NewsRoom -> Success Stories

Job Training
In Tamil Nadu, a 26 year old 10th Standard graduate was looking for a career change when he came to know about the Chiraag Internet kiosk in Poyampalayam through one of the kiosk's marketing campaigns. After speaking to the kiosk operator, the gentleman registered for the Red Book Course, Chiraag's most comprehensive computer training program. After five weeks of training, at a cost of only Rs 300, he completed the course and quickly found a job as a Computer Operator looking after preparing reports and sending emails. The computer training and new job has completely changed his life. His salary has doubled, and he has earned the respect of many for his efforts.

Health
A one-year-old Venkatachalapuram child was suffering from heart problems. His doctor said that he must have an operation within 2 months or he would die, but his parents were not financially capable of paying for the surgery. They applied to the government for assistance, but received no response. Desperate, they approached Mr. Murugesan, who operates a Chiraag kiosk in the village. On behalf of the parents, he sent an email to the CM Cell explaining the urgency of the situation. Within a few days, a government official arrived to personally make sure that the proper signatures sanctioning the operation were promptly received from the local VAO. The child was taken to the Ramakrishna Medical Mission in Coimbatore, where he received the necessary operation without any time to spare. The surgery was a success, and today the young boy is recovering very well.

In June 2002, a few people in the Tamil Nadu village of Pulimalaipatti became ill from chicken pox. Without any precautionary measures in place, the disease soon spread, and by mid-July more than 200 people were infected. With the disease reaching epidemic proportions, the local Chiraag kiosk operator sent an urgent email to the Block Development and Taluk offices requesting help. The response was prompt and effective. A team of doctors and nurses arrived, and went house to house to administer vaccinations and medications to everyone in the village. Blood and water tests were also performed, and within a few days the disease was treated and erradicated.

Agriculture
In the year 2001, almost the entire village of Ulagapichanpatti in the Melur taluk of Tamil Nadu lost its okra crop to an unknown disease. The following year, the leaves of the plant again turned whitish-yellow, signaling the persistent disease's return. Only this time, the village had the assistance of a Chiraag Internet Center, set up by an enterprising 18-year old woman with the help of a loan. Like all Chiraag kiosks in the taluk, the Ulagapichanpatti center had an established relationship with the Madurai Agricultural College and Research Institute. When a farmer reported the problem, the operator sent an email to a scientist at the school, who requested a picture of the diseased plant. Using the kiosk's Web camera, the operator promptly responded and had a solution a day later. The plants were infected by “yellow mosaic disease”, a problem easily treated with a Boron and Nitrogen solution. Within a week, the treatment worked and the plants became healthy again. The entire village quickly learned about the solution, saving more than Rs 150,000 (USD $3,300) worth of crops.

Governance
Using iSee software, many kiosks regularly conduct videoconferencing sessions with government officials. One such session took place in October 2003 between the Thiruvallur District Administration and 8 local village kiosks. The District Collector, District Revenue Officer, and Superintendent of Police all participated in the session, which attracted 6 to 10 villagers to each kiosk. Issues addressed by the DA included: lack of village bus services and roads, illegal possesion of land, financial assistance to a widow, and agricultural training and seed distribution to local self-help groups. One such group was ready to harvest plants, grown from seeds provided by the District Administration, but did not have a buyer. On the spot, the DC agreed to buy the plants from the SHG, earning the women up to Rs. 6000/- for their harvest.

Communication
A woman in Uranganpatti, a village in the Madurai District of Tamil Nadu, had run into financial problems a few months after her husband had died in a construction accident while working in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Someone advised her to seek compensation from her husband's former employer in the Middle East country, but with no idea on whom to contact, she approached the local Chiraag Internet kiosk for help. The operator conducted a Web search to find the email ID of the Indian Consulate in Jeddah, and on behalf of the widow, typed out a letter and sent it. After two weeks, a parcel arrived with documents to sign and requests for additional info. The package's receipt was confirmed over email, and within a week the required documents were sent out. One month after sending the original email, and after Rs 30 total expenditure, the widow and her family received Rs 130,000 (USD $3,000) in compensation.