[UgaBYTES] Are telecentres simply big dreams of science?

[Anne S. Walker]

This is an excellent article by Betty Iyamuremye about the Nakaseke
telecentre. Wonderful to read about the activities and community involvement
in the life of the telecentre. Congratulations Peter Balaba on an great job
as Manager.

I visited the centre last year in July, accompanied by Anastasia Namisongo,
the rural farrmer who had been part of the original group that field-tested
and worked with IWTC in developing a joint IDRC/IWTC programme on small
business in the Luganda language that was delivered as a CD-ROM and uploaded
onto the servers at Nakaseke, Buwama and Nabweru back in 2002. The programme
does not require literacy skills and is point and click, using just the
mouse and audio.

Also part of the group who visited Nakaseke last year was Rita Mijumbi of
Uganda Development Services, who was the IWTC Programme Manager on the
project, and Agnes Nakiwadda, the technical expert on the team.

I noted that there was no mention of the programme in Betty's article so
wondered if it is still available for the women farmers at Nakaseke? I know
that Anastasia runs a weekly radio programme from the centre, mainly
assisting women with small business suggestions from the programme, and she
plans to open a small women's telecentre soon near her home so she can
continue training women in the use of the programme. But is it still
available at the Nakaseke telecentre I wonder?

Best regards to all my friends at Nakasake.
-- 
Anne S Walker
IWTC Special Projects
13 Neill Street
Carlton, VIC 3053
AUSTRALIA




From: peter balaba <balapet2001 at yahoo.com>
Reply-To: "ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org" <carolyn-henshaw at gazeta.pl>
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:17:17 -0700 (PDT)
To: "ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org" <carolyn-henshaw at gazeta.pl>
Subject: Re: [UgaBYTES] Are telecentres simply big dreams of science?


Nice to read from you Betty.
 
It is a true story  thank you!
 
Peter Balaba 

--- On Mon, 7/14/08, nabil eid <nabieid at gmail.com> wrote:

From: nabil eid <nabieid at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [UgaBYTES] Are telecentres simply big dreams of science?
To: ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org
Date: Monday, July 14, 2008, 3:37 AM

Dear Betty,
I hope you are fine.

Really, nice reading many thanks for your contribution
Nabil Eid
Syria



On 7/14/08, Betty Iyamuremye <biyamuremye at ugabytes.org> wrote:

It's a hot afternoon as I approach Nakaseke sub-county headquarters in
Nakaseke District, Uganda. This is the location of a telecentre that has
come to play a very vital role in the lives of the local community.

"You are most welcome", a gentleman reading a newspapers grins
as he
ushers me into the big building. Inside are several clean and neatly
arranged computers. A door to the right is illuminated with a label:
'ON
AIR', implying that broadcasting is done in there.

My urge to enter the studio is interrupted when my colleague suggests that
we go to the business centre that is on the left, instead. Apparently she
had sighted James Senabulya, the programme manager and IT trainer at the
centre.

Nakaseke Multipurpose Community Telecentre is part of a series of pilot
initiatives to introduce, test, disseminate, and assess the impact and
viability of multipurpose community telecentres (MCT) in Africa.
Senabulya says this telecentre is within the framework of the Africa
Information Society Initiative (AISI) and in line with the Buenos Aires
Action Plan (BAAP) Programme No. 9 on Integrated Rural Development.

In late 1990s, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), UNESCO
and IDRC agreed to join efforts with national and local organisations to
plan and support pilot telecentres.

The phrase 'telecentre' is usually associated with rows of
computers and
telephones assembled in an area for communal use. However, a telecentre is
usually more than that. At Nakaseke telecentre, there are 16 community
satellite telecentres (CSTs) in all parishes of Kasangombe and Nakaseke
sub-counties. These centres are run by elected parish media committees
with voluntary resident administrative assistants who provide miniature
telecentre activities.

These were established to take MCT services nearer to remote areas as well
as operate as feedback mechanism on information and communication needs of
these communities.

But are these telecentres simply big dreams of science without real
practical use for the ordinary men and women in the villages?

Well, to Ruth Nakanwagi, this telecentre is a dream come true. Nakanwagi
is an instructor at Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA), a
non-governmental organisation under Functional Adult Literacy (FAL).

"As an instructor, I have utilized facilities at this telecentre but
most
importantly, the community radio," Nakanwagi says.

In March 2008, this telecentre received a World Space Satellite Radio
(WSSR) from UNESCO that has not only helped the programme manager to boost
content but also helped the community to access information on
agricultural practices, HIV/AIDS, sanitation issues, gender related
issues, and environment among others.

WSSR broadcasts 50 channels from which Nakaseke FM (102.9) is able to tap
international news, days' events, etc. We re-broadcast BBC news direct
from WSSR, Senabulya says. He adds that since there is no other English
programme on this radio, BBC news has enormous listenership. "For
those
who do not know English, we translate information into Luganda so as to
assist the illiterate," he adds.
It is not only the ITC that has found favour in the hearts of the Nakaseke
community but the book library is very much loved too especially by
students in surrounding schools.

"I visit this library on a daily basis. After school, I always fix
time to
come here at least for an hour so that I read a book. I love reading
stories," says Nankanjja Daphine, a primary five pupil at Nakaseke
Public
School. Adding: "I make sure I am at home by 6:00 pm, and so, I
usually
optimally utilize the little time I have while at the centre."

In addition to books on diverse subjects, the library also has 11 radio
cassette recorders along with audio-cassettes on general topics like world
peace, conflict, culture and tradition; all recorded in the local language
and are double decked to allow local content production and dubbing.

The users at the business unit which comprise of the telephone and
secretarial services dominate the centre during morning hours and
according to Senabulya, telephone services is currently the biggest income
earner for the centre.
Having acquired a new Amper licea 2000 machine, the telecentre has managed
to have a stronger internet and telephone connection. Other facilities at
the business unit include fax, education videos, and photocopiers among
others.

In the afternoons, computer and internet users visit the centre. The MCT
runs a computer-applications training program in both primary and
secondary schools, for students on holiday, at the Primary Teachers
College (PTC) nearby, and for the general public. Recently, a
primary-school focused mathematics computer based programme was
introduced.

"The centre is relatively cheap and convenient. After work, many
people
are able to visit the centre for IT application." says Senabulya.
He however says, electricity was the most challenging resource to sustain
but in 2005, IDRC donated a 24-panel solar energy equipment worth USHS 100
million. This he says has reduced powers cuts that used to disrupt
services at the centre.

In a bid to improve internet services at the centre, ministry of
information in partnership with MTN Uganda are soon extending wireless
internet connection to Nakaseke, targeting the telecentre as a server.
After implementation of this proposal that was made by ITU, the wireless
connection is expected to supply Nakaseke Hospital, Nakaseke sub county
offices, Nakaseke International College, Mazolid College and monastery.

Telecentres in Africa
In Africa and elsewhere, public facilities are needed for basic access,
and for value-added services that can contribute to the social and
economic welfare of the community.
With ICT taking a firm hold on the world, and support from organizations
such as UNESCO, ITU, IDRC and a number of other international development
agencies, the concept has quickly spread across Africa.


Sustainability is most challenging in telecentre movement. Without donor
funding, most telecentre have closed shop. Most times, telecentres always
fail to plan or run self-sustaining projects to survive. The challenges
should not only be addressed by the international funders but also the
users and local organisations.

Other model telecentres in Uganda include Kacwekano in Kabale, Nabweru in
Kampala district, Buwama in Mpigi district. There are, however, other
telecentres with usually a single phone line (possibly GSM cellular),
three-in-one scanner/printer/copier, a fax machine and a PC with a
printer, Internet such as Kubere Information Centre in Apac, Buganda
Telecentre among others.

Be as it may, Nakaseke telecentre is a one of the success story of the
telecentre movement in Africa and the world at large. How it pans out in
the coming years will point to the full entry of ordinary Africans into
the ICT era.


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-- 
Best Regards
Nabil Eid
----------------------------------------------
ICT4D Community - Syria
Team Leader of Salamieh Telecentre
E-mail: nabieid at gmail.com
- Tel:(+963 33) 832360
- Fax:(+963 33) 832361
- Mobile: (+963) 955572873
http://www.reefnet.gov.sy
----------------------------------------------
Director of Studies Centre for Handicapped Research
ICT4D Persons with Disabilities
http://www.caihand.com
----------------------------------------------
Member in TC-MENA
Middle East and North Africa
http://www.telecentre.org
----------------------------------------------
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