[UgaBYTES] ICEIDA Boosts Mukono Centre

[Senfuka Samuel]

ICEIDA Boosts Mukono Information and Communication Centre

Good news!

Iceland through her Development Agency ICEIDA has provided support in form
of Information and Communication Technology equipment worth US$ 17, 000
equivalent to twenty six million Uganda shillings (26,000,000) to
CEEWA-Uganda Mukono Information and Communication Centre (MICC). Ms Agusta
Gisladottir, the Country Director ICEIDA officially launched the support
on 31st July 2007 at Seeta, Mukono District. The equipment includes Nine
(9) new computers with related accessories, Nine (9) computer desks, An
Inverter and a Photocopying machine.

“It was realized that women entrepreneurs were more constrained than their
male counterparts in accessing information due to their multiple gender
roles. Therefore as a mitigation, women needed to have information points
of presence that are easily accessible, thus the basis for establishment
of this Mukono Information and Communication Center,” Ms Milly Mugenyi,
CEEWA-U Vice Chairperson, said during the launch.

“Last year, Iceland approved $6m for a 10-year development program. This
year, $2.5m has been set aside to support Uganda’s development process,”
Ms Agusta said. The projects include the Functional Adult Literacy that
will train 8,000 fishermen in the islands of Kalangala and Mukono.

She explained that ICEIDA will also support Kalangala District Development
Program, Fisheries Quality Assurance, Entrepreneurship training,
Geo-thermal and some Non- Governmental Organizations.

MICC was the first ICT centre to be established by CEEWA-U in Seeta, Goma
sub-county, Mukono District in 2003. This was after successful
implementation of the ICT pilot telecentre project in the communities of
Nabweru and Buwama. The ICT centers are aimed at bridging the information
gap between information sources and end users.

]“At Mukono centre, women entrepreneurs can access information on sources
of credit, product development, market and market prices, information on
gender awareness as well as business management skills,” Mugenyi said.

The centre also provides entrepreneurship training, business management
skills, to women entrepreneurs and also provides the same services to the
general public at a market price to generate income for the center’s
sustainability.

Mugenyi said as a result of the awareness that the ICT project has created
in the area; there was increased demand of services not only by project
beneficiaries, but also the entire community especially in computer
training and Internet applications.  However, the available facilities
have been inadequate to satisfy this demand. “With a well-facilitated
centre, beneficiaries’ skills in usage and application of ICT tools
especially Internet will be improved in addition to enhanced information
sharing, exchange and networking,” Mugenyi added. She said the facilities
will also lead to increase in number of customers not only for computer
training but also Internet, which will enhance the center’s sustainability
for the benefit of the community.

The CEEWA-U Vice Chairperson called on all stakeholders particularly in
the ICT sector to pay attention to the challenges that still limit use and
application of ICTs such as Infrastructure (rolling out ICT services,
power supply and connectivity), localizing content, raising more awareness
to change peoples’ attitude towards ICTs and overcoming the multiple
gender roles that constraint women’s access to ICTs.

“There is need for all of us to strive to influence the implementation of
a gender responsive national ICT policy and programs because CEEWA-U has
tested ICTs as an invaluable tool in poverty reduction in terms of
improving livelihoods, reducing production costs, extending participation
to a wider population. We should continue to mobilize the power of
partnerships because the strength of the individual partner may vary but
our collective strength is considerable,” Mugenyi emphasized.

Ms Nassaka Lugemwa thanked ICEIDA and CEEWA-U on behalf of the project
beneficiaries. “We are grateful because we shall no longer experience
power shortage; jam on computers as it has been previously,” Nassaka said.
 Women in Goma Sub County and the community at large have not been left
out in the new information era according to Ms Nassaka. “We have been
trained on how to start, manage, improve and sustain our businesses with
the use and application of ICTs. This has improved the status of our lives
and some businesses have given birth to other new ones. The use of easier
and cheaper channels of communication has minimized costs in our business.
Some how, somewhere we have become business consultants among our
communities because we are informed,” she happily asserts.

END


-- 
Senfuka Samuel
Program Officer
CEEWA-Uganda
P.O.Box 9063
Kampala-Uganda
Tel:+256-41-269507/477
Fax:+256-41-269469
Email:samuel.senfuka at ceewauganda.org
Website:www.ceewauganda.org