Q: What is the World Connectory Project?
The World Connectory Project will pair up small geographical areas - a district, part of a city or a larger rural area - so that every part of every poorer country will be given a partner area from one of the world's richer countries.
Or vice versa if you prefer - every area of every economically developed country will be allocated (at random) a similar sized area from a developing country.
The paired areas will be given a duty to
- connect with each other
- share experiences
with options to
- support existing development projects
- organise exchanges
- plan new development projects
- enter into new partnerships
Each paired area will contain about half a million people. So the partnership will involve a total population of about one million. Both areas will share a duty of responsibility for the interests and well-being of both partner areas.
The details of how this might work in each partnership area will be down to the members themselves. The project's aim will be to publicise the process and offer a framework of encouragement and support.
Q: How will this work?
The work of apportionment (dividing the world into equal sized portions) has already been completed. By the summer of 2008, a total of 4,800 areas had been defined: List A contains 2,400 areas from poorer countries & List B 2,400 from richer ones. On 21st September, 2008, an independent third party requested a random number sequence that has now determined exactly how the 4,800 areas are to be paired up for the initial five year period, commencing on 1st January 2010. Details of some individual pairings to be used in piloting the process will be announced soon.
The pairings have been decided in a reputable and confidential manner, making use of a random number generator to ensure that all pairings are determined freely and impartially, in a process in which each List A area will have an equal chance of being paired with any one of the List B areas.
Q: Who can take part?
EVERYONE!
Individuals are welcome to get involved.
So too are local groups and organisations.
These are just a few examples of what people in a List A (poorer) area might do:
- Publicise the World Connection Project and get local organisations and media outlets involved in planning how they might make best use of working in partnership with people from a List B country
- Form a local Connection group with representatives from local organisations
- Establish links through local students who may currently be studying in the List B partner area
- Work with local charities, non-profits & CBOs to draw up specific plans of ways in which people in a List B area might help, especially in the fields of health, education, agriculture, water supply, sanitation, microfinance and IT development.
These are just a few examples of what people in a List B (richer) area might do:
- Support charities & non-profits already working in their allocated area. A list of these will be found in the Worldwide Connectory (WWC for short).
- Form a local Connection group with representatives from local organisations
- Recruit others & together find out about life in their partner area by online and library searches, through community associations & by making direct contact with people in their List A area
- Establish links between organisations in both partner areas - especially between branches of the same worldwide organisations or between groups with shared or similar interests
- Stage an exhibition about life in their partner area - take the exhibition on a publicity tour around the List B area or perhaps also plan to stage a simulataneous event in the List A partner area
- Make sure news of the partner area is reported in the local media
- Become involved in microfinance schemes to enable people in the List A partner area to start successful businesses
- Plan and publicise exchange visits to further mutual understanding
Q: How can I get involved?
Volunteers will be needed in each area to help get things started. The first person in each area to make contact with this website will be invited to serve temporarily as the official Contact Person for the area. A register will be kept via this website of the Contact Person for each area. These will be people whom local volunteers may contact to find out how they can work locally with others. Once local Contacts are working with a number of others, they should create and maintain their own area membership or mailing list and keep track of their own local members. We hope that in each area they will try to form a local Connection group with agreed procedures and rules for the election of officers.
It may work out best if you are able to recruit others to the project at the same time you join up yourself, perhaps by publicising it at your place of work, place of worship, or neighbourhood centre.
It costs nothing to join in and take part!
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For further information, contact The World Connectory project at Ned.com via the link below.