Wired in Uganda

Mennonite Central Committee
Friday, 3 August 2001

BUKOTO, Uganda -- Why bring computers and cell phones to rural Uganda? Would residents benefit from high-tech services?

Patrons of the Bukoto Information and Communication Center (BICC) in southern Uganda give plenty of answers. The year-old center provides Bukoto and several neighboring villages with computer, cellular phone and library services. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has donated several computers and a solar panel used for back-up power.

Nakawe Kaggwa, a vegetable dealer, uses the center to contact buyers about available produce, making buyers' trips to Bukoto more efficient. "This saves us a lot of time and money," says Kaggwa. "I can also communicate with my boss in case of problems."

"At the BICC, I have gotten more knowledge about computers and books," says Muguwanya Julius. "Now when I have leisure time, I go to the library and read." Julius is an intern at the center, working with others to produce a newspaper that includes local news and announcements.

"The amount of information available through our center puts us on par with many of the urban centers in Uganda," says Jon Miller, a computer instructor and MCC volunteer. "Together with the communication services, our center gives the community a large resource base for business and educational development."

In addition to laptop computers and cellular telephones, BICC boasts a 1,000 book library, periodicals rack and daily newspapers, as well as educational CD-ROMs, which are used for adult English classes and by local primary and secondary students.

Telephone and messaging services provide a link to persons outside the community. The area has no land-line phones, and among the 20,000 community residents there may only be 50 cell phones, says Miller, most of which are not available for public use. Using communication provided by BICC saves many locals a tiring trip to Masaka, the nearest city, 20 kilometers away.

"Information technology capabilities open up a huge world of possibilities for rural communities in developing countries," says Miller. "Local business people use the communication services for transactions in coffee trading, produce exporting, etc."

Ndali Abdu, a fuel trader, does business in Bukoto. "I like that the center has fixed prices for communication," he says. "Before we could be charged any price for using other people's phones." Abdu says his relatives use the center to inform each other of births and deaths.

Printers at the center serve various practical uses: to produce wedding announcements, business advertisements, church and local government correspondence.

"To North Americans, the computers may look a bit out of place in Bukoto," says Miller. "People here do not seem intimidated by computers, cellular phones and other machines."

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org