This project seeks to initiate a development process focusing on the empowerment of men and women with their children that work as porters in Bwindi Impenetrable National park with communication skills through training on how to use citizen media especially digital photography and social networks. Their experiences will be shared and heard online since they have been neglected yet they help as support staff in Gorilla tracking, one of the most treasured activities in the Uganda's tourism industry.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Kanungu
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
The porters of Bwindi impenetrable National Park, Mukono Parish, Kayonza Sub-county, Kanungu District, are the people responsible for carrying tracking equipment and in case a tourist falls down they help them up and sometimes carry them out of the jungle. Whereas Porters play an important role in the tourism industry, they are poverty stricken earning $15 per month that is not enough for their families’ basic needs.
In 2013 October, the porters through their chairperson expressed interest in being connected to the rest of the world with a hope of positive responses to their poverty situation.
In my discussion with 65 porters I discovered that none of them had email addresses, social network accounts and only 27 had basic mobile phones. A few have basic computer and internet skills.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Richard Kamya of Expressions Media Ltd a company involved in digital content and print production, will be involved in training the porters in using digital Cameras, facebook and twitter.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richard.kamya.7
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The participants will share photos and stories on Twitter and Facebook about their daily activities both at work and home, work related challenges, standards of living including health, education and nutrition.
our vision is to use these stories to connect the Gorilla community to the rest of the world for possible assistance in terms of alternative income generating activities.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
I have established a partnership with Expressions Media Ltd to provide technical support during the training and also providing additional representation online through their social network pages; https://www.facebook.com/Expressions.Media.
Mr. Mugisha Phenecaus the Tour Guide of the Hallmarks Tours and Travel will help mobilize the porters since he has been working with them for the last 8 years.
The Hallmarks Tours and Travel through its Corporate Social Responsibility Program, will provide a link on their website: www.thehallmarkstravels.com, facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/hallmarks.intl, https://www.facebook.com/TheHallmarksTravels)
twitter: (https://twitter.com/TheHallmarks) that will continuously represent them online.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
30 members of Mukono porters association, both men and women will be trained on how to use computers, internet , phones with internet, digital cameras for taking their own photographs and uploading them on social media platforms
We shall encourage them to express themselves of their social and economic challenges so as to bring them to the attention of the world.
Small incentives will also be extended to the participants.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
Digital photography, Mobile phones, Social networking like Facebook and Twitter.
As a project organizer I am well equipped with computer and internet skills. The partnership with Expressions Media has expertise in the production of video, photography and other digital content. This will ease our project implementation for successful results.
The porters’ community has an average education that can easily acquire skills of using computers, mobile phones, internet and digital cameras.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
2 USB modems, 2 laptops
Since the community hails with in the National park with Guest houses and lodges we shall hire a conference hall of one of the community lodges and use it,this can accommodate 100 people.
Given the nature of this training and equipment, 30 people will be just enough for maximum interaction and participation.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
As a Tour Operator I have talked to these members as they shared their grievances and challenges they face as community.
On the 31st October 2013 during one of my trips to Bwindi I took an initiative to talk to porters because of their dedicated work in serving the industry and found out they were underrepresented with a lot of need for skill and empowerment. I therefore encouraged them to form an association – Mukono Porters Association which comprises 12 women and 53 men for easy mobilization and communication.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
Since it’s a rural community with low income, demand for money and other logistics is expected. However this project is aiming at opening up doors so that through sharing of their experiences, the world will know about their situation and put them in the limelight for any possible intervention in helping this community for development thus will encourage them to participate to both gain communication skills and awareness for their benefit.
As part of the project, participation will be sought through motivation with a little stipend for the participants.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
By their turn up, participation and involvement, when participants are able to create media output, when the community is represented online and can ably share and post stories on social media on a weekly basis.
On wider regional or global digital community success will be determined when the stories get many responses comments, likes and shares.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
25May 2014 _ contacting and mobilization of participants by telephone
1-June 2014 _ Traveling to Bwindi National Park Training the participants
2nd June 2014_ Start of training, introduction to computer and internet use, open emails,
3rd June 2014_ advantages of social media, Twitter and Facebook (opening accounts)
4th June 2014 _ training in use of digital cameras for photography, downloading from camera and saving and uploading to social media sites and micro blogs.
5th June 2014_ participants creating their own media stories using photographs, networking and sharing the stories
July 2014 _ Follow up meetings
August / September 2014 _ Evaluation of the project
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Travel costs $520
Incentives $300
Internet Data $100
Stationary & printing $50
Workshop Venue (space) $100
Laptop Computer $400
2 Digital Cameras $300
Air time $20
Meals $200
Accommodation $220
Hiring a projector $120
Follow up meetings $160
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
Technical advice in the overall project implementation
Contact name
Hope Natusasira
4 comments
For long i have felt sorry for this community, this project is going to open doors for this community. Thanks to the organizers
thank you Miss Jackie; i felt the need to look out for these people for the hard work they do and the urgent need for their standards of living to improve.We always hope for the best.
community development programs are a recommended trend of activity and any initiative developed and implemented towards improvement of livelihoods and community poverty alleviation is highly commendable.
one who has visited this community in Kanungu- the Bwindi National Park Porter’s association is a true manifestation of ‘a cry for help’ society. they are a marginalized society and have been ignored just because little is known about them.
improving communication and technology skill amongst them is a well thought out idea to have these societies aboard. I would if possible support the championing of this noble cause towards society change.
Thank You Felix Ampaire, working towards a community well-being is all we look forward to doing. a happy community makes the right decisions for the social-economic development of all livelihoods in society.