Department of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

The Department of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is youth-led and inspired. The department is a part of the social entrepreneurial and sustainability efforts of CULINKE. Under the youth it is referred to as Youth Employment for Poverty Reduction through ICT Services and Resource Centres.

1. Introduction

2. Specific Objective

3. Background Information

4. Benefits and opportunities of the Innovation of ICT

5. The Implementation Concept

6. Thematic Areas of Focus in ICT

Introduction

CULINKE recognises information technologies as a valid tool for development, and develops strategies for influencing information and communication policies from a youth and gender perspective. CULINKE sees youth as the future and women as the prime change agents.

CULINKE acknowledging ICT’s complementary potential in enhancing other development efforts strives to embed ICT as a tool for supporting sector development in specific regard to the development of Agriculture, Export Trade, Small and Micro Enterprise and Youth and Women’s Development. 

Poverty in the rural areas is largely due to low productivity and low prices. Apart from inadequate infrastructure and insufficient distribution methods, a lack of information is the other single most important factor leading to arrested development in the agricultural sector in the rural areas. Although small-scale farmers lack access to information, they are not isolated from markets and are highly vulnerable to fluctuations in price and production volumes, as well as to diseases that affect production. Access to information on prices, market trends and production methods is essential for the survival of the small-scale farmer. It is for this reason that CULINKE seeks to embed ITC as a tool for poverty reduction.

CULINKE: Understanding and Embedding Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Trade and Poverty Reduction.

(To embed is to broaden the ownership base of ICT and Economic Development. It is a process that involves significant investment in human sources, in terms of both awareness-raising and technical skills.)

Overall Goal

To promote in sustainable and participative ways the access to, and mainstreaming of the use of ICT as a strategic tool of development and poverty reduction in Western Kenya.

Specific Objective

To co-ordinate and promote the access and use of ICT amongst women and youth through learning institutions as a precursor to improving in the long-term, rural development, in a more sustainable and participative way through the linkage of Small Scale Enterprises, Export Trade and Agriculture as a poverty reduction strategy.

Background Information

ICT cuts across sectors and affects all layers of society. All over the world it is making its mark as a viable tool that has a positive impact on development. Kenya and indeed the Third World however is yet to put ICT into supporting development efforts given economic, infrastructure and accessibility constraints.

ICT is a key weapon in the war against poverty. Used effectively, it offers huge potential to empower poor people to overcome development obstacles, to address the most important social and health problems they face, and to strengthen communities, democratic institutions, a free press and local economies. 

ICT has a duality of capacities: as a basic infrastructure for information and communications, that is, as a utility; as well as an enabling capacity which supports, and in many cases, drives practically all other sectors, through its own products and services. In other words, there is a dual challenge: that of ICT development, as well as that of ICT for development.

The enabling capacities of information and communications technologies have become so fundamental to the daily social, economic, political, administrative and cultural life of any society and the joint pursuit of individual self-actualisation and a better quality of life for all society, that they effectively constitute basic tools of development today. 

However with the digital divide that separates those who can access and use ICT to gain these benefits, and those who do not have access to technology or cannot use it for one reason or another, it is impossible to make these benefits available to all the people. Inherently this means that the realisation of the MDGs suffers a setback. Geographical isolation is another key form from ICT. With MDGs uniting the world against poverty and ICT proving to be an essential and strategic tool for poverty alleviation, the deployment of the same as tools of core development goals in ways that are sustainable and affordable is amust. Only then can globalisation and all its benefits be equitably spread and enjoyed by humanity.

Entry into the information age calls for a multi-sectoral approach, multi-lateral funding and private-public partnerships to succeed, political will and community ownership notwithstanding. 

Information and communications technologies are critical inputs for economic development and so if developing countries are to meet the development goals set forth by the MDGs, then the adoption of ICT-for-development initiatives cannot be overlooked and must be given the bottom-up approach. 

The Challenges of embedding ICT in Rural Kenya

To meet the challenges of ICT development, the following issues and capacity needs must be addressed:

1. Capacity building in software and applications development;
2. Resource identification, mobilisation and deployment;
3. Human resource capacity development;
4. Science and Technology development (especially through research and development capacity building);
5. Rural electrification;
6. Local content development for domestic use as well as for export in knowledge sharing;
7. The building of technical competence in such areas as systems design and integration as well as in infrastructure design, building, management and maintenance;
8. Access to, capacity to select, and when possible, ability to develop, appropriate technologies to provide more, better and more affordable products and services to meet  specific local needs, conditions and usage culture;
9. Popular and public education regarding both the benefits of ICT and how to utilise its specific products and services for enhancement and self-development;
10. The courage and willingness to undertake the re-education necessary to take the fullest advantage of the facilities of ICT, even at high levels of authority where the  appearance of the need to know is often considered a threat to the preservation of old fashioned authority and power;

Benefits and opportunities of the Innovation of ICT

CULINKE admits that meeting challenges of embedding ICT might be daunting at first, but the broader benefits they accrue to society and the people far outstrip the challenges. Some of these benefits and opportunities include:

1. The opportunity to reach far flung communities to deliver quality goods and services, thus overcoming the current limitations of distance and isolation;
2. The delivery of critical services such as health and education, to urban as well as rural and remote communities, stretching the capacity of limited material and human resources,  as well as expertise through the benefits of network technologies;
3. Improved democratic and transparent governance by virtue of easy access to public information and resources, and the ability to establish a two-way dialogue between the  citizens and those who govern, and the improved prospects of political stability which come with such public enlightenment;
4. The ability to create massive united effort behind a common cause such as in the War against HIV/AIDS;
5. Access to the world and its vast knowledge, culture and information, and the reciprocal exposure to the world of local knowledge, culture and information as well as updating  knowledge and skills;
6. Opportunities to create well-paying job opportunities in ICT for the young and ambitious as a way to also stem the tide of emigration in search of more fulfilling opportunities  and challenges;
7. International collaboration and National integration which comes from a higher level of shared ideas, dreams and ambitions on the basis of a common people with a common  dream and purpose.

The Implementation Concept 

CULINKE uses the bottom-up approach is the most effective way of involving the community and the grassroots in a development initiative. This ensures ownership, sustainability and scalability. Through this approach CULINKE works with the local communities at the grassroots  by constructing computer labs in primary and secondary schools and tertiary colleges to be open for use and training by teachers, students and members of the communities through organised groupings e.g. Community-based development and welfare organisations, Faith-based organisations, Youth groups, Farmer co-operative societies, Women’s groups, Physically challenged peoples’ organisations et-al. Schools and libraries are seen as the best possible venues for community ICT access. Given however the limited number of libraries available in the rural areas schools remain our best and only option. Schools also have enough security to ensure the equipments are safe.

The CULINKE partners source the computers-new or refurbished and appropriate computer applications and supplies to be delivered to the computer labs. Youth Trainer of Trainers from the villages and those selected by local organised groups are trained in repairs and maintenance in readiness for the task ahead of them. Teachers are also trained in high-end ICT skills and are expected to go back and train their students and local community members in computer applications in their respective local schools’ computer labs.

The schools’ computer labs are opened to communities through civil society organisations in the evenings, holidays and weekends. Community members are encouraged to join already existing civil society organisations or groups for the purpose of a training timeframe, and each group is expected to pay a small monthly access fee for payment of electricity, telephone, internet and incentive for the trainers. Community groups are asked to nominate 3 members to be trained as TOTs and who are referred to as ICT Community Trainers. ICT Community Trainers work alongside teachers in training members of the communities in ICT. Each partner school nominates 2 teachers to be trained as TOTS. An appropriate training curriculum has been developed in liaison with local stakeholders.

More importantly the school computer labs are used by the local community as access points for dissemination and learning centres for health awareness, gender equity and the girl-child, agriculture and education for the students.

In the long term CULINKE will have position ICT as an enabler for broad socio-economic development and as a means to poverty reduction and realisation of the MDGs.