BOSCO-Uganda wins another award!

Posted on May 21, 2012 by
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ACIA E-Services Award

On May 18th, BOSCO-Uganda was awarded the Rural E-Services Award and was 1st Runner Up in the Exhibition Competition for the Annual Communications Innovation Award (ACIA) organized by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). Launched in 2011, the award “aims to create a channel for identifying, generating interest and recognition of various stakeholders in advancing availability and access to modern and innovative communications services.”

BOSCO-Uganda’s application is entitled “Villages for ICT: Connecting people, Preserving Culture.” In line with the Government of Uganda launched Peace, Recovery, and Development Plan for the northern region of Uganda, BOSCO-Uganda’s programs help establish communications infrastructure while enhancing economic growth. This allows young people an opportunity to enhance their opportunities through access to educational scholarships and entrepreneurial programs only accessible through the Internet and other ICT mediums.

Ideally, BOSCO-Uganda’s technology can be easily replicated in any rural or urban area in
Sub-Saharan Africa. BOSCO-Uganda has found that teaching ICT skills through Web 2.0 applications and office applications has allowed local populations to navigate the Internet and be pro-active about their own needs. BOSCO-Uganda’s Web 2.0 training is open-source and can be adapted to any environment, even places where electricity is scarce or non-existent as we used solar-powered solutions.

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Overall Exhibition 1st Runner Up

Currently, BOSCO-Uganda is located at 25 different sites in northern Uganda. These sites include: schools, dedicated community ICT centres, and NGO/CBO offices in a mix of both rural and urban locations. See the site map below for an overview of the BOSCO-Uganda network. BOSCO-Uganda has plans to expand to Kitgum and Pader Districts of northern Uganda in the near future!

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BOSCO network connects 25 sites, including schools, ICT centres, and NGO/CBO offices

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5 Years Strong!

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

Inveneo still empowering Gulu 5 years later
It’s been nearly 5 years now that BOSCO has been in Gulu, Uganda working with local rural communities to deliver solar powered ICT solutions and Internet capability to the villages. Inveneo was instrumental in our first deployment of our computing stations in 2007. And it was great to stumble across their Flickr feed and see a BOSCO “shout out” photo of one of the original ICT cites. Inveneo’s photo of one of the original BOSCO-Uganda sites is shown above and here!

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ICT Communities Need Your Help!

Posted on March 26, 2012 by

Some of our rural ICT sites are currently housed in facilities that need upgrading. The technology is modern (solar!) and up-to-date; however, at some of our sites, the structure over the computer is in need of an upgrade to ensure that the equipment is safe and secure.

All BOSCO community ICT sites are a true partnership:  The Internet and any PCs are seen as a community resource and, therefore, must be entrusted to and cared for by the community. Part of this care includes providing the shelter and security where the physical ICT equipment will reside. At some of the sites, the community has pooled money together to pay a monthly rent for a room by the side of the road for people to use.

As the word spreads that the Internet is now available in the village, many more youth and adults are arriving at ICT sites; the demand for use of the ICT resources and equipment has never been greater. Yet, with increased demand for usage comes an increased need for keeping the equipment secure.

Pagak ICT site is in need of more secure windows.

At Pagak (pictured above) community volunteers have stressed this need as essential before they can expand their site. For example, they could house an ICT lab in the large space above, but cannot do so until provisions have been made for more secure windows in the open spaces.

Please help our local ICT communities through a donation here. Your money will literally STRENGTHEN the ICT capacity of an entire rural community!

(Also see: View BOSCO-Uganda sites in a Google map!)

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What happens when you mix ICT and pigs?

Posted on March 21, 2012 by
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BOSCO ICT users start a piggery project seen here and use the Internet to share knowledge and find resources to support their venture

One of BOSCO-Uganda’s points of emphasis going forward is to help community members at each site to develop entrepreneurial activities. This is especially important as people have moved out of the displacement camps across much of the north and small-scale farming is taking place on ancestral lands. With high unemployment rates across the region and little economic activity being generated, there is ample opportunity for BOSCO-Uganda to begin using ICT and the Internet to support small and medium sized ventures.

In 2010 BOSCO won the Breaking Borders Award in technology, sponsored by Google, Reuters, and Global Voices. The award included a $10,000 prize which BOSCO has used to help develop and support small business ventures arising at various BOSCO community ICT sites.

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Archbishop Odama of Gulu accepts the Breaking Borders Award on behalf of BOSCO in 2010

In early 2011, BOSCO staff asked community sites to come up with income-generating projects based on community needs. A previous project, at our Pagak ICT site, was using the extra electricity generated through a surplus of solar energy to provide printing and document services for those who could not afford the expense or time to travel 20 plus kilometers to Gulu Town for the same services.

Another site has developed a piggery project. This project is aimed at providing income-generating activities for the most vulnerable in the village — orphaned youth. These youth are also being trained by community ICT trainers to learn ways in which the Internet, social networking, and other ICT skills may contribute to and support their growing business activities.

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The piggery is housed here

As the Internet reaches where it previously could not in northern Uganda, those connected by BOSCO are being trained with 21st century skills, vital for participation and engagement in today’s global economy. When economic opportunity arises — even through a piggery project — BOSCO users will be ready to broadcast their work to the world, to share ideas, and to contribute their knowledge and experiences to those who come after them.

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Great News: Coope ICT Centre Is Growing

Posted on March 19, 2012 by

Mzee Edward Okello shows BOSCO's Stella Akiteng around the plot of land donated for future ICT use

Coope ICT Centre has recently acquired donated land from a long-time resident, Mzee Edward Okello and his family. The Coope ICT site has been one of BOSCO-Uganda’s longest operating and most successful sites, with a number of dedicated volunteers and community training staff working hard everyday to bring the benefits of the Internet to their local village residents.

Up to this point, the Coope ICT site has been housed in a cramped, rented room off of the side of the main road to provide ICT services and training. This room only accommodates 6-8 people at a time. With the donation of new land by Mr. Okello, the Coope site will be able to establish a permanent ICT centre that can accommodate larger groups of people with more functional facilities, enabling presentations, community workshops, and other events around ICT to take place on a regular basis.

Youth from Coope gather around the solar-powered PC to access the Internet at Coope ICT Centre

Funds are still needed to begin building a new structure on the donated land. BOSCO-Uganda and its community ICT users are grateful for Mr. Okello’s generous donation in service to his local community!

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Severe storms in Pabbo damage a BOSCO-Uganda partner school

Posted on March 5, 2012 by

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The damaged roof from the secondary school rests in a nearby tree

Recently, severe storms in Pabbo severely damaged a secondary school where BOSCO-Uganda currently provides ICT access to secondary school students. During the heavy wind and rain, a large section of corrugated roof was torn from its wooden support beams, leaving much of the school exposed to the elements. The damage to the school could be in the thousands of dollars (USD). BOSCO-Uganda equipment was moved to a location in Pabbo that can continue to be accessed by the students and general public. Donations for repairs are welcome and can be found here. 

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The school block, exposed after the storm without its roof

BOSCO-Uganda has a number of partnerships with schools both public and private in the northern region surrounding Gulu. Educating students and teachers in the use of technology and providing them access to the internet is an integral part of BOSCO’s mission. Through the provision of internet and ICT access, students are able to enrich their education, access content and ideas previously unavailable to them, and learn new entrepreneurial skills which can contribute to the repair of a stagnant northern Ugandan economy. 

 

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BBM Visits BOSCO-Uganda

Posted on February 29, 2012 by

BOSCO-Uganda staff hosts BBM delegation

On February 24th BOSCO-Uganda hosted a delegation from BBM, a procurement/trading organisation for MIVA-Austria. MIVA-Austria has served the Catholic Church’s mission in the fight against poverty and underdevelopment around the world.

Johannes Winkler, the chairperson of BBM and colleague Demmelbauer Norbert of BBM met with BOSCO staff to discuss BOSCO-Uganda programme activities, especially as it relates to bringing reliable and continuous access to information via the Internet to the most isolated and rural areas of northern Uganda. Stay tuned for future updates on developing partnerships!

 

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