GeoMotion has worked with the Rwandan government since 2003
to promote tourism and coffee, two of Rwanda's major export markets.
Over that time we have developed extensive virtual
tours of the country and systems for delivering them to online audiences
worldwide.
The idea of the Global Village is simply to leverage these resources to promote
a broader range of social programs and community development projects.
In 2006, we began to produce virtual tours of selected development projects in Rwanda.
Our goal is to offer a more tangible sense of engagement among the constituents
and supporters of these programs via the Internet.
GeoMotion virtual tours with embedded audio and video and interactive
"chat" capabilities can be used to bring local and remote participants together,
face to face, at the community level. These tours are integrated within the whole
of GeoMotion's Virtual Rwanda, so visitors can continue on to explore other aspects
of the Rwandan culture and geography.
The modular nature of the GeoMotion system allow these resources to be fully customized
and shared by many websites. Host sponsors can present Rwanda Global Village resources
as part of their own websites under their own identity, without advertising or other
branded content.
Beginning in 2007, GeoMotion will also provide an option for direct fund-raising
programs within the context of the virtual tours. Our eCommerce360 component
will allow visitors to purchase coffee, tea, and locally-produced
handicrafts within the virtual reality environments. Buyers feel they are
purchasing coffee or other merchandise directly from the farmers; the actual product
is roasted and shipped from within the U.S. (initially the program will be limited to the U.S.).
This program is designed to support community development projects through the donation of
proceeds, but will also play an important role in developing the local village economies
through the direct purchase of commercial products. A description of the coffee and tea
program follows.
All necessary materials and software for this program are being packaged for easy
distribution and management. The program is currently in pilot production.
