Bosco Overview
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Transcript of Bosco Overview
Battery Operated Systems for Community Outreach
Northern Uganda War and Displacement
in the last 20 years Ongoing Peace Talks
with rebel LRA group Massive Internal
Displacement at Height of War Nearly 2 million
displaced Extreme isolation of
people in IDP camps
BOSCO—A solution to isolation… and so much more Increased access to
information and communication will be a key issue for economic and social reconstruction. Currently it is unusual for any rural school to offer education related to Information Technology (IT) and computers. Basic service providers (such as schools, health centres, local government, local NGOs, CBOs, etc.) have very limited access to information through the Internet, especially in rural areas.
BOSCO - History Initiated by group of University of Notre
Dame Alumni and Archbishop J.B. Odama in 2004
Licensed for operation by UCC in Dec. 2006
Land Survey and meeting Communities done early 2007
Phase I Deployment and Installation with Inveneo finished in April 2007
BOSCO Mission Provide Communication and Information
Technology to foster social and economical Development and Peace Building in Rural Communities of Northern Uganda using a collaborative, web-based approach.
Technical Solution BOSCO is using technologies designed for rural areas with
no access to power grid Low-power, solar powered “thin client” PCs linked over long-range
WiFi to central server and Internet Internal (Intranet) network content management page Free VoIP telephony access from station to station within network
and to selected area codes in U.S. and Europe
BOSCO Content Programming Collaborative ICCT (Information, Communication and
Collaboration Technology) Education “Training of Trainers” (ToT) program at current locations Training key leaders at our sites and working with them to encourage them to train
their local community members using collaborative Web 2.0 technologies for self-advocacy in each community
BOSCO Content Programming
BOSCO Content Programming Development
Fostering creative partnerships with local organizations in e-agriculture, human rights monitoring, and economic development projects
Individual users using the Internet and wikispace to post proposals for funding community development projects
Micro-donor program for educators at site locations
BOSCO Content Programming
BOSCO Content Programming Information Access
Accessing basic local news resources in remote locations for the first time Using the web to seek out education opportunities and/or advancement of
current profession (e.g. information on agriculture or small business accounting
practices, human rights monitoring)
Phase I Deployment—April 2007 Phase I deployment covered 9 sites,
including 6 rural IDP camps
Current Status Technology has been proven successful in rural environment Collaborative ToT user groups forming at each site (38 registered
volunteer trainers) Need for new 30 meter broadcasting tower Various programming and connectivity partnerships underway:
Human Rights Focus-Gulu, local and district government, NGO’s around Gulu
Grant proposals for funding: Unicef, USAID, WCRWC, Gates Foundation
Local Capacity Building BOSCO now established under umbrella of Archdiocese of Gulu Two new, local, full-time coordinators (project coordinator and technical
assistant) hired
BOSCO-Uganda and Inveneo Inveneo is a partner to BOSCO supplying
all equipment as well as remote technical support after installation
http://www.inveneo.org
BOSCO Needs Construction of 30 meter tower
Should be built on BOSCO property to avoid future disputes over use
Further implementation and evaluation of Web 2.0 training programs at each site
ICCT curriculum support and evaluation Evaluation and monitoring of ToT program
Funding to expand the current network's infrastructure by installing long-range Wi-Fi relay points in already-mapped strategic locations across northern Uganda.
Transportation funding is needed to help establish local user groups to host communication stations
Current Partners BOSCO-USA
Provides managerial oversight to BOSCO-Uganda Vetting of all technology and remote monitoring Fundraising and collaboration with US based partnerships
Horizont3000 Provides salary for one full-time development worker/advisor Providing 50 percent salary each for capacity building (local
technician and project coordinator)
Human Rights Focus-Gulu Partnering with BOSCO-Uganda on a Women’s Commission grant
opportunity Partnering with BOSCO-Uganda on a USAID proposal to train human
rights field volunteers in collaborative ICT use for peace building and human rights monitoring