FADECO INFORMATION/ RESOURCE TELECENTRE
Information gaps and digital divide for Karagwe
Introduction:
Karagwe district is one of the six districts of Kagera region.
It is located in the North west of Tanzania bordering with Uganda and
Rwanda in the north. It has a population of over 350,000 people and is
one of the high potential district in the region. In 1994-97, the district
was host to over 1,000,000 Rwandan refugees.
Remoteness:
The district has for long, been shielded from all forms of telecommunicatins,
good roads and information flow not to mention modern technologies like
radio, newspapers, television, computers, email and internet until very
recently.
The district was opened to the international community in 1994, when
Rwandan refugee influx brought along many international relief and development
organisations. In 1996, CIDA considered to support the improvement of
the telecommunications systems, but this was not untill 2000. At the moment,
1-2% of the district is now connected to automatic STD telephone systems,
the coverage being limited to the trading centres of Kayanga (500 people
connected) and Kaisho (50 people). This is insignificant if you compare
this to the total populatin of 350.000.
Chronic problems that cannot easily be solved due to lack of information:
a) HIV/AIDS pandemic:
The district falls within the belt most affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Cases are many but not publicised. It is as if nothing is happening but
the pandemic has consumed a wide cross section of the community leaving
many affected (orphans in need of support, etc). Extension messages have
never gone down to the people. How without radio nor television nor news
papers.
HIV/AIDS and many other preventable diseases like malaria, are many which
justifies that, prevention interventions through awareness creation does
not reach the people.
b) Socio economic problems.
The present social and economic under development and backwardness is
largely attributed to poor communication and telecommunication infrastructure
development. Limited access to information (especially about markets)
has meant that the economic sector has stagnated. Farmer do not where
to sell their produce. Information about markets is always distoretd because
very few have access to the right information.
The roads infrastructure is very poor and transportation of goods and
passengers is one of the worst you can imagine. Karagwe population depend
on coffee sales as major source of income, and with the allegation that
there is no market for coffee or that the world market prices have fallen,
this means that most people in Karagwe will remain caught in the trap
of poverty.
We can ask ourselves:
Is community mobilization, awareness creation ans sensitization possible
without efficinet communication/ telecommunicvations channels?
How are you able to reach all the people in Karagwe by physical visit
or by letter? How can then new policies, death announcements, development
actions, business promotion, market information, etc. reach the people
?
Opportunities for ICT development in Karagwe ?
Improvement in the information sector would bridge the present gaps and
catalyse the whole process of economic regeneration. Economic restructuring
is pointing at agricultural diversification as a way out. Awareness creation
and sensitisation programmes are seen as major tools of creating sustainable
livelihoods. But with no information, it will not be possible.
FADECO would like to invest in this sector and is convinced that information
is power.
|
