The transfer of telecentre.org 2.0 from Ottawa to Manila is more than just about a new home base.

“The Philippines, chosen among 70 nations, will house the Telecentre.org Foundation for promoting and strengthening grassroots telecentres around the world, a million of these to be established over the next five years,” said Basheerhamad Shadrach, executive director, Telecentre.org Foundation.

Telecentres are public places where people can use computers, the Internet and other emerging technologies to help promote economic and social development. Telecentre.org Foundation’s secretariat will be at the National Computer Center/Commission on Information and Communications Technology in Diliman, Quezon City.

Remarked Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III, Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT) Chairman, “We could not be prouder and more honored to be entrusted with such a remarkable responsibility of serving as the steward of this highly successful telecentre program.”

In a message to delegates at the launch and turnover ceremonies of telecentre.org held in Makati City, Shadrach underscored, “telecentre.org is the new hope to the marginalized; a conduit to connect the ultra-poor to the emerging knowledge society worldwide.”

Citing the Philippines as an example, he reported “there are about 1,000 Community e-Centers (or telecenters) established by the government and other actors. Over the next five years, every municipality and a good number of barangays will have access to these centers.”

He said, telecentre.org (a $21 million program) will support telecenters in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, in their attempt to bring opportunities, skills, services, employment, entrepreneurship, information and knowledge to communities that have had no means to access them in the past.

Created in 2005 by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Microsoft and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the international initiative has brought the benefits of the knowledge society to poor and isolated communities by making telecenters stronger and more sustainable.

Rohinton Medhora, Vice-President, Programs, IDRC, said the transfer of the hosting responsibility to the Philippines represents a success to them. “It is also very much in keeping with IDRC’s mandate of building capacity in the developing world by housing and then transferring programs when they are able to function independently.”

For his part, said Akhtar Badshah, Senior Director, Community Affairs, Microsoft, “We look forward to seeing the initiative we helped create continue to make a difference in development through the new telecentre.org Foundation (which will continue to be a catalyst for the worldwide telecentre movement).”

He added that with a home in the Philippines, where the telecentre movement is vibrant, “we know that the foundation will continue to open new paths to build a global knowledge society for the benefit of all and we are committed to supporting these efforts.