ARTICLES

TELECENTRE OPENS NEAR BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST

Most of them had to trek over 10kms to the telecenter to gain computer skills. One of them walked from as far as the Congo border and another one from a neighboring sub county, which is 20kms away but they persisted. They attended their computer lessons devotedly until they graduated last month at the Bwindi Telecenter.

Bwindi is located in south western Uganda and borders both DRC and Rwanda, the three countries are separated by mountains and thick forests which form a locale for mountain gorillas. Bwindi is home to about one half of all mountain gorillas left in the world.

It basically has no transport at all, even the boda bodas (motor bicycles) that crowd the city are very scarce here, the mornings and evenings are very cold due to the high altitude and the surrounding thick rain forests that one would require a heavy winter coat even in the night on top of the beddings, locals light camp fires at night when the cold becomes unbearable. Electricity would help, but it has never reached Bwindi, politicians say it is on its way.

THE JOURNEY TO THE TELECENTER

Without much transport the only four wheel cars that drive through the dusty road to Bwindi Camp belong to tourists and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). This road though did not make it any easier for the students who trekked long distances to the telecenter, with a thick inch of dust that covers the road and keeps rising every time a vehicle passes by, the students must have gotten to the telecenter covered in 'brown' but they persevered for six weeks.

On Saturday 16th July they made it! They got their computer training certificates from Makerere University (MUK) Department of Women and Gender studies. Their parents witnessed the graduation, the Bwindi orphans group danced to the loud pulsating drums reverberating into the mountains, throwing their arms in the air and stumping their feet to the rhythms. The community turned up in big numbers to show their solidarity and support and the area bishop blessed the students.

An official from Makerere University Women and Gender studies, Mr. Ramadhan Madanda, said the students were given certificates from MUK because they completed the equivalent of the beginners' course of MUK Department of Women and Gender studies. The beginners' courses are eligible for even O' level students and drop outs.

Richard Ndizeye 26 was the best student and according to the Director of the telecenter, Mr. Lawrence Zikusoka, he will soon get a laptop. He walked down the mountain in the early cold mornings to attend his lessons. "I live on the border of Uganda and Congo about 15 kms from here. I used to walk everyday but am happy that I can communicate with my sister in the UK almost everyday," he says smiling while checking his email after the graduation ceremony.

But he is only lucky that he has people to communicate to, others like Orikiriza Monica, 17 the youngest of the graduates who also lives 20kms away from the telecenter says she has learnt how to type, save documents and can use the email but she does not have friends who send her email on her address at morikiza@yahoo.com. "I live in the next subcounty called Mayanja. It is very far, I was attending the morning class from 9.30 to 1.00 o' clock," she says with a shy smile.

Monica is not the only one with a few people to communicate with, others students only exchange email between themselves and their trainer Pamela Nafuna. But that is only temporary for soon they will communicate with the world like Lucian who got a tourist friend. Many tourists come to Bwindi to see gorillas and birds.

Lucian Twinamasiko 20, a senior 6 vacation student communicates with a friend Matthew Williams -a tourist who had come to see gorillas and happened to use the telecenter. He now exchanges emails with him and he is quite happy about that.

THE BATWA STUDENTS

Although the Batwa are reserved people, and are generally marginalized, two Batwa students both female, Mary Idah Kiryabwire and Alice came around when the telecenter had just opened. According to the telecenter trainer Pamela Nafuna these two were allowed to come and attend lessons for free because they 'were active and sharp' inspite of their lack of formal education.

For the Batwa to even show interest in computers was good enough because Batwa as an ex hunter-gatherer people or forest people (pygmies) live in forests, suffer severe discrimination at the hands of their farming neighbors and are generally still not a very educated people although in Bwindi area projects have been established to help them.

For Mary Idah and Alice, computer lessons were a new found resource and like the rest of the students they came from the thick forest everyday to the telecenter but they were greatly hindered by the inability to communicate let alone understand parts of the computer and instructions that were given in English. However, Pamela tried to explain and instruct them in the local language just as the other students who sat near them tried to translate and help them out.

Ezra Ndyamugambiraki, who I thought had one of the longest name I ever heard, a student at the telecenter said the Batwa women were good. "They came often and I think they had natural brains.. they could understand some things although they were completely uneducated. They were intelligent women I used to sit near them but after some time they only came and were playing cards," he said.

Another source said they could have thought the knowledge would not be very relevant to them anyway since they do not have computers so they decided to quit, however, he acknowledged that the Batwa are very intelligent people, if given a chance they do excel academically.

Playing cards was an achievement but the Batwa must have become bored for they could not do this for 6 weeks so they dropped out of class and did not graduate that day. Had they persevered like the rest they would be a great resource to their forest based communities.

SUSTAINABILITY

Although the issue of sustainability runs high on all Agendas for telecenters in rural areas of Africa, with Bwindi telecenter it is not a problem. The students paid Shs.100,000 for the six weeks course training containing six packages of computer programmes-Introduction to computer, MS word, Excel, MS Power point, MS Access and Internet + email.

Furthermore, tourists who come to use the telecenter pay Shs.500 per minute, five times the amount that the local community pays in a way subsidizing for the locals who pay only Shs.100 per minute. The telecenter is also a multipurpose facility where Non Government Organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) can come and do printing, typing and use the internet.

"We are trying to make it affordable and sustainable, the speed is quite fast and the power although solar is quite reliable," Mr. Zikusoka said. The telecenter has a broadband of 128 kb per second, with a speed fast enough to keep the customer inflow steady and constant and is using solar power because there is no electricity in Bwindi. The local community has a bit of money since they benefits from the tourists as some are involved in odd jobs at the camp and others from CBOs that get a percentage portion from UWA from the tourist fees.

For Mary Idah and Alice, computer lessons were a new found resource and like the rest of the students they came from the thick forest everyday to the telecenter but they were greatly hindered by the inability to communicate let alone understand parts of the computer and instructions that were given in English. However, Pamela tried to explain and instruct them in the local language just as the other students who sat near them tried to translate and help them out.

CHALLENGES FACED

Bwindi telecenter is a local initiative started by the Zikusokas and has been funded with ,000 by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) under its Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF) which has among its objectives to roll out telecenters in districts. Other companies some under their cooperate social responsibility like Coca Cola, Uganda Telecom, UWA, MUK and Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) have contributed and are partners in the initiative.

However, the director said they are challenged with marketing the place as a modern facility and want to get more partners from the corporate world to support them as they are planning to set up telecenters in all national parks around the country. They also wish to make the telecenters affordable to the local communities equipping as many youth around them as possible with computer skills and keeping them in touch with the world through the internet.