and/or services intended for, and directly relevant to, developing country populations.



• Radio - projects that utilize information and communication technologies to enable or enhance radio programs geared specifically toward developing country populations.



• Rural Telephony - projects specifically focused on the development and/or implementation of telephony systems for poor, rural areas. Many telecenters provide or have the potential to provide voice or voice-over-IP services, but, because of the range of other services they provide, are too broad to qualify as rural telephony projects.



• Telecenter - telecenters can offer a wide variety of services, ranging from basic Internet access to fax, phone, copying, education & training, health, e-commerce, and e-government services and more. Models includes simple kiosks, school computer labs made available to the public after hours, multipurpose community telecenters, mobile telecenters, and others. School networking projects are not classified as telecenters unless the school computer facilities are made available to the public after school hours. While a telecenter, depending on its facilities, may have the potential to offer education, health, e-commerce or e-government services, it should not be classified under these categories unless it is specifically implementing such a program.



• Mobile Telecenter - project provides telecenter services, but may be housed within a van or boat and so is not constrained geographically.



• Youth - projects that provide services specifically geared toward youth. Projects in this category may also serve adults, but will emphasize programs or services explicitly targeting young people.

To ensure the quality and consistency of our data, we must verify that each Project Capsule submitted to the Digital Dividend Clearinghouse meets the following guidelines. Please read carefully. If you have any questions about whether or not your project meets these guidelines or qualifies for a specific category, please email us at dividends@wri.org prior to submitting a Project Capsule.