The program was launched in April 2016 and Sarantaporo.gr was one of the seven organizations selected to attend it by a total of 50 applicants. During the six months that followed, we developed our social business plan, which aims to multiply the social impact of our project while at the same time ensuring its financial sustainability.
In the municipality of Elassona, livestock farming is one of the main activities that support the economy of the area. Especially in the area of the former municipality of Livadi there are significant holdings that support many families of village residents.
Despite the great importance of livestock farming to the local economy, the industry still suffers from a lack of ICTs. The main reason is the lack of relevant infrastructure, which in many cases results in entire livestock farms not even having a telephone landline! One can easily imagine what this means in terms of competitiveness for these businesses in the region.
As members of the Sarantaporo.gr NPO we have long been in touch with local farmers looking for ways to bridge this big gap. At the same time we contacted professionals and companies in the field of livestock breeding, in the framework of workshops and meetings we organized in the area, with very positive results and opportunities for cooperation.
Since 2010 we have been actively supporting the local development of the region, bridging the digital divide and developing wireless infrastructure. We work collectively, with the active participation of locals, imparting our knowledge and expertise to those who support our work.
Since 2013 I have been actively involved in the community network Sarantaporo.gr, an initiative of people from the village of Sarantaporo. The village is located in Elassona, Thessaly, opposite Olympus.
Launched as a small initiative in 2010 by a group of friends who wanted to give their village access to the internet, today the community network Sarantaporo.gr covers 14 villages in the area, serving 5,000 residents and nearly twice as many visitors. of the year. One of the many secrets of its success has been the openness of the core group of people and their relentless pursuit of working with individuals, groups, organizations, businesses from different areas, with a common interest in developing the Community network.
During the last weekend of November 2016 we organized a meeting with selected participants in Milea, one of the community-connected villages, where we invited local farmers and breeders to sit at the same table with representatives of the academic community, startups, representatives of the social economy and the business. The all-day meeting was organized as a participatory design workshop with the aim of highlighting opportunities for collaborations to create solutions to the problems of the local economy. Access to markets, monitoring of local climatic conditions and forecasts, adoption of new technologies in a conservative environment, were some of the major problems associated with local production that were highlighted by local professionals. Social problems, such as social cohesion in remote areas, were also recognized as important priorities. During the discussions, there was a need to look at best practices from other areas. This was partially fulfilled by the participants' presentations.
Joint Press Release of 35 organizations from around the world
Today, 16 March 2017, more than 25 European Community networks and alternative providers of Internet access, with the support of organizations around the world, are sending an open letter to EU policy makers. At a time when the EU is paving the way for a major reform of telecommunications policy, the letter makes some recommendations to ensure the continued development of the citizens' initiatives, which provide an alternative, democratic and sustainable way of managing telecommunications infrastructures. and achieving EU policies on broadband access.
We are pleased to host on our website a chat with Ms. Ioanna Boubounara from Flambouro Elassona, a student who has managed to excel in this year's Panhellenic exams and to be admitted at the School of Health Sciences of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki without an hour of private tutoring. The use of the internet and easy and quick access to it seems to be a catalyst in this endeavor.
