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Sep 2nd, 2005 - 05:03:14 |
SYLMURRAY
FINAL REPORT ON THE RURAL YOUTH NATIONAL INFORMATION CAMPAIGN IN SIERRA LEONE (RYNIC-SL)
ACTIVITY - I
REPORT ON THE RURAL YOUTH NATIONAL INFORMATION CAMPAIGN IN SIERRA LEONE (RYNIC-SL) – 19th – 21st May 2005
INTRODUCTION:
A three-day interactive forum was organized by the WSIS Youth Caucus in Sierra Leone, Youth Empowerment for Development Ministries (YEDEM) International, TakingITGlobal Sierra Leone (TIG-SL), Waterloo/Koya Rural District Youth Council and ACCESS Africa-Technology Enrichment Program. The theme for the interactive forum was: ICT – A POSITIVE TOOL FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT.
Present at the interactive forum were youth leaders drawn from different organizations within the Waterloo/Koya Rural District; the Chairman of the Western Area Rural District Council, Mr. Allieu Mansaray, who officially declared the forum open, was also present. Also, the Honorable Princess Baba Jigida, who happens to be the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Western Area East District, inclusive of Waterloo and Koya, and is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee dealing with information and communication, was present at the forum. As a journalist and communications expert, and also one of Sierra Leone’s representative to the Pan African Parliament she did not only do justice to the theme in delivering the keynote address but also whetted the appetite of participants in the area of ICTs and set the stage for a positive interactive forum.
OPENING CEREMONY:
The opening ceremony took place on the first day of the interactive forum. The Secretary General of the Waterloo/Koya Rural District Youth Council welcomed participants to the forum. In his welcome address, Kemokoh Conteh elucidated on the advantages of the advancements in Information Communication Technologies juxtaposing such advantages in comparison with the level of underdevelopment of the Waterloo/Koya Rural District.
Giving a background to the interactive forum on the Rural Youth National Information Campaigns (RYNICs) the National Coordinator, Sylvanus Murray gave an in-depth explanation of the activities of the WSIS National Youth Caucus and the importance of RYNICs.
During the three days deliberation the following topics were discussed:
1. Assessing the level of awareness on the use of ICTs for development within the rural area.
2. Projecting and promoting the use of ICT4Rural Development.
3. ICT in information, sensitization and training in the rural areas.
4. Using ICTs to network ideas, events and resources for rural development.
5. National policies and framework.
6. Promoting access and effective use of ICT in rural areas.
7. Synopsis of interactive forums.
The following concerns were highlighted during the three days interactive forum:
1. The level of awareness on the use of ICTs for rural development is low. Only two out of the thirty representatives were computer literates!!! This engendered the concern to promote access to ICTs by rural youths.
2. In projecting and promoting the use of ICT4Rural Development, participants requested that the organizer should provide preliminary training for participants at the interactive forum and that the Youth Council should work out modalities with the organizers to provide quality training for the Rural Youth. At this juncture, the Chairman of the Western Area Rural Council, Mr. Allieu Mansaray pledged his council’s commitment to give an office space to youths to establish a Community Youth Information Centre!! The Honorable Member of Parliament, Dr. Princess Baba Jigida promised to donate two computers to the centre.
3. Participants agreed that ICT was very important in enabling them to undertake information and sensitization campaigns and to also network ideas, events and resources both locally and internationally.
4. Participants also agreed that to promote access and effective use of ICTs in rural development, apart from ensuring quality training, the Rural Youth Council should charge minimal fees to training and other ICT services as a way of sustaining the proposed Community Youth Information Centre.
OTHER ISSUES:
One significant issue that was raised was that of energy. Participants agreed that efforts should be made to access wind or solar energy as a major source of energy to power ICTs in the rural areas. To this end, it was also agreed that efforts should be made to get either a wind solar energy source to power the proposed Community Youth Information Centre.
CONCLUSIONS:
The following were concluded as follow up actions after the three-day deliberations:
1. That a Community Youth Information Centre should be established.
2. That participants of the interactive forum should be the same participants that should undergo the training, which is part of the interactive forum.
3. That the Local Government Authority and the MP should ensure to provide an enabling environment that will promote access and effective use of ICTs by rural youths.
4. That their situation is almost the same with youths in other rural areas with regards access and use of ICTs4Rural Development.
5. That such a forum is replicated in other rural areas.
6. That the WSIS Youth Caucus should focus on Rural Youths if the campaign should be meaningful.
ACTIVITY - II
PROGRESS REPORT ON RYNIC - SIERRA LEONE
Workshops Held On 5th, 6th, 7th June 2005 For Rural Youths At Bassa Town, Koya Village And Benguema Village In The Rural Of Western Area, Sierra Leone
Following the successful workshop held on Saturday May 21st 2005, there were calls from youth leaders from rural communities who participated in the workshop to replicate the same in their different areas of operation. A total of four requests were received to replicate the workshop in Bassa Town, Koya, Benguema village and Macdonald village, all rural areas that were severely affected by the long years of war and it which youths are making conscientious efforts to reconstruct.
After careful consideration, WSIS Sierra Leone network concluded that for the rural youth in the information campaign to be more effective, and then there is the need to replicate the workshop in two of the requested areas. The two villages in which the workshop was replicated are Koya Village and Benguema Village in the Koya rural area and York rural area.
The workshops were both chaired by Mr. Claudius Malamah Thomas who is the director of public policy research institute. The keynote addresses were delivered by Sulaiman Suntus Kamara and Jonn Elliot; both are advocates for youth access to information communication technologies and members of Access Africa Technology Enrichment program (a local ICT training centre that promotes youth access to information communication technology).
The outcomes of the workshop are very similar with the findings at waterloo. It was evidently clear that there is no public policy as yet in Sierra Leone that deals with information communication technology. This view was substantiated by Mr. Malamah Thomas who is the director of Public Policy Research Institute. He called on youth leaders to be consistent and steadfast in their drive to raise national awareness on the importance of ICT and how best youths and the country at large can use it to promote reconstruction, consolidate peace and enhance socio economic and national development.
Another outcome of the workshops was the unreserved determination of rural youths to gain access to information communication technology especially the use of computers and digital cameras. In this regard, the chairman of the workshops suggested that after considering the large number of rural youth leaders who may want to learn how to use the computer and how to manage the internet in order to promote their development programs, the Public Policy Research Institute was going to pay for ten youth leaders to be trained by Access Africa Technology Enrichment Program on how to use the computer especially Microsoft software programs like word, excel and spreadsheet and how to access and use the internet.
The youths at the workshop further congratulated the WSIS Sierra Leone Network for doing a good job in reaching out to youth especially youths in the rural areas to elicit their views on information communication technology and their relative ness to the development of rural communities and young people. They called on the organizers to put in place a national workshop that will draw rural youths from the remotest parts of the country to sit and discuss with urban youth so that the youths can develop a national policy enshrined with the perception and ideas of young people.
TRAINING OF TEN RURAL YOUTHS
The training of ten rural youths in computer basics and how to use Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Spreadsheet Software programs commenced on the 15th June 2005 and lasted for two weeks.
The training was facilitated by Access Africa Technology Enrichment Program, in Freetown. Ten rural youth leaders participated and certificates shall be presented to them at a later date.
In appraising the training session the rural youth leaders commended both Access Africa and the Rural Youth National Information Society Campaign network. They however noted that for such training to be more meaningful they should be done in the rural settings in order to reduce the burden of transportation on rural youths. However, it was noted that the absence of electricity and generator facility in the rural areas will greatly limit the intention of the organizers to take the program to the rural settings.
The absence of digital cameras caused the organizers to refer the training in the use of digital hardware at a later date.
ACTIVITY - III
PROGRESS REPORT ON RYNIC SIERRA LEONE
Following the workshop held on the 5th, 6th & 7th June 2005 held at Bassa town Village, Koya area and Benguema village, and due to the frequency in communication between the facilitators and the youths, a caucus was established comprising the facilitators and youth leaders who had participated in both previous activities, mandated to draw up a practical outreach strategy to raise awareness of rural youth on the use of ICT 4 development.
MacDonald Village, the last of the rural villages in which requests were made at the May 19th to May 21st activity for a replication, was agreed upon as the place of implementation. It was agreed upon that due to the intensive farm activities currently taking place in the village area, a weekend would be the most appropriate time for the activity.
A three day activity covering consultation, awareness raising and basic training in computer was organised on Friday 24th to Sunday 26th June at Macdonald village Area Community centre for youth leaders and other development associates in the Village area.
At the opening ceremony of the consultative and awareness raising interactive forum, the lead facilitator for the forum Mr. John Eliot, a computer software programmer attached to Access Africa technology Enrichment Program, likened the absence of computer literacy in post war reconstruction as a sheep straying the Arabian Desert. He explained the importance of information communication technology as a tool for economic recovery and post war reconstruction. He maintains however that basic education is the gateway to computer literacy.
When participants responded to questions from the lead facilitator, the following facts surfaced:
Many of them have never been in touch with a computer or any of its peripherals, except for a few who own a mobile phone.
Many lack the enthusiasm to come in touch with computers and it peripherals because their environment lacks the supportive infrastructures. It was further realised that apart from the lack of electricity, even the leading mobile companies do have coverage in those areas.
Participants appreciated the importance of ICT 4 development and urged for a youth action to establish community ICT centres for Youths wherein youth can acquire computer skills, engage online and promote the development of their communities and welfare.
Participants lamented that even though they are desirous to acquire computer literacy, yet the absence of a Computer Centre or a Cafe, a Telecentre will greatly inhibit individual and community progress.
It was concluded that the facilitators should come up with a project to establish ICT Centres for youths in rural communities if the campaign should have a positive and lasting impact on the rural youth and their communities.
TWO DAYS TRAINING
On Saturday 25th June a two intensive training on basic computing was introduced by another of the facilitators Abu Gibrill, a software tutor also from Access Africa technology Enrichment Program. The training dealt with the basic s of computing such as turning the computer on selecting a program, opening a file, saving a document, recovering a lost document and shutting down the computer.
The importance of the training whetted the appetite of the participants who requested that a longer and in-depth training should be accorded to them. Their appeal was passionately granted and arrangements were made for one month training commencing on 3rd July to 3rd August 2005, which will be facilitated by Access Africa Technology Enrichment Program.
As a follow up to the Macdonald activity, a one month computer training program was organised for the youths at Access Africa Technology Enrichment Program 37, Upper Brook Street.
The training covered basics to creating a word document, editing, and printing, accessing the internet and downloading items from the net.par
At the end of the training, the youths again expressed appreciation but lamented that they would only realized the impact of the campaign in the lives and communities if they would have a ICT youth centre where they would advance their knowledge, share ideas and events on the net, teach more youths on basic computing and realise the full potential of ICT 4 development.
SUMMARY
CAMPAIGN AREAS:
Waterloo Rural Area (Kissy Town inclusive)
Assa Town Village Area (Bengeuma Village inclusive)
MacDonald Village Area
CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
Awareness Raising
Information Sharing
Interactive Forum
Workshops
Trainings
The campaign was quite unknown to many Rural Youths who appraised it as been very timely; as it will further raise awareness of the poor infrastructures and lack of basic education, essential elements in realising the full potentials of ICT 4 Development. The campaign further brought to light the absence of any National Information Policy and the complete neglect of Rural Youths in the events overshadowing the world information society. It also raised an alarm on the vast number of Rural Youths who have no basic knowledge on computing and its peripherals.
The campaign again brought to light the enthusiasm of Rural Youth to be part of the Information Society as was indicated by responses to the training activities.
RURAL YOUTH DECLARATION ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
1. Government’s presentation at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) should reflect the views and concerns of Rural Youths in Sierra Leone on the Information Society.
2. Government to review existing media laws and national policies and provision of basic infrastructure and other facilities to enhance the access and use of ICTs by Rural Youths in the community development work.
3. Collaborate with the government in preparing a National Information Policy.
4. Replication of similar campaign activities in other rural areas of the country.
5. That ICT Centres should be established in rural areas for Rural Youths as a means of keeping the campaign alive and to promote access and use of ICT by Rural Youths.
6. Sierratel to host a youth web site to showcase profile of Rural Youth organizations, activities and events and network events, ideas and resources which will be managed by YEDEM International in collaboration with TakingITGlobal Sierra Leone Network (TIG-SLN) and iEARN Sierra Leone.
7. Government should include/sponsor at least one Rural Youth delegate to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2005 in Tunis.
8. That at least two Rural Youth should attend the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) later this year.
Jul 18th, 2005 - 12:54:28 |
SYLMURRAY
PROGRESS REPORT ON RYNIC - SIERRA LEONE
Workshops Held On 5th, 6th, 7th June 2005 For Rural Youths At Bassa Town, Koya Village And Benguema Village In The Rural Of Western Area, Sierra Leone
Following the successful workshop held on Saturday May 21st 2005, there were calls from youth leaders from rural communities who participated in the workshop to replicate the same in their different areas of operation. A total of four requests were received to replicate the workshop in Bassa Town, Koya, Benguema village and Macdonald village, all rural areas that were severely affected by the long years of war and it which youths are making conscientious efforts to reconstruct.
After careful consideration, WSIS Sierra Leone network concluded that for the rural youth in the information campaign to be more effective, and then there is the need to replicate the workshop in two of the requested areas. The two villages in which the workshop was replicated are Koya Village and Benguema Village in the Koya rural area and York rural area.
The workshops were both chaired by Mr. Claudius Malamah Thomas who is the director of public policy research institute. The keynote addresses were delivered by Sulaiman Suntus Kamara and Jonn Elliot; both are advocates for youth access to information communication technologies and members of Access Africa Technology Enrichment program (a local ICT training centre that promotes youth access to information communication technology).
The outcomes of the workshop are very similar with the findings at waterloo. It was evidently clear that there is no public policy as yet in Sierra Leone that deals with information communication technology. This view was substantiated by Mr. Malamah Thomas who is the director of Public Policy Research Institute. He called on youth leaders to be consistent and steadfast in their drive to raise national awareness on the importance of ICT and how best youths and the country at large can use it to promote reconstruction, consolidate peace and enhance socio economic and national development.
Another outcome of the workshops was the unreserved determination of rural youths to gain access to information communication technology especially the use of computers and digital cameras. In this regard, the chairman of the workshops suggested that after considering the large number of rural youth leaders who may want to learn how to use the computer and how to manage the internet in order to promote their development programs, the Public Policy Research Institute was going to pay for ten youth leaders to be trained by Access Africa Technology Enrichment Program on how to use the computer especially Microsoft software programs like word, excel and spreadsheet and how to access and use the internet.
The youths at the workshop further congratulated the WSIS Sierra Leone Network for doing a good job in reaching out to youth especially youths in the rural areas to elicit their views on information communication technology and their relative ness to the development of rural communities and young people. They called on the organizers to put in place a national workshop that will draw rural youths from the remotest parts of the country to sit and discuss with urban youth so that the youths can develop a national policy enshrined with the perception and ideas of young people.
TRAINING OF TEN RURAL YOUTHS
The training of ten rural youths in computer basics and how to use Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Spreadsheet Software programs commenced on the 15th June 2005 and lasted for two weeks.
The training was facilitated by Access Africa Technology Enrichment Program, in Freetown. Ten rural youth leaders participated and certificates shall be presented to them at a later date.
In appraising the training session the rural youth leaders commended both Access Africa and the Rural Youth National Information Society Campaign network. They however noted that for such training to be more meaningful they should be done in the rural settings in order to reduce the burden of transportation on rural youths. However, it was noted that the absence of electricity and generator facility in the rural areas will greatly limit the intention of the organizers to take the program to the rural settings.
The absence of digital cameras caused the organizers to refer the training in the use of digital hardware at a later date, preferably when the organizers would have received funds from the RYNICs secretariat for the second phase of the campaign.
May 25th, 2005 - 06:02:08 |
SYLMURRAY
May 25th, 2005 - 06:00:02 |
SYLMURRAY
REPORT ON THE RURAL YOUTH NATIONAL INFORMATION CAMPAIGN IN SIERRA LEONE (RYNIC-SL) – 19th – 21st May 2005
INTRODUCTION:
A three-day interactive forum was organized by the WSIS Youth Caucus in Sierra Leone, Youth Empowerment for Development Ministries (YEDEM) International, TakingITGlobal Sierra Leone (TIG-SL), Waterloo/Koya Rural District Youth Council and ACCESS Africa-Technology Enrichment Program. The theme for the interactive forum was: ICT – A POSITIVE TOOL FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT.
Present at the interactive forum were youth leaders drawn from different organizations within the Waterloo/Koya Rural District; the Chairman of the Western Area Rural District Council, Mr. Allieu Mansaray, who officially declared the forum open, was also present. Also, the Honorable Princess Baba Jigida, who happens to be the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Western Area East District, inclusive of Waterloo and Koya, and is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee dealing with information and communication, was present at the forum. As a journalist and communications expert, and also one of Sierra Leone’s representative to the Pan African Parliament she did not only do justice to the theme in delivering the keynote address but also whetted the appetite of participants in the area of ICTs and set the stage for a positive interactive forum.
OPENING CEREMONY:
The opening ceremony took place on the first day of the interactive forum. The Secretary General of the Waterloo/Koya Rural District Youth Council welcomed participants to the forum. In his welcome address, Kemokoh Conteh elucidated on the advantages of the advancements in Information Communication Technologies juxtaposing such advantages in comparison with the level of underdevelopment of the Waterloo/Koya Rural District.
Giving a background to the interactive forum on the Rural Youth National Information Campaigns (RYNICs) the National Coordinator, Sylvanus Murray gave an in-depth explanation of the activities of the WSIS National Youth Caucus and the importance of RYNICs.
During the three days deliberation the following topics were discussed:
1. Assessing the level of awareness on the use of ICTs for development within the rural area.
2. Projecting and promoting the use of ICT4Rural Development.
3. ICT in information, sensitization and training in the rural areas.
4. Using ICTs to network ideas, events and resources for rural development.
5. National policies and framework.
6. Promoting access and effective use of ICT in rural areas.
7. Synopsis of interactive forums.
The following concerns were highlighted during the three days interactive forum:
1. The level of awareness on the use of ICTs for rural development is low. Only two out of the thirty representatives were computer literates!!! This engendered the concern to promote access to ICTs by rural youths.
2. In projecting and promoting the use of ICT4Rural Development, participants requested that the organizer should provide preliminary training for participants at the interactive forum and that the Youth Council should work out modalities with the organizers to provide quality training for the Rural Youth. At this juncture, the Chairman of the Western Area Rural Council, Mr. Allieu Mansaray pledged his council’s commitment to give an office space to youths to establish a Community Youth Information Centre!! The Honorable Member of Parliament, Dr. Princess Baba Jigida promised to donate two computers to the centre.
3. Participants agreed that ICT was very important in enabling them to undertake information and sensitization campaigns and to also network ideas, events and resources both locally and internationally.
4. Participants also agreed that to promote access and effective use of ICTs in rural development, apart from ensuring quality training, the Rural Youth Council should charge minimal fees to training and other ICT services as a way of sustaining the proposed Community Youth Information Centre.
OTHER ISSUES:
One significant issue that was raised was that of energy. Participants agreed that efforts should be made to access wind or solar energy as a major source of energy to power ICTs in the rural areas. To this end, it was also agreed that efforts should be made to get either a wind solar energy source to power the proposed Community Youth Information Centre.
CONCLUSIONS:
The following were concluded as follow up actions after the three-day deliberations:
1. That a Community Youth Information Centre should be established.
2. That participants of the interactive forum should be the same participants that should undergo the training, which is part of the interactive forum.
3. That the Local Government Authority and the MP should ensure to provide an enabling environment that will promote access and effective use of ICTs by rural youths.
4. That their situation is almost the same with youths in other rural areas with regards access and use of ICTs4Rural Development.
5. That such a forum is replicated in other rural areas.
6. That the WSIS Youth Caucus should focus on Rural Youths if the campaign should be meaningful.
Oct 1st, 2003 - 14:48:34 |
SYLMURRAY
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