1. CHALLENGES MET IN USING ICT TOOLS
TO IMPLEMENT PROJECTS IN RURAL
SETTINGS
THE BROSDI EXPERIENCE
By
Karamagi Ednah

2. COURSE OF DIRECTION
 A brief about BROSDI
 Define some key terms
 What is ICT?
 What do we understand by “Rural Development”?
 Go directly to “the challenges we have faced while
using ICT tools to implement our projects”
 Share some lessons learnt

3. ABOUT
 VISION:
Rural communities engaged in productive knowledge sharing and
management using ICT as an enabler
 Mission
To empower the civil society through knowledge sharing using ICT as a
medium to improve their livelihoods.
 Programs
 Health (YoHAAP)
 Education (HCC)
 Agriculture (CELAC)
 Foundation
 ICT usage
 Adoption of Open Development Approach
 Rural involvement
 Knowledge sharing and management

4. DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
 What is meant by “ICT”
Technology used to Communicate Information to a
particular target group.
 Rural Development
In general denotes economic development and
community development actions and initiatives taken
to improve the standard of living in the rural areas.
(SOURCE: Wikipedia).

5. HOW WE HAVE BENEFITTED FROM
USAGE OF ICT TOOLS
 Enabled sharing
 Eased packaging
 Eased collection and capturing of information
 Eased storage of content

6. HOW WE SHARE
INFORMATION/KNOWLEDGE
 Mobile telephone
 Telephone calls
 One to one
 Chats
 Conferencing
 SMS
 Google SMS
 Weekly SMS
 Radio
 Radio programs
 Audio CDs
 Computer
 Web 2.0 applications
 Development of print media
 Information websites (celac.or.ug, FarmAfriPedia)

7. HOW WE SHARE INFORMATION/KNOWLEDGE
CONTD
 Forums
 Village meeting
 Monthly forums
 Annual knowledge fair
 Other methods
 Notice boards
 Village loud speakers
 Music dance and drama

8. CHALLENGES WE HAVE FACED …
 Choice of “appropriate” tool
 How do you choose the right tool? “Appropriate” to who?
e.g. the radio programs
 Preventing the tool from becoming a “white elephant”
e.g. the laptops
 Spares available?
e.g. Audio Recorders from Netherlands
 Incase of theft, can they be traced?
e.g. Google SMS mobile phones
 The issue of repair?
E.g. the CELAC Apac laptop

9. …CHALLENGES WE HAVE FACED CONTD
 Implementing using ICT
 Care and Maintenance
e.g. Audio recorders vs Kafuluma
 Usage of the tool
 Who does the training?
Farmers or you and me?
 How is it done?
Is it customized for a rural settings?
 Refresher courses?
How many more for them to understand?
 The issue of electricity??
Does the battery last? Load shedding? Can solar work?

10. SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNT
 Involve a the farmers, at least the farmers leaders
in choosing of the tool
 Do not impose onto the farmers a tool. Instead
incorporate some of their methods into the project
 Train and re-train and re-train and re-train till they
are familiar with the tool
 Be patient with them

11. …SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNT CONTD
 Include these in the training kit
 Care and maintenance options and procedure
 Repair option and procedure
 As much as possible, make it a peer-to-peer
discovery, learning and sharing
 Try to avoid formal settings when introducing the
tool. Give preference to working from one of their
homes
 Avoid the “plug & play” approach

12. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO ME
END