Projects
About Kondoa Community Network
Kondoa Community Network (KCN) is the first community network to pilot the use of Television White Space (TVWS) in a rural area to address the issue of Internet access and gender gap in Tanzania. ISOC Tanzania Chapter supported by Beyond the Net funding in collaboration with the University of Dodoma designed a community network that brought together various stakeholders operating in Kondoa to operate and support the installed network infrastructure. In the near future, members of this network will be responsible in deciding the price of Internet access and hence create business viability in rural area.
In its first phase, community members agreed to deploy network infrastructure that connected three public education institutions in Kondoa, namely; Kondoa Girls High School, Ula Secondary School and Bustani Teachers’ College and in its second phase one more private education institution offer Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training in Kondoa was connected. So far, four education institutions are connected to high-speed Internet access in Kondoa. Currently, KCN is finalizing the installation of network infrastructure to connect widow women group (i.e Kikundi cha Wajane Kondoa – KIWAJAKO) operating in Kondoa to a high-speed Internet access. KIWAJAKO was strategically chosen to demonstrate how ICT could empower women in rural areas.
KCN has steering committee members representing stakeholders from government, political leaders, religious leaders, education institutions, private sector and community-based organization such as KIWAJAKO. In order to address the issue of technical sustainability, a technical team was formed comprising local community members in Kondoa. All of these were important for the community members to own the project and later be able to sustain the project in future.
For more details about Kondoa Community Network, visit:
- https://www.giswatch.org/en/country-report/infrastructure/tanzania
- https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2018/04/piloting-use-tv-white-space-community-networks-rural-tanzania/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hFwjvZod9s
Figure 1: Project Team Members in a Group Photo with Students from Kondoa Girls High School in Kondoa District
“Closing the gender digital gap”
The aim of TAWDEP is to empower women and girls in every way possible to equitably participate in national, regional and global digital economy. This will be done through training on digital literacy, digital marketing, leadership, entrepreneurship and business development skills such as financial management, business records management, and entrepreneurship skills.
The project will also provide a social and business networking for women and girls to achieve the dreams online. The primary target for this project is girls in and out of schools, women teachers and educators, as well as women entrepreneurs and women leaders in every sector.
“An empowered woman out of poverty is equivalent of enabling the whole household out of poverty ; and therefore creating capacity for girls today means lessening the burden of poverty in tomorrow’s households”.
This campaign will engage various stakeholders for the purpose of replicating our successful Community Network project implemented in Kondoa District known as, Kondoa Community Network(KCN).
ISOC Tanzania Chapter will campaign to connect unconnected people in 2682 registered villages in Tanzania by year 2030.
However, during the implementation of the KCN; we learned a few lessons, and we have used these lessons to craft a project called “Wananchi Services Community Networks (WASCONET) Center. The project goes way far to cure vulnerabilities in the KCN to avoid what is otherwise known as “unsustainable venture”
Please join us in discovering that next Bill Gates in our rural villages. Please join us in the Adopt-A-Village for Community Network to help connect unconnected millions of Tanzanians.