CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION IN RURAL MULTIPURPOSE COMMUNITYCENTRES IN UGANDA

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 CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION
DISSEMINATION IN RURAL MULTI-PURPOSE
COMMUNITYCENTRES IN UGANDA

• Presented at theEast African Regional
  e-Government Consultative Workshop, Nairobi,
  28th-29th June 2005byGertrude Kayaga
  MulindwaDirector - National Library of Uganda

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General outline

• Introduction
• Multipurpose Community Tele-centers in Uganda
• Content
• Agricultural information
• Agricultural information
• Business information and opportunities
• Health information especially on HIV/AIDS,
  adolescent health and maternal and child health
• Good governance
• Information about education opportunities
• etc
• Conclusion

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Citizens and information

• Successful use of ICTs in rural areas and
  especially for e-government can only be achieved
  if the citizens are able to participate in the
  process of information creation.
• Development and social change are best achieved
  if those targeted communities own the process by
  identifying their information needs and
  suggesting the best way in which those needs can
  be addressed.

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Citizens and information (cont.)

• ICTs are increasingly seen as an opportune way in
  which previously un-reached and underserved
  communities can be assisted to achieve social
  change and development.
• Multipurpose Community Tele-centres in rural
  areas whereby a community is afforded, in one
  place, a variety of information services using
  various technologies, are seen as one way of
  overcoming this challenge.

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The terms in use

• Tele-centres
• Multipurpose community Telecenters
• Multimedia Community Centres

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Multipurpose Community Tele-centres in Uganda

• Nakaseke MCT, - March 1999 A joint project
  between the International Telecommunications
  Union, UNESCO, the IDRC and the Government of
  Uganda.
• Nabweru MCT -May 1999 established by the Uganda
  Council for Science and Technology
• Buwama MCT - July 1999, established by the
  Uganda Council for Science and Technology

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Multipurpose Community Tele-centres in Uganda
(cont)

• Kagadi, in Kibale District, established by the
  Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme
  in 2003
• Kachwekano in Kabale at the Agricultural Research
  Development Centre A result of cooperation
  between IRDCs Acacia project and the African
  Highlands Initiative, of which NARO is the
  Ugandan chapter
• Apac started by a local NGO.
• Others including the schools- based ones in 15
  districts established under the Schoolnet
  programme.

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Services offered

• Internet services
• Radio,
• Public telephone services
• Video shows
• Library services
• Photocopying
• Faxing services, scanning and laminating,
  printing,, etc.

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Content

• Agricultural information
• Business information and opportunities
• Health information especially on HIV/AIDS,
  adolescent health and maternal and child health
• Good governance
• Information about education opportunities

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Conclusion

• Communities where MCTs are located are
  increasingly finding ways of using them in ways
  that fit their life patterns and can best benefit
  them. They are also the best determinants of what
  information requirements they have. Examples have
  shown that when introducing ICTs, it must be
  taken into account that what matters to the
  targeted people is the message that the medium
  contains. Examples have also shown that rural
  people very quickly find and determine the best
  communication means for their particular
  situation. Recognising that ICTs because of their
  versatility can be a powerful tool for citizens
  to get involved in the affairs of their country,
  government, NGOs and all those involved in
  providing information to citizens must
  accordingly adapt to what the citizens want and
  try to use both old and new ways of communicating
  this information. It is only then that one can
  meaningfully talk about ICT relevance in rural
  areas.

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References

• 1. Etta F.E. and Parvyn-Wamahiu S. (eds) (2003)
  Telecentres in Uganda, in Communication
  Technologies For Development In Africa Volume 2
  The Experience with Community Telecentres,
  Ottawa IDRC
• http//web.idrc.ca/en/ev-56552-201-1-DO_TOPIC.htm
  l
•  
• 2. Kasozi, Marjorie (2003) The Uganda Computing,
  Telecommunications Internet exhibition, 23rd
  25th April 2003 event report
• http//www.aitecafrica.com/PastEvents/2003/uganda/
  report1.html
•  
• 3. Logar, Miha (2002)Combining Rural Primary
  Schools and Telecentres for Culturally Grounded
  African Development Case Study The Bakiga,
  Bufuka Primary School and Kachwekano ARDC
  Telecentre , (Dissertation)Uganda Martyrs
  University
•  
• 4. Okello, Dorothy and Aineruhanga, Milton
  (2003) Participatory research on information and
  Communication Technologies for poverty reduction
  in Apac, Northern Uganda report presented at the
  Instititute _at_WISIS, December 2003.
• Women in Uganda Network, 2003

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Thank you