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Infrastructure for Computers in Uganda Schools
Herbert Busiku, Kampala office of Computers for Africa
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Good to hear from you, Mr. Hamburger, and so very sorry for not getting back to you last time. I was in the thick of things and out in the field, where Internet access is a problem, most of the time. But it is nice to hear from you once again and to know what you folks have been doing in East Africa. I got the chance to look at your website this morning. You are doing an invaluable job and many thanks. As you consider expanding your services in Uganda, I would be most happy to help in any way I can and whenever I can. I, however, would like to know more about your programme; like the computer programme, do the recipients pay anything to facilitate shipment or do you take care of all the expenses? Also, how many computers do you usually provide to schools on average? Any support services rendered thereafter? Since you provide books and lab equipment as well, do you provide an item based on the most critical need of the school in question? And given the power problem in the country at the moment and for a couple of years to come, have you considered the fact that the technology you are so kindly providing may not be effectively utilized? And if so have you considered any option, however few machines it may support at a time? I work for an organisation called Computers for Africa and we overlap in many respects which is good because we can share our experiences as we fashion our way forward. Ours is purely technology, which is provided in four phases. In phase one we provide the computers, in phase two we train computer studies teachers in basic computer maintenance to keep the technology going, third phase, we introduce an inexpensive internet connection so they can communicate with the World, and fourth phase we encourage our communities to work together and set up a website so they can tell the world who they are and share educational resources between themselves without having to walk to each other's schools. We work in rural but accessible parts of the country and our schools are either all girls or most girls. We currently serve about 64 schools mainly in Uganda (central, eastern and northern regions) and a few in eastern Kenya. We are starting this year working mainly in northern Uganda around the towns of Gulu and Lira which are relatively peaceful and secure. We hope to get in the villages when the security situation gets better. We pretty much look for schools based on criteria like yours and then ask opinion leaders in areas we go to, to help recommend schools which we then visit. We are non denominational serving all without religious inclination. Would you like working partly with the schools we serve, in which case you could help with books and laboratory equipment as they already have computers or would you like me to get you in touch with your own schools? I would be happy to help in either case. Would you consider working in northern Uganda or is it too far, too risky for you to consider working there? I personally think they need the most help there can be. I shall be presenting an eGranary demonstration to Nkumba University, which I found out is one of the institutions you have given computers to, this Thursday. Peace and blessings upon your work, Herbert |