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Hello :
Pls, I would like to enter the draw for an e-reader. I am a PhD student researching the uses of community media to improve the lives of people living in the South Pacific Islands. The South Pacific region is a fascinating but often misunderstood region. It covers almost one-third of the world’s surface, yet contains fewer than 8 million people. Not enough, really, to catch anyone’s attention. So the plan is for this research into community media to inspire and assist the local populations explore development option, strengthen their indigenous cultures and languages, boost the local sector economy, and improve good governance but on their terms, not post-colonial, neo-liberal packages that come from most aid agencies. It’s good stuff. Of course, I would show it off to my students in Fiji, Nauru and elsewhere. Libraries simply do not exist in the Pacific. There is no place for young people to read. Books are prohibitively expensive (for example, FJ$35 for a basic non-fiction book, compared to the average wage of $3-$5 an hour, if you can find a wage job. Housegirls earn $1/hour). Internet penetration is very limited, very expensive, and limited mostly to the urban elite. The young people in the Pacific would gobble up e-readers if they were made available AND at an affordable price. The second use for the e-reader would be to continue my dharma studies!
Linda
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