A 4G Connection to Uganda
Located in southeast Uganda, Child Empowerment Program (CEP) works to create a community in which all vulnerable children are able to reach their full potential in life by providing educational, civic and economic opportunity. Pangea Giving has supported CEP since 2018 and in 2021 we awarded them an operating grant for $9,920.
The following is a letter of thanks from their Executive Director, Robert Kalulu, on how Pangea funding helped to bring 4G internet access to the community.
As an ordinary primary school teacher at Nawanende SDA Primary school, I was forced to learn and use computer and internet by my need to find a solution to the AIDS orphans who were growing so fast in number and were helpless in 2002. Internet communication was and still isn’t the culture here like in many parts of rural Uganda. I would travel to Jinja, 54 kilometer from home, to check if I had any emails, waiting in long queues at the internet café and sometimes found when there was no power at the internet café. I would wait sometimes skipping more than one meal to try to get an opportunity to use internet.
Robert, Primary School Teacher, Nawanende SDA Primary
Under NEPAD (New Partnership for African’s Development), some secondary schools in Uganda got an opportunity for internet connection and Bugulumbya secondary school about 1 kilometer a way form our CEP-Uganda offices, was one of these schools.
Community was allowed to visit the internet facility, enroll in short computer short courses, and access the internet at a small fee. CEP-Uganda was offered chance to access the internet free of charge, aware of our role in the community. This however did not last long when the facility was vandalized and all components that facilitate internet access were stolen.
The advent of the mobile internet somehow brought relief from the risk of traveling long journeys to the internet café. However, one had to have a phone with features that make it possible for the cell phones to access internet and these were relatively expensive and as such many people still do not access internet in our community. With a modest and highly rigid budget, only our Executive Director could access internet daily to execute the duties of the organization and help some of the staff in need. And on average we have been spending 30,000 Ugandan shillings ($8.20) per week to 120,000 shillings ($32.90) per month to buy 4.5 GB and 18 GB of data respectively to access internet.
With our new 4G internet connection we a can connect up to 100 wireless and cable devices accessing the wireless connection in a radius of 100 meters. We shall subscribe monthly at a rate of 100,000 shillings ($27.40), comparable with ($32.90) for 50GB of data, comparable with (18GB of data) monthly. This is more than 3 times cheaper than it has always been and moreover with more people having access to the internet. We are now sure of timely receptions and responses to all our correspondences and staff and students with smart phones will have access to information.
Although we still have a lot that we need to achieve our targeted E-school, this is a very vital step towards our goal. This will enhance integration and greatly lead to improvement in instruction at YANA CHS. Internet connection at YANA community high school is one of the best things that have happened to the organization and community of Bugulumbya Sub County generally in 2021.
Thank you so much Pangea.
Robert Kalulu, Executive Director, CEP Uganda