Technical paper KampaBits

Technical paper
KampaBits
1. Introduction
This technical report about KampaBits is one of the studies within the framework of the Joint MFSII
evaluation at country level – Uganda. In particular, the report serves to give input to the overall joint
evaluation report on MFSII funding to the Millennium Development Goals, Capacity Development, and
Civil Society Strengthening.
The outline of this technical report is as follows. First, Chapter 2 gives a description of the context, in
which KampaBits operates, highlighting the main relevant (international) political, economic, cultural and
social issues with which the organization has to deal in pursuance of its objectives.
Chapter 3 gives the project description and profile of KampaBits e.g. its mission, vision, and strategic
objectives. The data collection and analytical approach in section 3 gives attention to the methodological
choice made. This study aims at giving plausible explications on the effectiveness of Terre des Hommes
support to KampaBits, based on descriptive and qualitative evidence. These explanations are given to the
KampaBits realized MDG outcomes. We end this report with a Discussion and Conclusion.
1.1.
Brief summary of the analyses and the findings
In the study approach qualitative and quantitative research methods are combined. Our main results
indicate that the project had no detectable impact on the beneficiaries wealth (measured in terms of
possession of common assets). Given the roughness of our measure and the small sample size, this is
not unexpected. The project had large and statistically very significant impact on the employment level
of interviewed beneficiaries. Most of the new employment was in the IT sector.
2. Context
Uganda had a population of about 31 million in 2010, which was expected to increase to 38 million in
2015. The high population does not match with the growth in the economy resulting into significant
percentages of people living below the poverty line. Current statistics indicate that in Uganda, youth and
children constitute to 78 percent of the total population. In 2006 youth unemployment was about 3.2
percent and was more pronounced in urban areas than in rural areas. 1
Youth unemployment is attributed to mismatch between skills and education acquired and labor market
demand, rural –urban migration, high population growth rate, and high fertility rate of 6.7 percent,
limited private investments, poor investments and entrepreneurship skills and mismatch of demand and
supply of labor market among others.
The rural urban migration trend has created a rapid growth in urban population and intensified
competition in the urban labor market, at a disadvantage of young migrants, who have lower literacy
rates compared to urban young people. As a consequence, migrants are often bound to find employment
in the informal sector or to turn in criminal activity, drug industries and prostitution to survive. Even
when there are opportunities for youth to attend school, their parents/guardians’ poor resources bases
leads to low enrolment rates and high dropout rates. This scenario denies the youth a chance to break
the vicious cycle of poverty and further perpetuates it. Unfortunately, when youth in informal settlements
are able to attend school, they are unable to later access meaningful employment owing to the policy
makers’ failure to orient school curricula with the needs of the private sector. Furthermore, some of
those absorbed in the labor market have jobs that do not match their qualifications and personal
development goals.
Over the past decades, growing levels of unemployment and underemployment among young people
have been a source of great concern and is recognized that responding to as one of the main Millennium
Development Goals
1
MoF (2006). State of Uganda Population Report 2006. Kampala: Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
(MoF).
1
Uganda needs to address the causes of unemployment among youth and create jobs in order to absorb
the youth coming into the labor market in urban centers, specifically municipalities. Reversing this trend
is a major challenge for especially Uganda whose population pyramid reflects a very high dependency
ratio.
Like other bits in the region, KampaBits is a Not-for-Profit organization that seeks to empower
disadvantaged youth from the informal settlements of Kampala, Musoma and Mukuru in Nairobi through
ICT. The project thus aims at empowering disadvantaged youth while bridging the digital divide and
forging links between Northern and Southern youth. This provides the vulnerable youth from informal
settlements with basic skills in computer applications and web design.
3. Project description
Young people from Kampala’s slums but with sufficient education (completed secondary school) are
identified by five collaborating community-based organizations (Kiyita Family Alliance For Development,
Kawempe Youth Centre, Banda Community Development Program, Network For African Leadership and
St Elizabeth Girls Home). Next 40 applicants are selected for basic training every year.
The training consists of 4 parts with focus on micro-entrepreneurship skills, ICT multimedia skills
(introduction to computer and media lab skills), life skills (how to fit in and make own decisions, build
confidence) and on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS (focus group discussions on topics like abortion,
pregnancies, how to choose a partner). Each year, all students completed what is called the basic
training. The best 20 students from the basic training are then selected to continue for an advanced
training, 2 which goes into more technical detail and builds further confidence. Potential employers are
invited to graduation to network with the graduates.
4. Data collection
A total of 140 youths have participated in the training by 2014. Of those, 80 completed the advanced
training. Of those, KampaBits had contact details for 89 graduates. 3 We attempted to interview all of
them, but only 46 were available for interview. Of those, 35 were graduates of the advanced training,
making them overrepresented in our sample (76% in sample compared to 57% in population) at the
expense of the graduates of the basic training only. Women are underrepresented in our sample (39% in
sample, 51% in population).
Table 1: Sample overview
Student population
Class Year
of which
Total
advanced
2013-2014
40
20
2012-2013
40
20
2011-2012
40
20
2010-2011
20
20
Total
140
80
Contacts
available
36
34
0
19
89
Final sample
of which
Total
advanced
21
16
13
9
0
0
12
10
46
35
2
The main reason for not providing the advanced training to all students is lack of capacity, i.e. the size of the training facility
and the number of computers. Two groups would therefore alternate in the facility for the initial basic training, which would be
followed by an intensive advanced training for the best half of the students. The first academic year (2010-2011) was an
exception to this as only 20 students participated in the basic training and all could consequently advance. KampaBits has since
managed to expand its facilities so as to accommodate a total of 80 students for both the basic and advanced training starting
in the current academic year (2014-2015).
3
KampaBits lost the files for academic year 2011-2012 (40 students). The remaining 11 missing dropped out.
2
Table 2: Descriptive statistics
Age
At enrollment
21.1
(2.40)
44
2014
22.5
(2.96)
44
0.391
(0.493)
46
Female
12.8
(1.51)
41
Years of education
Wealth
0.215
(0.218)
44
0.225
(0.167)
44
Employed
0.565
(0.501)
46
0.935
(0.250)
46
Employed in IT
0.000
(0.000)
46
0.696
(0.465)
46
Legend:
mean
(standard deviation)
observations
In Table 2, we present the descriptive statistics of our sample, where
-
Age: age in years
Female: Dummy equal to 1 if female, 0 if male
Wealth: Index on a scale of 0 to 1 constructed from yes/no to questions about possession of
common assets
Employed: Dummy equal to 1 if employed, 0 if unemployed
Employed in IT: Dummy equal to 1 if employed in the field of IT, 0 otherwise
The survey instruments used on which the above variables are based are presented in Appendices 1-5.
5. Analyses and results
The beneficiaries are of a very specific demographic category: relatively highly educated youths from
informal settlements who are involved with local grassroots NGOs. Such people are relatively few in
Kampala. Combined with a typically rapid turnover of inhabitants in informal settlements, it was virtually
impossible to identify a retraceable control group. No control groups is therefore used.
Given the small total number of beneficiaries and the consequently small sample, we rely mainly on
qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews. The nature of the data and the sample size
predicate the analytical approach which involves descriptive and t-test statistics of coded qualitative data
combined with simple socioeconomic quantitative indicators and illustrated with before and after
narratives.
The sample is biased in favor of graduates of the advanced training, which could lead to an
overestimation of impact. It is possible that graduates who have had a positive experience with the
program are more likely to agree to be interviewed than those with a less positive experience. This could
also lead to an overestimation of impact.
3
5.1.
Research question 1: Provide the results; include sensitivity analyses; succinctly
describe the major results.
Table 3: Project effects
At enrollment
0.215
(0.033)
2014
0.225
(0.025)
Difference
0.010
(0.041)
Employed
0.565
(0.074)
0.935
(0.037)
0.370***
(0.083)
Employed in IT
0.000
(0.000)
0.696
(0.069)
0.696***
(0.069)
Wealth
Standard errors in parentheses
*
**
***
p < 0.10, p < 0.05, p < 0.01
Our first results indicate that the project had no detectable impact on the beneficiaries wealth (measured
in terms of possession of common assets). Given the roughness of our measure and the small sample
size, this is not unexpected. The project had large (37% points) and statistically very significant impact
on the employment level of interviewed beneficiaries. Most of the new employment was in the IT sector.
In order to infer the same about the whole beneficiary population, we have to make several
assumptions:
1.
2.
3.
The sample of beneficiaries whose contact details were available (excluding academic year 20112012 and dropouts) is representative of the whole beneficiary population (including academic
year 2011-12 and dropouts) in terms of pre- and post-training levels of employment.
The sample of interviewed beneficiaries is representative of the sample whose contact details
were available in terms of employment level before training.
The sample of interviewed beneficiaries is representative of the sample whose contact details
were available in terms of post-training employment.
To have a more in depth view, we make several simulations in which we gradually relax these
assumptions as summarized in the table below along with the associated sample size.
Table 4: Effect simulation overview
Assumption 1
Scenario 0
YES
Scenario 1
YES
Scenario 2
YES
Scenario 3
NO
Scenario 4
NO
Assumption 2
YES
YES
NO
YES
NO
Assumption 3
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
Sample size
46
89
89
140
140
It should be easier for beneficiaries who completed the advanced training to find employment that for
those who only completed the basic training. Since the advanced-level graduates are overrepresented in
our sample, Assumption 3 is unlikely to hold, and post-training employment levels are likely to be lower
in the whole population than in our sample. In Scenarios 1-4, we instead assume that none of the
beneficiaries whose contact details were available but whom we could not interview got a new job after
their training.
In Scenarios 2 and 4, we relax Assumption 2 so as to find the lowest level of pre-training employment
which would render the project impact statistically insignificant. While it is quite possible that Assumption
2 does not hold, there is little reason to believe that the pre-training levels of employment should be
lower in our sample than in the whole population as the advanced-level students – who are
overrepresented in our sample - were selected based on their performance.
Since an entire class (academic year 2011-2012) was removed from the potential sample by an
administrative mistake of the NGO and since the dropouts are not numerous, we believe that Assumption
1 is likely to hold. However, in order to test the robustness of our result, we relax it in Scenarios 3 and 4
by assuming the other extreme, i.e. that there was no gain in employment in the missing class of 20112012 and among the drop-outs.
4
Table 5: Effect simulation results
At enrollment
0.565
Scenario 0
(0.074)
2014
0.935
(0.037)
Difference
0.370***
(0.083)
Scenario 1
0.562
(0.053)
0.753
(0.046)
0.191***
(0.070)
Scenario 2
0.640
(0.051)
0.753
(0.046)
0.112
(0.069)
Scenario 3
0.564
(0.042)
0.686
(0.039)
0.121**
(0.069)
Scenario 4
0.593
(0.042)
0.686
(0.039)
0.093
(0.057)
Standard errors in parentheses
* p < 0.10, ** p < 0.05, *** p < 0.01
Assuming similar pre-training levels of employment in the sample and the beneficiary population, but no
employment increase outside of our sample, the project would still lead to a 12% point increase in
employment, significant at the 5% level. Pre-training employment levels would have to be at least 3%
points lower our sample as compared to the whole population. Such extreme scenarios are however just
as unlikely as perfect representativeness of the sample. Their results should be interpreted as a lower
bound similarly to the results of Scenario 1 being interpreted as an upper bound of the projects impact
on employment.
While the exact magnitude of the impact of the project on the employment status of the beneficiaries is
impossible to estimate, it likely to be significant both statistically and in terms of its magnitude.
5.2.
Research question 2: Did the project reach it objectives? Can the results be attributed
to the project? If not, why not? Did other factors play a role?
The aim of training vulnerable young people in new and marketable ICT technologies for self-reliance
was met to the extent of increasing employment levels among the beneficiaries, most likely exceeding
the self-declared 75% target. According to the beneficiaries, this is largely due to the high quality and
the practicality of the training. As one respondent put it, “the curriculum of KampaBits was so unique and
practical that we know a lot more than many university students of ICT.” Another respondent explained:
“I went to some institutions and universities to do a survey and I realized that KampaBits is much better
than all of them. They are practical, they give you skills.”
In addition to improving the employment of youths from slums, the project also had a social dimension.
From the interviews conducted, it seems the youth that join the program are youth that want to change
or want to improve their current conditions but feel helpless because they do not know how. KampaBits
gives what they call “soft skills” necessary for finding and attaining jobs in both the formal an informal
sector. When asked whether the graduates saw any changes in their behavior after completing the
training, many spoke of gaining confidence and social skills: “KampaBits taught me how to handle tough
situations calmly. It also taught me how to approach people and instilled confidence in me. I learnt how
to conduct myself, etiquette, what to say and when, ” said one respondent. Even those who indicated
that they were unemployed saw a positive change: “There is a change in my character; I am more
optimistic, resourceful and I know life will get better if I get a job.” The training encouraged the students
to pursue their dreams; all respondents had clear ideas of where they saw themselves in 1 and 5 years’
time. And all were positive and optimistic.
It could be argued that the CBOs from which many of the youth came to attend the training contributed
more significantly to the success of the graduates. Only 13% of the respondents were not recommended
to join the training by a CBO. The rest came mainly from MBOGO Foundation, Kiyita Family Alliance for
Development (KIFAD), Kawempe Youth Centre (KYC), and St Elizabeth Girls Home. These are all wellestablished and successful CBOs with a good track-record of working with youths. Some of the CBOs (St.
Elizabeth Girls Home and KYC) also have facilities for computer training. When the respondents were
asked how many had received ICT training, 41% said yes, which means the majority learnt all their ICT
5
skills from the KampaBits training. Of the respondents who found employment after the training 88%
were recommended by a CBO, of these, less than half had previously received any form of ICT training.
With regards to the changes in behavior, the respondents themselves attributed the increased
confidence, maturity and resourcefulness to the KampaBits training. A respondent who previously
volunteered for one of the recommending CBOs explained: “There is a change in my character. I have
skills that I did not have before and I have been able to build on those skills so as to get where I am
now. I can attribute my current success to KampaBits.”
5.3.
Research question 3: How relevant are the results?
The education of poor and disadvantaged populations has been a long-standing challenge to education
systems in both developed and developing countries. 4,5,6 As a result, among the most prominent of the
MDG goals set by the United Nations are those related to education. The MDGs also set as a target to, “in
cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially
information and communications.” Often the investment in ICT-supported education programs is justified
by their longer-term social and economic impacts, such as higher life satisfaction, higher income,
improved health, and increased economic competitiveness and access to the global economy. Many of
these anticipated outcomes are related to the internationally supported Millennium Development Goals,
such as level of poverty, gender equity, literacy and health.
There is no doubt that the use of ICT is perceived as a catalyst for economic growth. ICT is defined as a
set of activities that facilitate by electronic means the processing, transmission and display of
information. Thus, it is important to know how the effectiveness of such a process has an impact on a
nation’s economy. A higher level of ICT capital stock per capita allows a typical economy to achieve a
higher growth rate for given levels of growth in labor and capital inputs.
By using the MDG framework, Clark et al. have endeavored to demonstrate the potential of modern
information technology in the fight against poverty, but they have also acknowledged its limitations.
They conclude that ICTs play an important, but by no means sufficient, role in the urgently required
redoubling of efforts to achieve these MDGs and in informing thinking about the post-2015 framework.
Poverty is about marginalization, discrimination, exclusion, and inequality and the economic, political and
social level. ICTs can help overcome divides and build the infrastructure for citizens to speak out and be
heard. 7
While primary education is free in Uganda under the Universal Primary Education policy tool, secondary
education is not. Many youths, including some of the respondents, struggle to find money for school fees,
especially when there are more pressing needs such as food, medical bills and rent. By removing the
obstacle of money KampaBits gives intelligent hard working youth an opportunity to learn skills to
develop them into productive and responsible young adults. Many respondents saw this as one of the
main strongpoints of the KampaBits program. As one of them put it, he would “very much recommend
the training because it is free of charge and it gives opportunity to the needy who cannot afford to pay.”
4
Glewwe, P., and M. Kremer (2006). “Schools, Teachers, and Education Outcomes in Developing Countries.” In E. Hanushek,
and F. Welch (Eds.) Handbook of the Economics of Education 2, p. 945-1017. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
5
Planty, M., W. Hussar, T. Snyder, S. Provasnik, G. Kena, E. Dinkes, A. Kewal Ramani, and J. Kemp (2008). The Condition of
Education 2008. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of
Education.
6
World Bank (2004). World Development Report 2004: Making Services Work for the Poor. New York: Oxford University Press.
7
Clarke, S., G. Wylie, and H. Zomer (2013). “ICT 4 the MDGs? A Perspective on ICTs’ Role in Addressing Urban Poverty in the
Context of the Millennium Development Goals,” Information Technologies & International Development, 9(4): 55-70.
6
5.4.
Research question 4: How efficient was the project?
Below we report the total expenditure over the period 2010-2013 using three categories.
Table 6: Total expenditures
Year
2010
2011
2012
2013
Actual
Actual
Actual
Budget
Total
Per
student
Per
student
Total
Total
Per
student
Total
Per
student
Operational Costs
973
49
2,173
54
4,046
101
2,474
62
Program Costs:
282
14
351
9
1,466
37
868
22
One Time Costs:
1,998
100
707
18
319
8
359
9
Total in KSh.
3,253
163
3,231
81
5,832
146
3,700
923
13,555
678
13,462
337
24,299
607
15,418
385
Total in Intl. $
The budget and realized costs are in Kenyan Shillings as the founder of KampaBits, NairoBits, is based in
Kenya. The expenditures per student are higher compared to the given benchmarks by the synthesis
team.
6. Discussion and conclusion
While the students were very positive about the training, they were also asked to give any
recommendations to improve the training. Some maintained that the course was great and needed no
improvements. However, some interesting suggestions were made. A reoccurring suggestion was to go
into more detail on certain topics and packages, this was linked to increasing the length of the training,
“The period was short. We would have benefitted more if it was longer, say a year and a half.” Other
respondents who only did the basic course argued that all students should be taken to the advanced
level, so that they can all benefit.
Another recommendation that came up a few times was to get more training on networking and also
related to this was to put the graduates in touch with relevant companies. Respondent 213 suggested
organizing internships with IT companies. Doing an internship would give the graduates the experience
of being in work environment, which Respondent 215 said was missing in the training. She felt she did
not know what to do if she got employed.
A couple of the respondents felt that they should receive some kind of start-up capital either in the form
of money or a laptop with which they can already start doing small jobs. An alternative is to “connect us
with organizations that lend money with low interest and long pay.”
A final recommendation or concern shared by many of the respondents was the certification received
upon completion of the training. “The jobs are there but they are not easy to find with the qualifications
we got from KampaBits because most employers prefer IT students/degree holders from universities. We
face a lot of competition from university students and yet practically speaking we can do better work
than them.” If the qualifications were accredited by for example the Uganda National Council of Higher
Education (NCHE), it would make it easier for the students to find jobs. The KampaBits training includes
an entrepreneurship component because, as some of the graduates already found out, “There are many
opportunities in the field especially of self-employment [...] there is so much demand for our services.
[...] You get better paid when you are self-employed, you are not paid so well when you are working for
someone else.”
There are many recommendations from the graduates. Some can be incorporated and already are, like
taking all students through to the advanced level of the training, but others may be more difficult such as
accrediting the training and still providing it free of charge. Still, the respondents interviewed
unanimously agreed that the course was very good and beneficial. It had not only given them new IT
skills but also improved their character to help them to be better individuals in society.
7
6.1.
Related literature:
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has been receiving mounting attention in recent
years as a critical driving force for development in both developing and developed countries alike. Many
scholars, have stressed the value of information and communication and they all tend to see these as
prerequisites for economic and social development. 8,9,10 Nagwainmbi describes development as an
ongoing process which requires information in constant flow among politicians, decision makers, project
leaders, and receivers. Moreover, information is a "non-exhaustible" item, i.e. its use does not in itself
degrade its present or future availability. 11
Within the perspective of a developing nation, ICT supports a wide range of human activities and it offers
a means of breaking barriers to knowledge, civic participation, social and economic opportunities.
Developing countries aspire to boost economic and political capability through adopting forward looking
development strategies, through promoting foreign direct investment, technology transfer, research and
development, human resources development, and employment. 12
The new wave of IT technologies create a new source of knowledge exchange and innovation to the poor
communities to defend their interests. 13 Wilson and Heeks argue that ICT, like any other new generic
technologies, is often mentioned in wide prospective about what it can do for development. There is an
overall belief that poor people and developing communities should gain eventually when adopting new
technologies, the same way as developed communities do. Many claims are being made for the role of
ICT in poverty alleviation and development facilitation. ICT may play three main roles in the
development process of poor communities. First, ICT can be seen as a production sector, of either
tangible (hardware) or intangible (software) products. The second role views ICT as an information
processing technology, with the motivation that all people and enterprises in modern days need to
process information that arises from inside and outside. Domestic information should be processed and
interrelated with the indigenous environment to generate knowledge and to be ready for decision makers
to enhance operations efficiency, productivity and accountability. 14 This will allow the enterprise to
acquire a competitive position at local, regional and international stage. The third promising role is the
communication technologies, which is in line with views of ICT as a tool for fast and reliable
communication and exchange of information and knowledge. 15 Furthermore, the ICT sector requires less
initial investments in capital and infrastructure than do more traditional sectors, which may be why hightech industries are growing faster than medium-tech industries in developing countries. 16
It is widely recognized that one of the vital determinants of competitiveness in developing countries is
the skills of the workforce at all levels. The effective use of IT technologies requires skills, and the move
from simple to complex technologies requires more, better and more diverse skills. Further, new
technologies often call for entirely different skills, both for direct production and services and for the
organization of production and for managing knowledge networks. The need for increased skills rises with
the level of development, but even the least developed countries have to improve their human capital
base if they are to grow and prosper. Traditional models of competition based on low costs and prices are
being replaced by competition driven by quality, flexibility, design, reliability and networking. This
change is not only in markets for advanced manufacturers but also in day-today use consumer goods like
clothing, footwear and food products. 17
Thus, the use of new technologies, especially information based technologies, calls for more, better and
newer kinds of skills. The reason for this stems largely from both technological factors, as well as
8
Fuglesang, A. (1973). Applied communication in developing countries: ideas and observations. Uppsala: Dag Hammarskjold
Foundation.
9
Rostow, W. (1960). The stages of Economic Growth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
10
Lerner D. (1958). Passing of Traditional Society. Glencoe: Free Press.
11
Ngwainmbi, E. (1995). Communication Efficiency and Rural Development in Africa: the case of Cameroon. Lanham:
University Press of America.
12
Sachs, J. (2005). The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. New York: The Penguin Press.
13
Goransson, B., and J. Soderberg, J. (2003). “Long Waves and Information Technologies – On the Transition towards the
Information Society,” Technovation, 25(3): 203-211.
14
Wilson, G., and R. Heeks (2000). “Technology, Poverty, and Development.” In T. Allen, and A. Thomas (Eds.) {pverty and
Development: Into the 21st Century. New York: Open University and Oxford University Press.
15
Ngwainmbi, E. (1995). Communication Efficiency and Rural Development in Africa: the case of Cameroon. Lanham:
University Press of America.
16
Jussawalla, M., and R. Taylor, and S. Pai (2001). “Lessons of Investment In Technology Parks and Their Role in Bridging the
Digital Divide.” Presented at the Virtual Global Super Projects Conference, Nov. 2001.
17
Narayanan, K. (2003). “Socio-economic empowerment through ICT education: A comparative analysis of Maharashtra and
Rajasthan in India.” Presented at the International Conference on the Convergence of Knowledge, Culture, Language and
Information Technologies in Alexandria, 2-6 Dec. 2003.
8
organizational factors. These skills are subject to constant change. Consequently, the education and
training system has to upgrade skills constantly in line with emerging needs. The ILO observed that the
demand for professionals and technicians has increased in all countries, as their analytical, cognitive and
behavioral skills equip them better to adapt to more sophisticated technology. In addition, the increased
importance of networking between firms [and between firms and technology institutions] for
competitiveness, requires specific “communicative” skills.17
While the formal Government sector continues to play an important role, it is the growth of private
participation in providing affordable computer education, especially to the socially and economically
under-privileged that appear to have provided the impetus for growth in qualified professionals. There is
a broad consensus of appreciation on the role of NGOs in fostering the growth of supply in computer
educated and qualified personnel.17
Education and training in computer program and packages is likely to increase the capabilities for jobseeking, which in turn would change the socio-economic structure of the households whose members
have been the beneficiary of such program. Rasmussen examines the link between ICT and Poverty
Reduction. He identifies the possibilities and pitfalls in this link and points out that many possible ICT
projects lead (indirectly) to people’s participation [defined in terms of “the ability of people to take part
in public processes and form an active part of society”]. More specifically, he argues that knowledge in
ICT can be an “enabler” for people’s participation. In a detailed study Narayanan observed many tangible
benefits from subsidized computer education among the beneficiaries from the states of Maharashtra and
Rajasthan in India. 18
7. Conclusion
Our results indicate that the project had no detectable impact on the beneficiaries wealth (measured in
terms of possession of common assets). Given the roughness of our measure and the small sample size,
this is not unexpected. The project had large (37% points) and statistically very significant impact on the
employment level of interviewed beneficiaries. Most of the new employment was in the IT sector. The
table below gives a summary of the conclusions of this project on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “not at
all” and 10 being “completely”.
Table 7: Evaluation table
Question
The project was well designed
The project was implemented as designed
The project reached all its objectives
The observed results are attributable to the project interventions
The observed results are relevant to the project beneficiaries
The project was implemented efficiently
Score
8
7
8
8
10
5
8. References
Clarke, S., G. Wylie, and H. Zomer (2013). “ICT 4 the MDGs? A Perspective on ICTs’ Role in Addressing
Urban Poverty in the Context of the Millennium Development Goals,” Information Technologies &
International Development, 9(4): 55-70.
Fuglesang, A. (1973). Applied communication in developing countries: ideas and observations. Uppsala:
Dag Hammarskjold Foundation.
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towards the Information Society,” Technovation, 25(3): 203-211.
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9. Appendix
Appendix 1: Instruments – Personal information
NO.
QUESTION
101
IS THE RESPONDENT MALE OR FEMALE?
102
In what month and year were you born?
103
What is the highest level of school you attended?
104
What is the highest class you completed at that level?
106
What tribe do you belong to?
107
What is your religion?
108
ANSWER
CODING CATEGORIES
└──┘
MM
YYYY
└──┘
└──┘
b. Micro-Entrepreneurship program
└──┘
c. Life Skills Curriculum
└──┘
d. Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS program
└──┘
Which training did you do?
110
Before coming to KampaBits, did you receive any ICT training?
1. Muganda
6. Mukiga
11. Munyoro
2. Muteso
7. Lango
12. Mutoro
3. Musoga
8. Mugisu
13. Karamojong
4. Munyankole
9. Acholi
14. Other, specify:
5. Munyarwanda
10. Lugbara
________________
1. Christian
3. Traditional
2. Muslim
4. Other, specify: _______________________
└──┴──┘
└──┘
109
RECORD CLASS
└──┴──┘
Which program did you complete?
a. ICT Multimedia
1. Yes
2. No
1. Basic training
2. Advanced training
1. Yes
2. No
└──┘
└──┘
Before
After
└──┘
└──┘
└──┘
└──┘
└──┘
└──┘
d. generator?
└──┘
└──┘
e. bicycle?
└──┘
└──┘
f. motorbike?
└──┘
└──┘
└──┘
└──┘
112
g. car?
Are you married?
PROBE FOR THE RESPONDENT’S MARITAL STATUS
└──┘
└──┘
113
How many people live in your household, including yourself?
114
How many rooms in your homestead are used by your household?
└──┴──┘
└──┴──┘
└──┘
└──┘
Do you or anyone in your household own any of the following?
a. phone?
b. radio?
111
c. television?
11
1. Male
2. Female
RECORD THE DATE.
IF THE RESPONDENT DOESN’T KNOW, ENTER 99 / 9999
1. Primary
3. Upper Secondary (A)
2. Lower Secondary (O)
4. Tertiary / University
1. Yes
2. No
1. Single
2. Married
3. Divorced
4. Separated
5. Widowed
6. Co-habiting
115
What is the main material of your roof?
116
What is the main material of your walls?
117
└──┘
What is the main material of your floor?
Appendix 2: Instruments – Livelihood
└──┘
└──┘
└──┘
└──┘
└──┘
1. Thatch
2. Iron
1. Mud
2. Mud block
3. Bricks
1. Mud / earth / dung
2. Cement
How have they met their daily needs? (e.g. with small jobs,
steady job, farming, dependent on parents)
If currently working, find out if it is related to the skills learnt at
the training.
Before
After
Where have they been living?
Who have they been living with? (e.g. with family, started own
family, together with friends)
How have they been contributing to their household? And the
other members of the household? (e.g. money for food, school
fees, farming, house chores etc.)
Before
After
Before
After
What options or opportunities are there with regards to
employment within this sector? Get some examples.
Probe into the nature of the sector. (e.g. is there a demand,
competitive, does it pay well etc.).
To which CBO have they been registered (the one that
recommended them for the program)
What has their role been within that CBO (e.g. role model,
mentor etc.)
12
3. Tiles
4. Other, specify: _______________________
4. Iron
5. Other, specify: _______________________
3. Tiles
4. Other, specify: _______________________
Appendix 3: Instruments – Social factors
What social challenges have they faced? (e.g. unemployment,
food insecurity, crime, unwanted pregnancy, access to
healthcare etc.)
Before
After
How did they deal with these challenges?
Did the program show them how to deal with these challenges,
or give them skills to use to deal with these challenges?
If yes, like what?
If no, how do they deal with them?
Before
After
1 year
5 years
Do they see a change in their behaviour or character after
completing the training? (e.g. more confident, resourceful,
more organized, optimistic etc.)
Appendix 4: Instruments – Expectations
Why did they join the program?
What were their expectations at the start of the program?
Did they get what they expected?
What were their expectations after completing the program
(e.g. confident of finding employment, enough knowledge to
start own business)
Where do they see themselves in:
13
Appendix 5: Instruments – Training
To what extent did the training prepare them for the job
market?
E.g. What were the most useful aspects?
Did they receive enough business or entrepreneurship training?
Did they receive tips on how to find jobs and market
themselves?
What could they have additionally benefited from?
Would they recommend the training to others? Why or why
not?
14