Brief Project Background

Nakaseke Multipurpose Community Telecentre is a three-year pilot project aiming at introducing new information and communication technologies and library services in the rural area at Nakaseke (64km north of Kampala and 16km off Kampala-Gulu road) Luweero district in Uganda.
It started in 1999 to demostrate the viability of the current conviction that providing information and communication technologies to rural communities can catalyse the development process, hence improvement on the quality of life of the people.
It is funded by International development Research Centre(IDRC), United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO), International Telecoms Union(ITU) and other local partners like Public Libraries Board, Uganda Telecom Limited, Nakaseke Local Council.

The overall aim of the project is to stimulate rural development by facilitating access to information, learning resources and communication technologies in the Nakaseke Community and support improved medical services through Tele-medicine.

Nakaseke community has a population of over 36,953 and it is mainly an agricultural community. It has many institutions in the area like schools (32), NGOs, Government institutions, District hospital, etc.
The community was stratified i.e. farmers, teachers, students, medical personnel, women, youth, businessmen, etc, and it is through this structure that the Telecentre reaches out to all these people. Before the project begun, there were no such services in the area and the nearest place they could get such services was 13 miles away. There was no telephone, library, and computer centre.

1. Skills training: The community is taught computer applications e.g. MS
   Word, MS Excel, Internet/E-mail, typing, scanning, PowerPoint, etc. The rates
   charged are 1/3 of what is charged on the open market. The computer has been
   demystified to the extent that some computer terms have been given local names e.g. the mouse is called ‘akamese’, meaning a rat. The Centre has
   introduced this type of training in schools and the first focus is the primary
   schools (4-13 yr. olds)
   
2. Internet/E-mail: People come to the centre to surf the net to get information
   they need e.g. on farming techniques, Scholarships, business opportunities,
   etc. They also communicate to those they want to reach via E-mail.
   
3. Telephone: The telephone has been especially very helpful to the business
   community since communication is now easy.
   
4. Fax: This is used to communicate to people especially those who are very
   far away, that sending a fax is cheaper than making a call.
   
5. Library: The information is in form of print e.g. books, journals, magazines,
   and electronic e.g. CD-ROMS, audio and Audio-visual. There are lending and
   reference facilities. Also the library extends its services to schools in
   what is called the school book-box service. Newspapers are also available
   on a daily basis
   
6. Photocopying & typesetting: This has been very helpful for institutions.
   
7. Topical video shows: These are weekly at the centre, focusing on a particular
   group. Some are held in the villages in the outreach programme.
   
8. Open learning Centre: This isone of the programmes in the outreach to villages.
   People meet in this centre to discuss and find solutions to a problem. Specialists in such fields are brought in to help give technical guidance. These discussions
   are organised according to their user groups. Also some groups e.g. farmers
   are taken for field visits
   
9. Content Development: Content is created that suits the needs of the community.
   Documentaries and handouts on the local practices of the people have been
   made i.e. indigenous knowledge, and such knowledge gives alternatives to those
   that cannot afford the technology available. This is based on the knowledge
   that communities had a way of solving their problems even before the introduction of technology e.g. adding fertility to soil using organic manure. Also a programme called virtual reality has been developed to teach people about sanitation
   and hygiene. It is developed using 3-dimensional objects and digital photographs
   taken in the area, making it appear real.
   
10. Electronic Delivery of Agricultural information: The project has a link
    with Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute to enable farmers have access
    to timely agricultural information.
    
11. Leisure and sports: The centre organises sports tournaments to enable youth
    come together to know how the centre can be of help to them and also exchange ideas.
    
12. Community radio: This is going to start soon i.e. money has been released
    to start it. This is going to be very useful when reaching especially those
    people who are illiterate and those that are far from the centre.
    
13. Functional Adult Literacy: This programme is going to start soon in the
    district and we hope that the Telecentre will act as a link for such activities
    in the district. This will help to reduce on the illiteracy levels in the
    area.
    
14. Telemedicine: This is implemented in Nakaseke hospital. The hospital is
    linked with Mulago hospital (main hospital in the country). Images of patients
    are scanned using Ultrasound equipment and sent to Mulago for diagnosis. Results are sent back via Internet and patients are attended to.
    
    
    

Results

1. Educational levels in the area had improved because students and teachers
   had access to educational materials from the centre library.
   
2. Farmers’ productivity had improved as a result of getting relevant
   information.
   
3. There is ease in communication using the telephone, fax, E-mail.
   
4. Businessmen have reduced costs i.e. transport costs are reduced because
   business with their counterparts
   
5. Jobs have been created as a result of getting computer skills.
   
6. There is change in people’s attitudes/perception towards ICTs.
   
7. People have access to private telephone lines. Nakaseke has an exchange,
   which can accommodate about 250 lines
   
8. Private entrepreneurs and institutions are setting up ventures in the area
   e.g. a University has started
   
9. Private competitors in the field of ICTs are coming up e.g. MTN mobile telephone
   services, Balikyebuza Computer Centre.
   
10. Access to quality work i.e. typesetting and photocopying. Pe
    
11. Improved medical care. The referral cases are now decreasing as a result
    of Telemedicine.
    
12. Empowerment of women through workshops and seminars.
    
13. Development of a reading culture in the people
    
14. Reduced martenal deaths as result of educating the traditional birth attendants
    about safe motherhood.
    
    
    

Lessons

CHALLENGES

1. Unreliable connectivity. The telephones are on and off
   
2. Power cuts are regular yet the project relies mainly on electricity.
   
3. High illiteracy rates have affected many efforts of the Telecentre. Over 50% of the population cannot read and write English
   
4. Lack of a reading culture. People do not want to read.
   
5. Distance from Kampala has affected the operations of the centre. The service providers are far.
   
6. Space is not adequate i.e. all Telecentre activities cannot take place at the same time.
   
7. Content i.e. information that is relevant to community needs especially on the Internet.
   
8. Sustainability: This question comes to address the fact whether the project will be able to stand on its won after donor funding. Parties concerned e.g. the Local Council employs people in the centre and these are learning on-job. It has constructed a permanent structure for the centre, a tax is levied on every school-going child and the money collected goes to the Telecentre fund. A fundraising for the Telecentre is under way.
   

• Community involvement is key to success. It should be involved at every level and this will make work easier.
  
• Flexibility is important because people’s information needs change with time.
  
• Creativity is key. Creative people should be employed in such establishments because approach matters.
  
• Content i.e. what you provide will dictate the amount of response you receive.
  
• Quality of service you offer is important.
  
• There is need to localise the ICT applications so that the community does not feel that they are so foreign.
  
• Sensitization is important to create awareness in the people about how they can benefit from what one offers. This should be done continuously at regular intervals.
  
• Recruit community members to run such establishments because they know the community better. They know what can work and what can’t work .

Development Impacts

1. The use of video and Audio-visuals has helped to impact development.
   
2. The Internet has helped the locals to access information of their interest.
   
3. The telephone, fax, E-mail has made communication easy
   
4. Having topical discussions and seminars, field visits, have helped the people to acquire more skills
   
5. scanning, designing, typesetting, CD-writing, has boosted up the economy
   
6. Those who get ICT skills have got job opportunities, especially with institutions.

Project Information

Are there any partners involved : yes
What is partners role?
supervision and provision of resources e.g. personnel, financial, etc

Contact Information

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Empowerment of women through ICTs in Uganda

Author : Zavuga Goretti
Date added : 2000-08-29

Brief Project Background

The Council for Economic Empowerment for Women of Africa (CEEWA) is an Africa wide Non - Governmental organisation that arose from the Africa preparatory process to the Beijing Women 's conference of 1995. It's objective is to increase the level of women's access to and control of economic resources by pursuing interventions which focus on research, lobbying and advocacy for increased access to credit, land and Agricultural extension services. In collaboration with International Development Research Centre (IDRC), CEEWA-Uganda chapter is implementing a two-year project on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to explore ways and means of empowering women through use of ICTs.

Results

Drawing from experiences of how ICTs have transformed the way people in the industrialized world manage their professional and personal lives, Uganda, like the rest of developing countries, has in the recent years witnessed rapid advances in the use of telecommunication services and related computer technologies.

However, while some groups in the Ugandan society have taken advantage of the developments, others especially women and girls in rural areas have generally been disadvantaged. General observations and anecdotal notes from workshops and recent surveys indicate that little, if any grass root women, women's organisations, business associations or NGOs have access to ICTs. In order to address the problems associated with access and utilisation of ICTs, CEEWA -Uganda ICT project was developed, with a specific focus on addressing the problems of inequality of ICT usage patterns, particularly as it affects women entrepreneurs.

1. Who are the people and organisation involved in the project.

The project targets specifically women entrepreneurs in micro and small scale businesses in three sites, women organisations that promote enterprise development among women for their economic empowerment and Micro Small scale Enterprise (MSE) association and support institution as major sources of trade and entrepreneurship information.

2. Problem - that the project was aimed at :

The structure of trade and investment in Uganda is small and fragmented. Women entrepreneurs in the country are involved in rural and urban market activities, by selling their own produce and or by retailing from other primary traders. Statistics from USAID's " National Survey of Micro and small Enterprises (MSE) In Uganda" undertaken in 1995, indicate that most women entrepreneurs operate businesses of micro and small-scale size. The findings indicate that 45.5% of MSEs in Uganda are owned and operated by women entrepreneurs whilst 37% are male owned, 13% are multi owned and 4.5% are unknown. Women owned enterprises include production of beverages (16%); textiles (9%); services (9%) and retail trade (66%). This is in addition to their main occupation of food production and provision of farm labour during the heavy agricultural production seasons. Women's input and effort to contribute effectively to the economy and their families through trade is significant. However, this contribution is not without constraints some of which are:

(i) Lack of access to information on market prices, market availability, labour opportunities, trade support services, out side their localities or international market trends.
(ii) Lack of skills and appropriate technology.
(iii) Lack of knowledge on various options of accessing credit and the cost of credit.
(iv) Lack of mobility because of gender roles, which keep women at home and deny them access to social information centers.
(v) Their operations are often fragmented and individualistic
(vi) They trade in primary and secondary products, which have low or marginal profits.
(vii) They are faced with socio-cultural barriers which build negative attitudes towards their business and which eventually erode their confidence.

It is against this background that CEEWA-Uganda took the initiative to hold consultative meetings and workshops throughout the country for women in enterprise, aimed at identifying the information needs of women entrepreneurs and to encourage them to take advantage of the development in ICTs to broaden their opportunities in enterprise. The outcome of these consultations pointed to the need to access entrepreneurial information repackaged in simple ready to use formats, preferably, in local languages. Information available for enterprise development used to be scattered or in a form that is not readily accessed by rural women entrepreneurs.

Objectives of the project:

The objective of the project is to enable women entrepreneurs and women organisations that promote enterprise development to explore ways and means of exploiting ICTs for community economic empowerment.

What specific ICT resource did you employ?

CEEWA-Uganda ICT project, under Women's Information Resource and Electronic Services (WIRES), there are various tools for processing, accessing and disseminating information. These include computers, for e-mail and Internet services, printers, photocopiers, fax, telephone, radio, television screen and video recorder.

Did you achieve your objective Yes/No

CEEWA-Uganda ICT project to an extent has been able to achieve its objective. The targeted women organisations in the 3 project sites have been able to access ICTs and obtain information on markets, prices, credit services, trade support services. The utilisation of this information has contibuted to enterprise development. Women entrepreneurs whose businesses were small, employing one person have expanded to employ 4-5 persons and their level of incomes have increased.

ICT project in its design was meant to provide training to women entrepreneurs in ICT use, and entrepreneurship skills. This has been done and the skills acquired have enabled women improve the management of their enterprises and have been exposed to ICTs use.

Women entrepreneurs are able to obtain/send information instantly on the Internet or by phone, fax and email. This has helped reduce on transport cost and time wastage.


For example at the focal project site in Kampala, a Women Information, Resource and Electronic Services (WIRES), is connected to two other rural sites (Nabweru and Buwama). This acts as a conduit that avail women entrepreneurs central access to the information content created and stored. Information on market prices, market opportunities, training opportunities, business trends like ruling exchange rates, and trade support services is continually being updated and accessed by women entrepreneurs.

However the project by nature of its design and resources available, targets a small population. There has been an overwhelming demand for the services provided by the project, which has hindered satisfaction of all women entrepreneurs.

The high level of illiteracy rates, among the women entrepreneurs have made women fail to interpret, the relationship between ICTs and their enterprises or how can ICTs can be exploited/applied in their enterprises.

What is the future of the Project?

ICT project will continue serving the women entrepreneurs by providing access to ICTs usage, information on entrepreneurship development and training in entrepreneurship skills.

There is a plan to make WIRES a business centre, to generate income, (services provided will be charged subsidized fee). This is to enable the project sustain itself after the donor has pulled out.

In addition, there are plans to expand on the targeted population, to include other areas not originally covered in the project's scope and solicit more funding to supplement the income generated by the project.

What advice would you give to the people working on a similar initiative.

People working in a similar initiative should know that ICTs use is a new area in development. There is little or no documented findings to base on as guiding tools to achieve the desired objectives. The activities and work done should depend on the lessons and experiences obtained on ground during the course of implementation.

In addition, introducing such projects in the communities needs consulting the intended beneficiaries on what they would want to get out of such projects. It is important to work with community leaders in mobilizing the targeted population and making sure the project is localized to a level understandable to the community members.

The empowerment of women in Uganda has been tackled at many fronts, in the education sector a girl child has been given priority, women participation in decision making process has increased by women participating in local governance structure and women occupying positions at ministerial and parliamentary level.

The government of Uganda is implementing a gender policy with a view to empower women. Enabling them to play a more important role in the economic affairs of their country. Women have been encouraged to be economically independent, access and control of economic resources. CEEWA-Uganda is implementing an ICT project to contribute to the empowerment efforts being under taken in the country.

Lessons

Contact Person: Zavuga Goretti,
Title: ICT Project manager
Address: P.O .Box 9063, Kampala, Uganda
Telephone: 041-348896, 077-420376
Fax: 041-230990
E-mail: ceewaug@infocom.co.ug

Project Information

Contact Information