GoGirls ICT Initiative

Access to Skills and Knowledge related to Internet of Things (#ASKrIoT)

Access to Skills and Knowledge related to Internet of Things (#ASKrIoT)

Access to Skills and Knowledge related to Internet of Things (#ASKrIoT)

#ASKrIoT a mentorship program that focuses on building the capacity of University students in Internet of Things (IoT) research and development of relevant applications that solve problems in their communities.

Through this program the team is building their own version of the #ASKotec called #ASKrIoT

#ASKotec: Access to Skills and Knowledge open tech emergency case

The #ASKotec is a kit that is designed to work as a mobile training set and is equipped with the items needed to teach others how to use Open Tech and Open Source Hardware in order to innovate, educate, and repair items, thereby providing access to vital skills and knowledge. The kit is especially valuable to communities where access to tools and materials is often scarce.

The Open Tech Emergency Case is housed in a rugged, dust-proof case and includes a range of high-quality tools and materials needed to teach hands-on skills in terms of repairs, development, and upcycling. The kit allows for

  • learning about electronics, especially the use of small-scale solar energy.
  • repairing, disassembling, and building mechanical and electronic devices.
  • the development of skills and sharing of knowledge.

Each #ASKotec contains over 50 items, including:

  • electronics, connection hardware, solar elements
  • soldering, cutting, measuring, and specialised mechanical tools
  • arduinos, sensors, LEDs, related modules
  • manuals and user-developed how-to guides
  • a compact Linux computer with open source software

 The #ASKotec kit is part of the #ASKnet program. It was created through a series of hub-development workshops as a resource kit for community trainers who work in areas where there is neither reliable power nor internet connectivity, such as in many refugee camps, low-infrastructure regions, or rural areas.

For more information about the #ASKotec, go to: https://askotec.openculture.agency

 

 

Repair Cafes

Repair Cafes

Repair cafes

Objectives

  • To build the capacity of teachers on hands on- practices by repairing their devices.
  • To support teachers by repairing their devices to keep preparing learning materials for students and when schools resume to give students a platform to practice and learn ICT skills.
  • To promote open documentation and create an open culture within schools and their surrounding communities.
  • To give a platform for university students / graduates who will be part of these activities to practice their skills.
  • To promote open collaborations among hubs such as Platform Africa and Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF) in Uganda and Ataka Hub and Junub Open Space in South Sudan.

Description:

 The outbreak of the COVID-19, with a lot of restrictions, affected schools; schools plan for other alternative ways to deliver lessons to keep students learning at home. 

However, many schools and teachers face challenges with their devices like computers, phones and speakers having broken down, not being functional and the cost of fixing these devices are expensive thus, many can’t afford.

Electronic waste is a major problem because most of it is toxic. Simply throwing electronics away contributes to serious economic problems, both by producing that waste and because it wastes the resources that went into producing the device in the first place. That means that it increases the demand for mines, which pollute the environment, and more energy gets wasted in the manufacturing process. Repairs consume far fewer resources, which makes them much better for the environment.

The repair café activities in Juba by GoGirls ICT Initiative is to support schools that are beneficiaries of its activities and their surrounding communities with their electronic devices being fixed to promote a repair culture in Schools as means to inspire more girls in secondary schools to do STEM courses when they join University.