1. Project description
As a step to address the digital divide problem between people with and without access to IT in Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya, this project has set up a small internet café in an otherwise much neglected slum area of the city. The café consist of a handful computers, photo copier and printer all situated inside a modified, but otherwise completely standard, transport container. This project has been a cooperation with a local organisation with the name Friends Pioneer. INUG has in this project contributed with technical consultation, computer hardware and a micro credit loan of SEK 10 000 to purchase and adopt the container into a working IT Café and get the business to a self sustainable level.
As of the end of 2010, the micro credit loan has been full repaid with interest and the IT Café is making a daily contribution to the economy of our local partner organisation.
2. Background
Friends Pioneer, our local cooperation partner organization, is a non-profit, non-political, voluntary organization. The Organization is registered with the Kenya Government (GoK) Ministry of Gender, Sports, culture and social services. The mission is to mobilize Orphans, identify felt needs and to design a participatory programs as well as identify funding sources for implementing the activities for attaining the under mentioned Objectives. During winter 2007/2008 Friends Pioneer built a school accommodating 50 children. See also www.friendspioneer.org
INUG and Friends Pioneer have had dialogue and cooperation already since 2006. Friends Pioneer representative Joseph Oylale visited INUG for the first time during 2007. Several INUG volunteers have been guests at Friends Pioneer facilities while doing field-volunteer work in Kisumu and Orongo.
3. Development Goals
The following goals has been set for the project:
1) Alleviation of poverty by aiming towards filling the information technology gap that adversely affects the Kisumu region, mostly women, in rural areas
2) Offer new ways for a local community to join the global social communication pathways provided by the web.
3) To make information more widely available, accessible in local languages to the rural communities, especially women
4) Help local students to have access modern IT infrastructure for their education and research possibilities.
4. Results/ Outputs
- Facilities in the shape of modified and painted (motive chosen by local organization) transport container in place and fully operational for IT Café purposes
- Internet access provide through wireless long distance link to local Internet provider installed (connection quality has been known to vary considerably)
- Installed and functioning equipment: approximately 7 working computers (the number of computers in operational status fluctuates with time)
- Daily accessibility for at least 50 – 60 persons fulfilled
- The business makes a daily profit for our cooperation partner