WiRED International

In 1992, Aziz M. Mustafa began work as a general practitioner in Kosovo. Five years later, he was in residence in the ENT Department at the University Medical Center in Prishtina. He is currently completing final examinations in Austria after which time he will be a licensed ENT surgeon. Thanks to WiRED¹s work in Kosovo, Aziz has been on-line since February 2000, when he went to WiRED¹s Internet Center in Gjilan. Here¹s what he says about the importance access to the Internet has had on his medical career. “I was at the Center for one or two hours every day. The Internet was my way of gaining new knowledge. I have access to all the data I need about my professional and scientific education.” He goes on to say access to the Internet has radically changed the way he learns. “I learned more in this period of time on the Net than I did during the past three years of classical education.”

The municipality of Dragalic suffered massive destruction during the war from 1991 to 1995. Farms, housing, crop lands, equipment all were destroyed. To make matters even worse, the armies planted landmines throughout the area and even today, long after the fighting has ended, the deadly mines plague the population.

San Francisco, CA, November 18, 2000 – WiRED, an international organization dedicated to bringing the resources of the Internet to war-ravaged places like Kosovo, launched its innovative “Video Visit” program on Thursday, November 16. The project enables families of seriously ill children undergoing treatment in European hospitals to make “live” visits via Internet-linked video.

Vukovar, Croatia, July 27, 2002 – Vukovar, Croatia has taken another step in the reconstruction of their war-torn community with the dedication of a new Community Health Information Center. The Center, developed by World Internet Resources for Education and Development (WiRED) and funded by Medtronic Foundation will focus on daily life-style issues such as diet, nutrition and smoking-cessation.

The U.S. Department of State has established free computer centers at seven locations in war-ravaged Kosovo as part of its Kosovo Internet Access Initiative (KIAI). These centers are managed by the International Organization on Migration and operated with the help of a nonprofit foundation called WiRED (World Internet Resources for Education and Development). The aim is to help stabilize and revitalize communications between people in Kosovo and the outside world.

WiRED and the Medtronic Foundation have teamed up to expand WiRED’s humanitarian programs in Bosnia and Croatia. Medtronic, an international medical technology corporation, supports community programs that enhance and extend the lives of millions of people worldwide.