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WOUGNET Office

WOUGNET is located at Plot 55 Kenneth Dale, Off Kira Road, Kamwokya. Directions: After the Kamwokya market as you travel along Kira road, turn off to your left onto Kenneth Dale, (just before the football field and Kira Road Police Station). Once on Kenneth Dale, look out for the WOUGNET sign post on your left towards the end of the road. Click here for a map.

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The impact of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the economic, social, cultural, political and individual spheres of life is widely accepted and recognised world over. ICTs give the young generation a whole range of opportunities; socializing and exposure, employment, getting information, doing research etc. It is widely accepted that the use of ICT can have a major influence on how learners approach learning, now and in the future. ICTs help make learning in school more responsive to the diverse learning needs of individual learners and can help make the school learning environment more conducive to students well being. ICT-based vocational training can also be useful in helping out of school youth who have not made it to higher institutions of learning e.g. operating and maintaining computer hardware, carrying out ICT related businesses etc.

Uganda is reported to have the youngest population in the world as well as the highest youth unemployment in the world according to the World Bank report on Africa Development Indicators (ADI) 2008/09. Fifty six (56%) of the population is under 18 years. The importance of these numbers highlights the fact that in order to achieve meaningful development programmes and projects need to be youth oriented. While the number of educated youth continues to grow worldwide, and in Uganda as well there is insufficient knowledge about the use of ICTs in schools, the distribution of ICT skills among students and the role that ICT-based skills has in terms of future employment opportunities.

In 2009 as a deliberate effort aimed at increasing girls’ access and utilisation of ICTs, WOUGNET in collaboration and with support from UCC implemented a project, “Awareness Raising on ICT and Gender among the Girl Child in Uganda”. Three regional Girl Child camps were organised targeting schools from Northern, Eastern and Western Uganda.

The aim of the girl child camps was to create awareness about the benefits of ICTs and gender issues in ICT in an effort to increase girls’/women’s use of ICTs and to empower young girls to improve on their livelihoods and status in society. The camps were attended by 34 schools and attracted a total of 416 female students; 170 in Eastern Uganda, 140 in Northern Uganda and 106 in Western Uganda.

In 2010, the project was expanded to include both female and male youth. Youth Forums have been organised by District in Kasese, Fort Portal, Hoima, Nebbi, Arua and Koboko Districts. A total of 52 schools and some few institutions of higher learning (with over 1,150 youths) have been reached in 2010. In West Nile (Nebbi, Arua and Koboko) visits were extended to schools. This is an on going project and more youth forums have been planned in other districts of the country.

The youth forums bring together students from selected schools. During the forums the young participants learn, are equipped with knowledge and basic skills in ICTs and interact with presenters through question and answer sessions.
The objectives of the forums are;

•    To raise awareness about the role of ICTs in development
•    To raise awareness on gender and ICT issues
•    To raise awareness about Uganda Communications Commission and its roles as the regulator of the communications sector, consumer rights and obligations
•    To equip participants with basic ICT skills

During the forums youth are given knowledge and skills on how they can make use of ICTs in their studies and day to day lives, they are sensitized about gender and the need to mainstream gender in ICT Initiatives, the roles and responsibilities of UCC, the rights and obligations of youth as consumers of ICT services. Through hands on sessions youths learn basic skills in computer use, are introduced to using search engines such as google, wikipedia and the Encarta software to get information, how to open email accounts and using social networking tools like facebook.

Achievements/impact of the project

• The girl child camps/ youth forums have played a great role in raising awareness on the potential of ICTs and the opportunities ICTs offer in development and how ICTs can be harnessed in education
• Awareness about Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) and consumer rights and obligations has been raised among the school communities
• Youth have equipped with knowledge of gender and the gender gaps in using ICTs and the importance of mainstreaming gender into ICT Policies/ projects and programs
• The camps/ youth forums have also raised self esteem among girls and built their confidence to take on science subjects and computer courses
• Basic skills built in ICTs use; this is likely to increase youth usage of ICTs.

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