Rural Monitors Training |
ToroDev has started training rural
women and youth leaders in the seven districts of the Rwenzori Region in using
online tools to monitor service delivery. The maiden residential 2 days training
involving ten participants was held on 16th – 17th of August, 2012
at ToroDev resource center in Fort Portal, Uganda. The training which is
supported by ToroDev in partnership with SPIDER/Stockholm University was
facilitated by Milton Aineruhanga from WOUGNET.
ToroDev will train 210 rural monitors
and advocates in online/ Web 2.0 tools to collect, document and disseminate
online public accountability for improved serviced delivery issues. They will
particularly oriented on how to interact with the “Ushahidi” online platform
and other relevant open-source software. The monitors were also trained in
online social media tools, human rights, governance and democratic engagement
The monitors
were highly trained to be independent local citizens that will keep updating
the community and project team at ToroDev about the status of service delivery
and identifying communities own service delivery needs.
They will further
go ahead to mobilize and encourage regular meetings and focus group discussions
(FGDs) among the 14 Advocacy Forums in the region on issues of service delivery
monitoring.
Rural
Monitors will also advocate for quality and timely public accountability from local
leaders. They will use 11 radio stations
in the Rwenzori region as a major tool for distributing/disseminating all the
information accessed through online/internet and mobile phones.
This
information will be converged on the FM radio stations as a way of sharing
information with the rest of grass root citizens in the region, who may not
necessarily have the skills and afford town or access internet based knowledge
tools. The rural FM radio will be used a hub
for the convergence of all ICT tools for effective service delivery monitoring
in the Rwenzori Region.
Some
of the sample articles posted by the rural monitors on the Ushahidi platform.
Documented
by Solomon Akugizibwe