Gamata IT storms into Puttalam

6-Dec-2009

The second Microsoft 'Gamata IT' town storming event was held in Pallama, a remote area in the Puttalam district, on November 14, 2009.

The Gamata IT program is designed to provide the greatest benefit to the residents of the village it touches. The people of the Pallama village including students, youth and professionals from the public and private sector were given IT training, exposure in usage and benefits of IT as well as assistance in expanding their future prospects through the use of Information Technology.

Garunayake, Secretary to Priyankara Jayaratne - Deputy Speaker of Parliament endorsing the initiative said: "We are happy to be a part of an initiative with a vision to empower rural communities in our country, an initiative that is directly in line with the President's vision for the Year of English and IT.

We take this opportunity to thank Microsoft Sri Lanka and ICTA for choosing the right villages like Pallama, where this kind of investment and attention is needed and appreciated by a community that possesses a great resource of untapped potential that can be used to uplift the livelihoods as well as to take an active role in energizing the national economy.

An 'IT Club' was also launched as another milestone of the Gamata IT initiative.

The IT club was installed to empower its members, especially the youth in Pallama with the objective of enhancing their knowledge and exposure to IT, thus bridging the digital divide existence between rural communities and the rest of the world.

The club aims to create a positive interest in the field of IT and educate the youth of Pallama about new developments that will help them keep abreast of the latest in the field of IT.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Manoji Samararatne, Marketing Director of Microsoft Sri Lanka said "Our efforts are to bring every village to the same IT platform as the rest of the country.

Through bridging the digital divide Microsoft Sri Lanka aims to empower communities to face the 21st century with confidence.

We believe that through the continued empowerment of rural communities like Pallama, we are providing the residents with a means to uplift themselves."