NOW IS THE TIME

One of my favorite sayings goes something like "The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago. The second best time is NOW". This is what the partnership between the KiBO Foundation, Right to Play and Microsoft is doing in Lira District, Northern Uganda. The seed of Information and Communications Technology is being planted among a group of community leaders and coaches who are using computers for the very first time.

On the morning of 7th April 2014, a team of sixteen individuals comprising of local council leaders, peasant farmers, builders, and small business owners turned up for a basic training in ICT at the Community Knowledge Centre, Lira District. One could read signs of excitement and high expectations on their faces. Each of these participants had their own picture of what they would achieve at the end of the training. These included among others, receiving free personal computers, getting the best tips on how to use the internet, and being able to freely use computers.

The first course under the Microsoft Digital Literacy program caught everyone's attention. With minimal guidance, they followed the instructions with so much ease. And in no time, people who had never used computers before were able to freely use the mouse and find their way around the keyboard. This was great progress on the first day. Hope lit the faces of these participants, and they all felt a sense of achievement at the end of the day. Isaac Opio, a parish chief and Jackson Otim, a builder/farmer even made commitments to save in order to buy for themselves computers. Only time will tell how much of an impact this training will have on the lives of these people.