Should Refugee Students Have Access to the Internet?
If you are reading this, chances are you are doing it on the net. The Internet and informational technology have revolutionized the world, as we know it. Whole countries, societies and cultures are undergoing changes in how they conduct business, talk and communicate to each other, learn and study, and basically how they live; all due to information and communication technology.
The socio-economic impacts of information technology are very much evident in most developed and developing countries. For those with access to the technology, buying a dress, sending flowers to a friend, or paying for utilities on the Internet have become routine and sometimes mundane tasks. However, less developed segments of society even within the developed countries, do not equally share the benefits of information technology purely due to lack of access to infrastructure, technology and the basic know-how of doing so.
One of the outcomes of the RESPECT's global activities with refugees is Computers For Refugees, a program organized in conjunction with the World Computer Exchange (WCE). The program provides a chance for one of the least fortunate segments of our world to leapfrog into the digital age. Under this project a computer lab with 10 computers is already established in Uganda and 15 computers have already arrived in Guinea. Through the establishment of these "computer centers" it is envisioned to provide basic computer technology to refugee children and allow them to use the technology in their learning activities. We are hopeful that we will make a sufficient impact and that they will gain knowledge and become comfortable in using the technology in their day to day life. The next step being contemplated by RESPECT is the provision of Internet facilities to the computer lab in Uganda.
Uganda is a country slightly smaller in size than the state of Oregon in the USA. With a population of 26.5 million, and 35 percent of its population living below the poverty line, Ugandans have an average life expectancy of 45 years. Its access to communication technology can be termed as extremely poor, with only 125,000 people in the country having Internet access in 2003.
The lab's ten computers have already made an impact in the local community of refugees, especially on the children. Looking to the future they say access to information technology would enable them to communicate with other students all over the world, widening their horizons. They believe that computer technology will improve their quality of education, help to decrease the school drop out rates, and actually help bring dropped out students back to schools.
There are other associated advantages as well; access to computers and information technology in a disadvantaged locality would also enable the local communities and social service organizations the ability to access information. This is information that can make a difference in their lives, from weather reports, commodities, and agriculture product information to information on better nutrition. The possibilities for remote communities are endless.
As for the overall impact we are making, it is very small. When one looks at the sheer size of the issue of the digital divide, the number of people, especially in the case of children growing up to be the future of humankind, these efforts are hardly a drop in the ocean. But for the 806 children in that refugee camp it has already made a world of a difference in their lives. The next stage of addition Internet access will make the erasing of digital divide within that refugee community a reality.