The objective of the project is to connect twenty PWDs in Wakiso district to the world through the use of social media (face book,twitter,blog and Youtube. Wakiso district is one of the 121 districts in Uganda, bordering Kampala, the Capital City. However in spite of being near the city, PWDs in the districts are not much different from their counterparts in upcountry districts in regard to low self esteem, limited participation in development activities, poverty, low levels of education, and lack of information for social-economic development.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
WAKISO TOWN COUNCIL
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
The project will however initially target members of Wakiso Action on Physical Disability (WAPD), a community-based organization (CBO) working to unite members to advocate for their rights and improved living conditions.
Baseline information was collected by WAPD from its members. Its concept is built on consultations with members and their shared experience of other technology adoption initiatives especially the health SMS facility. Whereas a significant number of the members can read and write, none has an email or Facebook accounts.This situation is made worse by the lack of a Luganda (popular local langue in Uganda) social media platform let alone the fact that no such network whatsoever exists for persons with disabilities.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
The project will be implemented in collaboration with the National Council on Disabilities (NCD). The NCD has the mandate to raise awareness of PWDs and has access to computers. NCD further boosts of technical staff that can be co-opted to technical backstop the project in terms of content shared.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The project seeks to provide hands on training and mentor persons with disabilities in the proficient use of computers and social networking using information and communication technologies. It is envisaged that these skills will be utilized to narrow the distance between members and encourage them to share their life stories with the aim of inspiring others. To achieve this broad objective, initial content including you tube videos and blogs will be transmitted in both English and Luganda comprising: Personal inspirational stories, Professional and peer psychosocial counseling to persons with disabilities, Confidence and self-esteem sessions, Civil rights awareness clinics, Self-help materials.
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.
Wakiso Action on Physical Disability (WAPD) is a community-based organization (CBO) working with several partners in advocating for the rights and improved living conditions of persons with disabilities. Of interest for this project will be the National Council on Disability because of their far reaching mandate and access to facilities. NCD is a credible partner because they also boost of a website that shall host the project social media network and technical expertise to regularly uploading content.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
A purposively selected group of 20 participants will be selected on the basis of literacy level and leadership responsibilities- important attributes necessary for adoption and wide spread buy in. It is then envisaged that these leaders will intern train each training at least three persons and enlist them into the social network. A demonstration of mastery the trainees will be required to train another three and so the spiral will flow till everyone is trained.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
As a research and communication professional, I have developed the skill to tailor a message to the appropriate audience. Using social networking the project will deliver much needed help to persons with disabilities translated you tube videos to the illiterate and an opportunity to interact with persons in a similar plight. This social networking platform provides an avenue for people to share their stories with the aim of inspiring others. This is most appropriate technology because any one with a mobile phone with browsing capabilities can participate in this platform without necessarily knowing how to use a computer.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
Wakiso Action on Physical Disability has offered their meeting room that has the capacity to sit 100 people for training. The seating arrangement will tailed to take care of the participants physical disability by providing sufficient space for movement. Twenty laptops will be hired and connected to the internet with a sufficient speed of 128kps for a period of five training days. A projector will also be hired for demonstration purposes throughout the training.
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?
Wakiso Action on Physical Disability and the National Council on Disability have implemented various projects among these persons with disability. NCD in particular has piloted an SMS facility where medical information is sought and received by SMS. As a result, NCD seeks to build on this interaction in order to implement this envisaged project.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
Many PWDs are illiterate or semi-literate. They will therefore need a lot of patience and time to train. This challenge will be overcome by selecting beneficiaries who are able to read and write English
High expectation from the project beneficiaries, due to wide poverty among PWDs as a result many PWDs expect tangible or material benefits from the project. However, during the identification and mobilization of the project beneficiaries, they will be told what the project will be able to offer Limited access to of internet service
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
Project impact will be measured at two levels, beginning with the number of active subscribers to the social network. This will be evaluated based on the number of daily hints on Personal inspirational stories, Professional and peer psychosocial counseling to persons with disabilities, Confidence and self-esteem sessions, Civil rights awareness clinics and Self-help materials. Secondly impact will be ascertained by the number of testimonies given by members of the social network as a result of the materials freely provided on the network.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
S/N Activity Month
1.0 Activities -
1.1 Identify and mobilize 20 project beneficiaries June
1.2 Design a blog for the project and regularly update it. July
1.3 Hold a two-day training of project beneficiaries in basic computer use July
1.4 Hold a two-day training for 20 participants in use of social media (facebook, twitter, Youtube) August
1.5 Hold three follow-up (monitoring) visits to support project beneficiaries September-November
1.6 Compile and submit project report December
2.0 Administration -
2.1 Monthly airtime for coordination June-December
2.2 Monthly internet subscription June-December
2.3 Monthly honorarium for project coordinators June-December
2.4 Bank charges June-December
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Identify and mobilize 20 project beneficiaries $ 60
Hold a two-day training of project beneficiaries in basic computer use $ 768
Hold a two-day training for 20 participants in use of social media (Facebook, twitter, Youtube) $ 768
Hold three follow-up (monitoring) visits to support project beneficiaries in using social media (three monitoring meetings will be held. Transport and refreshments are budgeted for here) $ 168
Monthly airtime for coordination $120
Monthly internet subscription $216
Monthly honorarium for project coordinators $ 360
Bank charges $ 360
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
Purchase of computers is not provided for in the budget yet we intend to create an internet café where members can go for internet services at no or little cost because the project is highly dependent on internet services. Rising Voices can support the community with equipment to establish an internet café where members can go for internet services at no or little cost because the project is highly dependent on the same. The internet café can also generate money for the WAPD for sustainability purposes.
Contact name
NAMUKASA LILLIAN
Organization
The project will be implemented through Wakiso Association of People with Physical Disability, a membership Community Based Organisation (CBO) of people with physical disability.
