Ikengeza Village

Ikengeza is a bush village of 3,000 people or so in northern Tanzania. Ikengeza is a few kilometres off the dirt road that runs to Iringa, the nearest town, about 40 kilometres away. The nearest market is a walk of seven kilometres. Like many subsistence villages around the world, Ikengeza has no electricity, no running water, and no sanitation. There are a few radio sets (which people use when they can afford batteries), and perhaps a single television set, belonging to the family who owns the single shop. In the wet season, the dirt roads turn to a quagmire of mud, and the village can easily be cut off. Meet the Farmer, the Mother, the Teenager and the Development Worker and find out how each of them could benefit from better access to information and education.

The Farmer

Matayo Myamba farms a seven-acre shamba (field) in Ikengeza, three kilometres away from his family home. He grows maize (mahindi), which after harvesting is dried and ground into a flour to make the staple ugali - a stiff, white porridge, usually eaten with beans. Matayo's working life, like most in the village, is very much determined by the seasons. The first rains come between November and January, when crops like maize, sorghum and sunflower are planted. Harvest is in July, when almost the whole village dedicate themselves to gathering in the food. Matayo also has a few cows, loaned by a neighbour, as well as half a dozen goats. What are the information needs of farmers like Matayo? These are some of the questions he might ask: How can I grow more maize? Why is my cow sick? Why is my cow not giving milk? The rains are late: when are they coming? How much will I get for my maize crop in the market? How can I send a message to my daughter in the capital?

The Mother

The Mother, Penina Mnyangusi, has a baby son Joel, who is nine months old. Already he has been treated for malaria fever. In Ikengeza 20 per cent of children under five are treated for malaria, the village's biggest health problem. Between 10 and 15% of all children in the village are treated for dysentery each year. When John is older, he will go to the village primary school. Like many schools in rural areas, it is hampered by a chronic shortage of the most basic resources - such as books, pens and paper. Penina is married to Joel, the church pastor in the village. Joel suffers from epilepsy, and has to leave the village for treatment. Sometimes he has been as far as Tanzania's largest city Dar Es Salaam, a journey of several days. What are the information needs of mothers like Penina? These are some of the questions she might ask: How can I stop John getting malaria? Why does my baby have dysentery? How can I make him better? Can this technology help my son to read and write, to learn how to count, to help him study at school? Can you help my husband Joel to find treatment for his epilepsy?

The Teenager

The Teenager, Eliza Myamba, is the teenage daughter of farmer Matayo. She is 16, and helps her mother and father work the land, and care for her brothers and sisters. Village life holds little appeal for her. 'I want to leave here to go to the town,' she says. 'I want to get a job in the town, because nothing happens here.' What are the information needs of girls like Eliza? These are some of the questions she might ask about the relevance of Information and Communications Technologies to her situation: Will this help me to get a job in the town? Will this help me to keep in touch with my family? Will this help me to get a place at a college?

The Developement Worker

The Development Worker, Christine Kilipamwambu, works as Development Officer for the Diocese of Ruaha, based in Iringa, some 40 km from Ikengeza. She works in a small office, and has access to a telephone and fax, and a computer. The Diocese would like to use email - especially to keep in contact with foreign donor agencies. Using email would be much cheaper than post or fax - but they do not know how to set this up; and are not sure if they could afford the telephone bills and access charges. She is also very busy, managing a variety of projects already, and is not sure if the Internet will really help her. Christine is a regular visitor to Ikengeza, and has helped provide an ox-drawn cart (for farmers to use at harvest); as well as a sunflower seed press - used to make sunflower oil. What are the information needs of development workers like Christine? Can we afford to use the Internet and email? We don't really have any spare budget. What materials are there that would help the people I work with in Ikengeza? Our biggest priority is improving water supplies: isn't new technology a distraction for us? What information can I access about community development work in Tanzania?

You!

Big World is already engaged in a programme to provide practical access to information for young people in urban areas in Soweto and Mexico City. It's about to embark on a programme to provide training in local skills, and in local languages, for communities in developing countries. We need you to join with us in taking appropriate tools and information out to remote locations like Ikengeza. We're researching technologies and appliances which are durable and easily useable in remote areas like this, and we need your support to provide knowledge and power to people like Matayo, Penina, Eliza and Christine.

This site will update with news and information on our latest projects, so contact us to be notified of progress: mike@big-world.org