EcoChic Magazine celebrates, IT Skills for Rural Kenya

 

by Alexandra Delmage

It’s been clear for some time now that the answer to many of the worlds most poverty stricken areas has always been more about providing the tools, empowering communities and inspiring change than charity.

IT skills 4 rural Kenya mirrors these ideals giving people real opportunities to make a break from the poverty cycle.

There have been growing concerns of the ‘digital divide’ between urban and rural Kenya, the Kenyan government itself has dubbed it as one of the countries “biggest challenges”, and it is a growing divide in development which clearly favours cities in Kenya against rural areas. The project itself aims to prove that these divides can be overcome and that Rural Kenyan communities can achieve and revitalise rural Kenya through ICT and create a vibrant economic climate that is not wholly dependent on agriculture.

ITS4RK Founded by Edward Kibosek, is a registered charity running on an entirely voluntary basis. It’s a movement that echoes rural Kenya, even set up by Kenyans in the Diaspora. Edward Kibosek one of the founders of the project, (who also studied at Brighton University) is himself rooted from one of the two rural villages where ITS4RK is devoting its efforts, Edward says “there are  indeed many hurdles to overcome on bringing ICT centres to rural Kenya”. Lack of resources, inadequate infrastructures and the lack of a skilled work force to name a few. However ITS4RK has worked tirelessly to overcome these blockades largely by encouraging partnerships between local communities, national government and multi-national companies such as Safaricom and Microsoft. In doing so ITS4RK believes that it can set the foundations for rural communities and create life altering opportunities, by providing essential electricity, computers and software and furthermore connecting rural Kenya to the modern world.

Please support Edward and his inspirational work HERE

The brainchild of ITS4RK the ‘Brighton Youths Volunteer Project’ is a youth based volunteer group that seeks to provide the key training for the ITS4RK movement. It was the first pilot project in Brighton, funded by Global Charities and Hearts FM v Project initiative and has since further secured funding from the European Union Social Fund and Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council. The project itself also has close links with the University of Brighton and Rye College, its clear aim to teach key skills to youths, so that they may carry them over into voluntary, communities or the business sector, thus enabling these skills to be transferred to rural villages in Kenya. It’s an inspiring project that offers youngsters a platform to make a real change. Members are able to get involved with leadership, personal initiative, self worth and inspiring others through the skills they gain from participating in our Brighton Youths Volunteer project.

ITS4RK are confident that by combining an ICT infrastructure with a solid skills base, that by handing the right tools to communities there is no reason why business cannot flourish. More recently the ITS4RK has met with the BPO Society of Kenya as well as attending events at the High Commission for Global Entrepreneurship Week whilst all the time keeping a close connection with the ICT board of Kenya. This involvement has sparked ideas and developed exciting options for companies to introduce BPO employment to the people of rural Kenya. To name a few these opportunities include customer care work, record management. bulk order processing, database management, insurance claims, data input and tendering to government contracts. This is indeed one of the key focuses of the ITS4RK which is to establish a strong relationship with members of the BPO society and bring with this relationship key business to rural Kenya.

What shouldn’t be forgotten however is that agriculture still accounts for the majority of income succumbed in rural Kenya. Undoubtedly one of ITS4RK’s key aims is to provide opportunities for Kenyan farmers and agricultural workers to learn to utilise the internet and therefore maximise production, furthermore developing a greater understanding of potential markets for their products. Again it’s education over victimization here, knowledge is indeed the key and there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that agricultural production could really sore through the knowledge and skills gained through ICT.

ITS2RK’s work has been welcomed with open arms by both the UN and the Kenyan government. It’s a positive step which looks set to continue. IT skills 4 rural Kenya is looking to extend its branches to further projects in rural Kenya, more specifically they have been requested by the Minister for Arid Lands to build more IT centres for some of the most destitute areas of North Kenya.

Image: Girls Forum, Peleleza Primary School in Likoni Kenya, Source: Action Aid.

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One Response to “EcoChic Magazine celebrates, IT Skills for Rural Kenya”

1. Edward Kibosek says:

   August 3, 2010 at 4:30 pm

   Thank you for a brilliant commentary and for all your support. We really appreciate this article. We cannot do it on our own or without the kind support from people like yourselves.

   Kindest regards

   Edward