Local access and community networking

Published writing, sound recording, and most recently video are common manifestations of the same elemental impulse to speak and be heard – and to listen to what others have to say. The internet has proven to be a quickly adopted platform to amplify and democratise these media.

The “camp” format was chosen because of the fundamental role of human relations in the development of a community network, which is why we decided to make it a “barefoot” event, an immersive event, where we slept and woke up together over the course of several days, sharing and learning.

BOSCO Uganda held a national multistakeholder event in Gulu district, located in northern Uganda, 336 kilometres from the national capital, to demonstrate the potential of community networks to representatives of a wide range of sectors, including the government and regulators.

What happens to communities in rural and underserved urban areas lacking access to the internet? What happens to those without access to machines and devices or whose lives do not fit into a digital model of e-learning and e-commerce?

Welcome to the 25th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks.

Anjali Vajre shares a personal account of how the connectivity enabled by the Gram Marg Rural Broadband project has changed her life and how she would like to use the skills she has gained to empower other women in her village.

In the current scenario of social isolation, the network deployment work stages have been adapted through this specific protocol that guarantees the recommendations for social distancing and prevention of COVID-19.

For some time now, AlterMundi has been looking for ways to include children in their activities, both because of family dynamics and also because of how enjoyable it can be to share these experiences with children and the collective growth that can come out of them.