[UgaBYTES] NewsBYTE Issue No.25

Mon Aug 13 12:31:07 GMT 2007

Dear Members,

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  >>The NewsBYTE           Issue No: 25           Date: 1/08/2007
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The NewsBYTE is a monthly Newsletter of the UgaBYTES Initiative.
UgaBYTES is a not-for-profit
Telecentre Support Network operating in the East  African Sub-region.
The NewsBYTE highlights issues, challenges, opportunities and best
practices around telecentres in
the sub-region.

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>>:-The NewsBYTE Highlights

 1: Special Event Announcement

 2: Inveneo launches low power PC

 3: UgaBYTES list in an end2end repeated server communication

 4: Fifth edition of Telecentre times slated for 30th August

 5: Collecting indigenous content in Uganda

 6: CEEWA opens new Information Centre

  Esther Nasikye                                                 Sulah Ndaula

>> NewsBYTE Editor                                 NewsBYTE Content Analyst

nasikye at ugabytes.org                               ndaulasula at ugabytes.org**

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Dear Telecentre friends,

We would like to thank each of you for your patience during the last
month's overwhelming repeated
message to the mailing list and recent challenges we have had with the
mailing list. But I am happy
to announce that the list is fully functioning. By now if you don't
get emails from the list please
contact andaula at ugabytes.org.

At the same time the usual annual e-conference dates will be
communicated soon as you will note that
it was postponed after experiencing failures with the mailing list. In
the meantime, please do send
updates; hold meaningful discussions and share resources with others
in the telecentre movement like
you have always done through the list.

The fifth edition of the Telecentre Times will be released at the end
of this month. Please do send your
articles, photographs, announcements to secretariat at ugabytes.org.

Lastly on 28th July, we received the irking news of the death of Mr.
Adrian Baryamujura – Telecentre
Manager and radio presenter of Kachwekano telecentre, Kabale district.
He was buried on 30th July at
his home in Ntarabena-kabale, may his soul rest in eternal peace and
thanks for all of you who stood by
his family during that testing moment. May the telecentre community
live to sustain his vision and hard
work.

Enjoy the reading

Sulah

Executive Director

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>>1: Special Event Announcement
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Global Knowledge Partnership - GKP and telecentre.org is featuring
telecentres works around the 3rd
global knowledge Conference – GK3 of December in the Malaysian capital
Kuala lumpur. Some
telecentre gatherings will be held within and as side events of the conference.

To learn more about the event's opportunities and however to be one of
the over 2,000 participants of
the conference visit:
http://www.gkpeventsonthefuture.org/gk3/ and
http://community.telecentre.org/gk3. Or keep
yourself open to the mailing list communications.

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>>2: Inveneo launches commercial low power PC in Uganda
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A new low power computers was launched in Kampala last week. The
computer system uses three
options of power supply including solar and a normal 12V battery as an
alternative source to
conventional power. The computer was launched by a California based
company Inveneo with support
from the Ugandan government through the ministry of Information and
Communication Technology.
The computer requires 6 to 10 times less power than a standard desktop
computer, eliminating the
need for generators, inverters, converters and UPS.

"It has been designed to specifically address the key ICT challenges
faced in regions of the developing
world, specifically Africa," said Inveneo CEO and co founder Mark Summer.

The computer will help to address such issues as

- Lack of dependable electricity - or no electricity

- Extremely tight budgets for ongoing operations and maintenance

- Punishing physical environments - extreme heat, dust and humidity

- Lack of ICT experience at the administrative and end-user level

Read the rest of this entry here
http://www.ugabytes.org/index/content/view/277/1/

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>> 3: UgaBYTES list in an end2end repeated server communication
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Waking up and finding over 500 junk mails in your inbox is a nightmare
but in many cases our worry is
about people with bad intentions wanting to do this or that with our good work.

A fortnight ago an end-to-end technology communication provided to be
the worst ever known junk
distributor. This occurred between the UgaBYTES mail server and the
IDCR mail server of one of the
mailing list member who was out office. As a result of the two server
intercommunications over 500
auto reply mails were sent to each of the subscribers.
However, Ugabytes is happy to announce officially that the problem is
sorted out. We appreciate
everyone who stood with us during the trying time. Thank to your
understanding of the occasional
challenges with technology.

Many appreciations return to the community, for even using the mailing
much more than ever after
the incidence. We encourage you to keep it your preferred platform for
learning, sharing and developing
the telecentre community.

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>> 4: Fifth edition of Telecentre Times slated for 30th August
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The fifth edition of the Telecentre Times is slated for 30th August
2007. To send articles, pictures or
advertisements write to secretariat at ugabytes.org or ndaulasula at ugabytes.org.
The Telecentre Times is a collaborative publication for the telecentre
movement. It captures grassroots
stories and events. Telecentre.org <http://telecentre.org/> sponsors
the printing of 7000 copies that are distributed globally.

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>> 5: Collecting indigenous content in Uganda
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UgaBYTES <http://ugabytes.org/> with support from Hivos is piloting a
project of accumulating content through useful
collaborations between CBOs and telecentres at community level in
Uganda. The project so far covers
two districts of Kamuli and Apac. The content collected includes
health, food security, nutrition,
sanitation, agriculture among others.

In Kamuli, the content on agriculture was diverse ranging from
crossbreeding local chicken, goats and
cows with other species from around the world to various methods of
food security.
Garumba a migrant farmer from Rwanda who has spent the last three
decades in Kamuli was excited to
tell us about his chicken cross breeding project. "with this project,
my life has changed immensely.
My products fetch more money on the market because they are of higher
quality. All the treatments we
use are from our environment so any one elsewhere can use them. It is
much cheaper," he explains.
UgaBYTES is collaborating with different telecentres in the districts
to identify the people with the
wealth of information.

Since the information has been recorded, it shall be shared with other
telecentres around the country.
 Some of it will be translated to English and posted on the UgaBYTES
website, although the aim is to
demonstrate the usefulness of localized content and functional
collaborations to telecentre
sustainability.

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>> 6: CEEWA opens new Information Centre
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The Council for Economic Empowerment for Women of Africa -Uganda Chapter
(CEEWA-U) has opened up an information centre in Seeta Mukono, Eastern
Uganda. The information centre has nine new computers and related software,
an Inverter, computer desks and a photocopying machine.

The equipment was donated by the Icelandic International Development Agency
(ICEIDA).  "This is aimed at enabling more women entrepreneurs have easy
access to business and development information, build their capacity in use
and application of ICTs for enterprise development among others," said
ICEIDA Country Director, Agusta Gisladottir while handing over the
equipment. The centre was officially launched on 31 July 2007.

Iceland has approved $8.5m funding for various development programmes in
Uganda. "Last year, Iceland approved $6m for a 10 year development
programme. This year, $2.5m has been set aside to support Uganda's
development process," Gisladottir, explained.

Some of the projects supported by this fund include adult Functional
Literacy project that will train 8,000 fishermen in the islands of Kalangala
and Mukono.

"Others are support to the Kalangala District Development Programme,
fisheries quality assurance, entrepreneurship training, geo-thermal and some
non-governmental organizations," Gisladottir said.

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>>: End till next time
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Send your article or story for publication to secretariat at ugabytes.org
<http://ugabytes.org:2095/3rdparty/squirrelmail/src/compose.php?send_to=secretariat%40ugabytes.org>

-- 
UgaBYTES Initiative
Plot 2218 Ggaba Road, Kabalagala
2nd Floor, Kangave House
P.O. Box 6081 Kampala, Uganda
Off: +256-414-267247
Check our web: www.ugabytes.org

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