Battery Operated Systems for Community Outreach (BOSCO) Uganda is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

under the trusteeship of the Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu with registration number B9410051328-N registered on March 9, 2007. The organization initially started as a collaboration between friends from

Gulu Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The city's distance from Kampala, Uganda's capital and large ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

of America, who thought of using ICT to help end the isolation of communities in the IDP camps, by setting up ICT centers in the camps and connecting one ICT Centre with another. BOSCO is also named in honor of the Roman Catholic Saint John Bosco. BOSCO collaborated with Inveneo to place their low-power PCs powered by solar panels in the Catechist Training Center and the Caritas Office in Gulu, as well as at schools, hospitals, colleges and Churches in Pabbo, Alero, Lacor, Coope, Jen'Geri, Unyama, and Pagak IDP camps. The organization aims to use ICT to help end the isolation of communities in rural northern Uganda as well as to improve

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

documentation Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance, and use. As a form of knowledge managem ...

health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

and rural development. BOSCO has established 55 community ICT & Development Centers in rural areas in

Acholi Acholi may refer to: * Acholi people, a Luo nation of Uganda, in the Northern part of the country. * Acholi language, a Nilotic language * Acholi Inn, a building in Gulu, Uganda * Acholi nationalism, a political ideology of Acholi people {{dab ...

, Lango and West Nile regions to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban communities.

Regional history

Twenty years of conflict and displacement have isolated the people of northern

from the technological developments rapidly evolving in their own country and throughout the world. This isolation and lack of access to 21st century

Information and Communication Technologies Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and compute ...

(ICT) have prevented communities from using the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

for creative and innovative ways to meet community needs. Instead, many communities have become reliant on traditional aid. However, with peace in northern

, BOSCO-Uganda attempts to turn dependency into self-advocacy through the use of innovative and collaborative ICT technologies. Initiated in 2006 under the umbrella of Gulu Archdiocese, BOSCO-Uganda implemented a pilot ICT project in 6 IDP-camps in

and Amuru district (including CooPe, Unyama, Lacor, Pagak, Pabbo and Jengari) BOSCO-Uganda has since expanded its activities in Amuru and Gulu and is planning the further expansion to

Kitgum Kitgum is a municipality in Kitgum District in the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. The town is administered by Kitgum Municipality Council, an urban local government. It is the largest metropolitan area in the district and th ...

and

Pader District Pader District is a Districts of Uganda, district in Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Uganda. It is named after Pader, Uganda, Pader, the chief municipal, administrative and commercial town in the district, where the district headquarters are lo ...

s. BOSCO-Uganda uses innovative technology particularly adapted to rural regions. Its internet stations, situated in rural communities and former internally displaced persons camps, consist of low-power,

solar powered Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is an essentia ...

PCs connected to a high-speed, long-range

WiFi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

Internet connection. Each communication station is linked to other BOSCO sites via a free VoIP telephony network and through a high-speed internal network (

INTERNET The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

) content management page. Moving beyond the provision of technical solutions, BOSCO is concentrating on the development of both proven and emerging directions for ICT usage. These directions include computer education adapted to the realities of 21st Century global interconnectivity and a

Web 2.0 Web 2.0 (also known as participative (or participatory) web and social web) refers to websites that emphasize user-generated content, ease of use, participatory culture, and interoperability (i.e., compatibility with other products, systems, a ...

collaborative approach to cooperation with health centers, e-agriculture, educational outreach,

e-government E-government (known for electronic government) involves utilizing technology devices, such as computers and the Internet, for faster means of delivering public services to citizens and other persons in a country or region. E-government offer ...

, etc.

Organizational history

BOSCO USA was founded by

Gus Zuehlke Gus is a masculine name, often a diminutive for Angus, August, Augustine, Gustave, Constantine, Konstantinos, Augusten, Gustavo, Gusten, Augustus, Aengus, Argus, Fergus, Gustav, Gustafson, Ferguson, and Gussie). It can also be used as the a ...

in 2007. Zuehlke established relationships with the Archdiocese of

, including the Archbishop

John Baptist Odama John Baptist Odama (born 20 July 1947) is a Ugandan Roman Catholic priest, who serves as the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu, in Uganda, since 2 January 1999. Background and priesthood Odama was born in Riki-O ...

and Fr. Joseph Okumu, with whom he later co-founded the organization. In 2007, northern

was benefiting from a tenuous cease fire, yet nearly 1.7 million people throughout the region remained stuck and isolated in

Internally Displaced Persons An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced displacement, forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the Refugee#Definitions ...

(IDP) camps. Zuehike discussed some of the needs and challenges the

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

and the people were facing. The Archbishop's priority was to help the

people of northern Uganda end the severe isolation they were experiencing in the camps. By connecting camp schools, community centers, parishes, and health clinics to the outside world through Internet, the Acholi people could begin to end their isolation by advocating for their own cause. In 2007, Zuehlke assembled an all-volunteer

Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

and incorporated BOSCO, Inc. as a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

not for profit organization. In April 2007, with the help of

Inveneo Inveneo is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in San Francisco with focus on Information and Communication Technologies for organizations supporting underserved communities in the developing world, mostly in Africa. The organization has dev ...

and BOSCO's Founding Technical Director, Ted Pethick, BOSCO deployed the first set of low power, solar, PCs with long-range Internet in 6 site locations.

BOSCO-USA

Role

Since the founding, BOSCO USA, based in

South Bend South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, has taken on a distinct role for BOSCO-Uganda. BOSCO-Uganda, in Gulu, handles the day-to-day operations of the organization and employs a local, Ugandan staff. BOSCO-USA consists only of a volunteer Board of Directors who are mainly responsible for these points: #Capacity building: BOSCO-USA periodically sends technical staff on training trips to

; BOSCO-USA has also supported the work of a full-time Gulu-based

communications Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

envoy to report on-the-ground progress in Gulu #Vetting of

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

: BOSCO-USA is engaged in assessing the trends of low-power computing and wireless networking equipment and passes on equipment recommendations to BOSCO-Uganda staff. BOSCO-USA is also involved in shipping some equipment for deployments to

#Public Relations: BOSCO-USA actively promotes the BOSCO project in the US with media outlets and in various communities #Fundraising in US: BOSCO-USA raised the initial capital to start the project and is involved in

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

to support the work of BOSCO-Uganda in Gulu.

Leadership

The BOSCO-USA Board of Directors is made-up entirely of volunteers. The notable members of this board are

(

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

Founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

), Thomas Loughran (

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

), Kerry Vickers (Technical Consultant) and Kevin Bailey (Former Organizational & Communications Envoy in

). With the help of other board members, these individuals consult with BOSCO-Uganda and aid in fundraising, technology, capacity and

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

Role

BOSCO-Uganda is primarily involved in the day-to-day implementation of the BOSCO project. This includes: #Managing all Internet sites in the Amuru and

Districts in northern Uganda. #Developing content, with a focus on education and peace building, for BOSCO's Intranet system. #Supporting the expansion of BOSCO-Uganda through new proposals and partnerships. #Managing communications between local, regional and international stakeholders in partnership with BOSCO USA.

Leadership

The BOSCO-Uganda leadership employs a

-based staff and administration. They have overseen the network expansion and are the essential component for BOSCOs attempts to promote self-advocacy through ICT. This leadership oversees the daily implementation of the BOSCO mission and ensures successful use of the network at each site. They aid in developing new BOSCO content, create proposals for expansion, seek mutually beneficial partnerships, and assist in creating dialog between local users, BOSCO stakeholders, and the BOSCO team. The Ugandan team is currently led by Jennifer Okusia Erejo as its executive director having joined the organization early last year in 2020 from HORIZONT3000 to replace former Executive Director Joseph Okumu, who was at the helm of the organization for thirteen years.

Partners

HORIZONT3000 – Austrian Organization for Development Co-operation

BOSCO-Uganda has partnered with HORIZONT3000 since 2007. They first provided a technical volunteer in 2007–2008 and then provided a technical advisor. The organization has also provided funding in the past for projects and staff salaries.

UNICEF

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

has provided an initial grant of $10,000 to carry out community ICT trainings and install five Internet sites. A second grant worth an estimated $270,000 has been submitted and would support BOSCO's expansion by providing new computers and bandwidth, strengthening training programs at all sites in

and Amuru, and installing news sites in Pader and Kitgum district. UNICEF's ICT4D department in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

also works in partnership with BOSCO-Uganda to develop concepts on technology and collaboration.

War Child Holland

War Child Holland has partnered with BOSCO-Uganda in Pagak. War Child Holland provided computers and a working space and BOSCO-Uganda provided Internet connectivity and training. Another site has been installed in partnership with War Child Holland at a school in Koch Goma.

H&S Italia

The software company based in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

donated 20,000 Euros to BOSCO-Uganda's work.

University of Notre Dame

The

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

partners with BOSCO-Uganda on an internship program where the university funds a student's work with BOSCO-Uganda over a period of 10 weeks.

Notable awards

Breaking Borders Award

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

, Global Voices and

Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation ( ) is a Canadian multinational corporation, multinational content-driven technology Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and maintains its headquarters at 1 ...

partnered to create the Breaking Borders Award. This award rewards individuals or organizations spearheading web-based projects. The recipients must have demonstrated bravery, outstanding effort and ingenuity through use of the Internet. Winners of this award must be using the Internet to encourage

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...

and reveal varied political opinions. The award goes to those organizations making difference in these areas as well as those helping to stand up against

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

. The award attempts to promote resourcefulness and originality for public benefit. The Breaking Borders Award was presented to BOSCO-Uganda on May 5, 2010. This occurred at the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

African Rural Connect First Round Winner

The

National Peace Corps Association National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is a North American nonprofit organization supporting the Peace Corps Agency community. Founded in 1979, the NPCA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States The NPCA maintains a database compris ...

(NPCA) presents the

Africa Rural Connect Africa Rural Connect (ARC) is a program of the National Peace Corps Association. The website was launched on July 15, 2009 as an online collaboration tool for users to share and build upon ideas to solve some of the challenges facing rural Africa ...

award. The ARC endorses collective thought supporting the creation of new ideas. The ideas are aimed at solving the principal challenges rural

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

faces. Close to 100 organizational ideas and charitable plans were submitted for the 2010 ARC competition. Throughout a large variety of plans present two winners were chosen in the first round. The NPCA announced BOSCO and their proposal, “Achieving Rural Literacy through Innovative Web 2.0 ICT Use in Post-conflict Northern

,” as one of the two first round winners in June 2010.

References

IDPs Get Internet AccessUgandan Refugees Go OnlineInternet Access Fuels Development War-Torn UgandaGlobal Activism: Bringing the Internet to Ugandan Refugee Camps

BOSCO UgandaICT4 Uganda

Gulu visit I: BOSCO and ICT4D in Rural UgandaFocus On BOSCO UgandaFour Tech Startups that are Transforming African DevelopmentA Web 2.0 Strategy for Boosting Literacy in UgandaInaugural Breaking Borders Awards at GV 2010 SummitHonoring Free Expression OnlineAnnouncing the Breaking Borders Award WinnersPress Release: National Peace Corps Association Announces Africa Rural Connect First Round WinnersThe National Celebrations of World Communications DayBreaking the Silence: BOSCO UgandaInaugural Breaking Borders Awards at GV 2010 SummitThe Inveneo EffectBOSCO MissionBoard of DirectorsBOSCO Organizational ChartBOSCO-Uganda LeadershipBOSCO HistoryBOSCO USABOSCO-Uganda RoleBOSCO AwardsBOSCO NetworkBOSCO Training ManualBOSCO InformationBOSCO FlyerBOSCO PartnersBOSCO Media
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bosco-Uganda 2006 establishments in Uganda Communications in Uganda Internet access organizations Non-profit organisations based in Uganda Organizations established in 2006 Telecommunications in Uganda