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REPACTED: Challenging the digital divide

Categories: Feature, REPACTED

In our last update [1] on the Rising Voices grantee REPACTED of Kenya we informed that eighteen vibrant youths participated in the blogging lessons.

We are glad to announce that twelve new blogs [2] were opened by the participants. Most of them had short introductory posts like James Karongo [3] introduced himself as a young hardworking gentlemen while Mashale [4]wrote a short poem.

[5]

These posts appeared several weeks ago and you must be wondering why they are not being updated. In a report [6] to Rising Voices Dennis Kimambo states the challenge the REPACTED members face:

“At first we could not afford Internet because of the cost of the Internet connection, but with the competition in the mobile phone business in the country quite affordable modems are available in the market. The only challenge is how to maintain the monthly fee for internet connection. 
 
For the internet connection we face a serious challenge because the modem takes one computer at a time. We are working on how to network the modem to serve more than two computers, but the service provider Zain say that it can not take more than two computers. We are also paying 50 USD per month, maintaining the cost may force the community to pay some small money. The only problem is that we recruited from the slums where life is below 1 dollar a day.

We also need about six computers so as to satisfy all the new bloggers before the spirit of blogging goes down.”

But there is much potential among these bloggers. Read what Ong`eng`e wrote [7] about Tribalism destroying the national unity:

No one chose or applied to be born into a specific tribe. It all happened as God chose it to be….when will ‘TRIBALISM’ ever end in Kenya? This is the question that troubles and linger the air around every mind of a Kenyan citizen…

It is so painful to walk into an office only to be asked what tribe you belong to. In schools and colleges, the level of interaction and socialization has been reduced, leaving many feeling alienated from the world. I have seen experienced employees go without jobs, long time friend break up and neighbours and friends turn against one other as lives are brutally extinguished by tribalism.

[…]

We should wake up, set our differences aside and work to build a united nation.

[8]

Meanwhile Collins Dennis Oduor posted about two magnet theater outreach efforts in Hilton [9] and in Nakuru women prison [10].

You might be interested to watch the video of the performances. Dennis also reports [6]:

“The members of the organization who are theatre practitioners in the community enjoy the project because they are using the equipments to capture photos during the community theatre outreaches. They have also done enough community theatre outreach videos the only challenge is how to blog the videos because it takes very log to upload a video clip here due to the slow internet connection.”

So it is evident that access to Internet is a challenge and I hope they will be able to overcome this problem soon. Those who are interested to help this project can come forward to help them [11] sustain their costly internet connection or donating more mobile modems and computers.

Thumbnail Image: Ong`eng`e [12]