Digitally Yours

Kenanaonline is the the definitive resource for specialized information in Arabic and a prime hub for the online knowledge society in the Arab World. What's more is that it's written by you

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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Communication and Technology in Egypt (MCIT) through Egypt ICT Trust Fund established the Community Development Portal (www.kenanaonline.com) to promote sustainable human development and the integration of rural and urban communities into the knowledge society and information generation capacities. Kenanaonline.com aims to act as repository of locally pertinent and valuable information that centers on facilitating an improvement in living standards

In addition to general information covering a broad spectrum of socially and economically constructive issues, Kenanaonline.com addresses community needs by providing communities with information related to business, small industry, health, agriculture and farming, educational and vocational training.

Kenanaonline was primarily developed to be the information hub for the youth. It contains information on a wide variety of issues, ranging from entertainment to more informative and educative topics such as computer-knowledge and Internet. Moreover, the portal will be used as a communications channel to convey important messages to youth. For example, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood will use Kenanaonline in conveying messages, like reproductive health, child labor, child abuse, etc. and raise awareness on youth related issues. Other planned activities for the portal include: conducting field activities for youth engagement, such as workshops; establishing a network of youth mentors; building partnerships with organizations working on similar initiatives; developing multimedia content to simplify important messages; providing entertainment content to attract the youth; and ensuring the availability of capacity building content.

During last year Kenanaonline has grown significantly in both its scope and popularity. To date it has received over 39,000,000 visits, and over 320,000 unique visitors. Early 2007 there were about 15,000 articles stored on the portal, and currently that number has increased to 50,000. Additionally, over 5,000 users have officially registered online.

To better understand Kenanaonline, it might be helpful to illustrate the wide range of users who access the portal and their countries of origin. About 50% of users are Egyptian, 10% are Saudi Arabian, 30% are from other Arabic speaking countries and 10% of users are from non-Arabic speaking countries. While, within Egypt the user base tends to be quite equally distributed among governorates, it should be noted that the largest access focal point in Egypt is Cairo. Additionally, the substantial amount of users from outside Egypt illustrates how Kenanaonline has reached beyond national borders to communities throughout the Arabic- speaking world.

To date Kenanaonline has focused its activities on 5 core sections relevant to participants. These are agriculture, small and micro enterprises, family health, personal skills and career advice, and general culture and information. Participating IT clubs and NGOs play a crucial role in Kenanaonline activities by responding to user interests and assisting in the accumulation of applicable content to the portal, thus helping ensure it is responsive to its users, which, in turn, strengthens the foundations of its collaborative efforts. Thus far the agricultural section has been the most popular among visitors and has 10 dedicated professionals who have added content based on the needs and wants of users. A civil society component of is also being developed to help foster a dialogue among participants and strengthen the community dynamic that is of vital importance to the project as a whole.

In essence, Kenanaonline has become a community that facilitates a digital learning experience and utilizes the unique capabilities of ICT. Much of its content was not previously available to its users, making this initiative invaluable in bridging the gap between rural and urban communities.

Source: Sherif El Tokali, ICT4D Specialist, UNDP