Gemas da Terra is a network of rural community telecentres in communities with less than 2,500 members. The project started end of 2001 when Marco Figueiredo, a former NASA engineer, moved to São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras, a community of about 1,500 people in the Jequitinhonha Valley, one of the poorest areas of Brazil. Communities in São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras, Milho Verde, Tombadouro, Conselheiro Mata and Rodeador worked together to develop a model for establishing self-sustainable rural community telecentres and the first telecentre, established in São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras, was operational in November 2003.

The guide can be downloaded, together with an open-source software to be used in telecentres, from the website of Gemas da Terra.