Construction of new DevelopNet Café

One of the DevelopNet center’s principal goals has always been to move to its own plot of land and into a purpose-built facility.  In January 2007 we took a large step by securing a donation of a large plot of land from the local government.

Expanding as funds become available, this purpose-built facility will include:

• Public internet café

• NGO and membership research library

• Iganga District NGO Forum offices

• Conference and community hall

• Small meeting rooms inside the facility and meeting huts on the grounds

• Healthy Eating Cafe

Healthy Cooking Program

Members of the NGO/CBO Iganga District Forum and District Administration have vocalized a need for popular education on culinary hygiene, sanitation and nutrition. 

Working from these suggestions, the DevelopNet model includes plans for a health-conscious restaurant that will make available nutritious meals and recipes from locally available crops. By collecting traditional recipes, improving the nutritional benefits, and standardizing preparation and sanitation practices, DevelopNet hopes to start the equivalent of an ‘open-source cookbook’ to promote healthy eating in the household. These foods will be served and recipes showcased at the D’Net café, where this side business will support local farmers, attract customers and generate revenue that will be used to subsidize ICT training outreach programs.

Agricultural Portal

In an attempt to make information technologies more relevant to rural users, DevelopNet is planning an agricultural outreach program which would double as an agricultural trading and educational platform. With the ability to provide local information on weather, equipment, markets and practices, the D’Net project will be better able to reach out to those not currently interested in internet technologies.

There are multiple components conceived in this initiative.

• Local and relevant information: DevelopNet volunteers and staff are filtering a library of resources and links to simplify the process of finding local information. This includes local weather, crop, and market information available through text messaging and radio, to reach farmers while away from the internet.

• Peer-led content generation:  through partnerships with schools and in the community, DevelopNet hopes to encourage local content generation and publishing through forums, discussion boards, and training.

• Rural Trading Platform: in an area where one’s economic radius is limited by cost of vehicle hire and how far he or she can ride a bicycle, interregional trade is difficult. As most farmers in one region grow similar crops, the price in that region for those crops becomes depressed. DevelopNet believes that by allowing farmers to form self-affiliated trading blocks they can negotiate better prices for their crop and arrange for transport and increased interregional trade.