The Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) has launched and operated digital villages since 2000 year, and in May, one installation in Uganda took stock of where they came from and where they’re going.
The Wakiso Digital Village, started in 2014, held a town hall meeting to look back on the first two quarters of 2015 and discuss challenges that lie ahead.
Similar to all YTF digital villages scattered across Africa (and even South America!), the Wakiso Digital Village focuses on technology in two ways. Youth and women gain both access to technology and are coached on how to harness technology to lift themselves out of poverty and prosper. This year, in collaboration with Uganda Communications Commission, Wakiso Digital Village will hold ICT (information and communications technology) training sessions throughout the year, through which over 2,000 female youth are expected to be introduced to various ICT tools.
At the recent town hall meeting, staff discussed not only how to best equip youth and women with digital tools, but also how to empower themselves as an organization to harness technology. This opportunity allowed staffers to toss around possibly game-changing new ideas for their operation. For example, they brainstormed ways to use the technologies the digital village uses everyday to communicate easily and more efficiently with each other and with beneficiaries. This could even in include using social media in innovative ways to communicate with the wider world.
They also reviewed some accomplishments. In May, Wakiso Digital Village trained 20 staff members on mobile agriculture, the use of mobile technology in agriculture. The newly trained staffers are enthusiastic and eager to empower women farmer entrepreneurs.
As with all YTF digital villages, there’s a lot to be accomplished and even more to be learned as the work progresses. With the staffers’ passion and enthusiasm, it’s clear this digital village is on the right track to do the work that matters in Uganda.
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Bernard is the country lead at YTF’s Wakiso Digital Village, Uganda. Wakiso is a predominantly farming community. His passions include using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to encourage and sensitize youth to adopt a love for agriculture.
