Wired up villagers in Embalam

Information and Communication Technology has transformed our work and leisure in the West, but computers are expensive, they need reliable power supplies and cool, dust-free conditions. Accessing the internet is easily done via a phone line, bringing the world's information to your desk in seconds - but only if you can read English, know how to use the technology and can afford the phone bills. So how can the internet ever benefit the millions of poor, perhaps illiterate villagers of countries like India and Sri Lanka, for whom heat, dust and power cuts are the norm and for whom even making a phone call is an expensive luxury?

Find out more about these village projects - listen again to the programmes and visit websites with further information: