Tanzania - Sengerema CMC: UNESCO-CI

Tanzania - Sengerema CMC

Country:	Tanzania
Place:	Sengerema
Population:	500,000
Number of staff:	6 + 10 volunteers
Number of computers:	25 + 1 server
Radio:	Broadcast license expected May 2003
Transmitter:	100 watts
Telecentre:	Operating since 2000
Radio:	Will be added in May 2003
Partners:	UNESCO with Switzerland (for the CMC component); other partners: Sengerema Community, national agencies, ITU, IDRC
Website:	http://www.sengerema.or.tz

Description

The Sengerema Community Multipurpose Community Telecentre is currently being developed into a Multimedia Community Centre by adding a community radio. The radio will be housed in the Sengerema Telecentre building. This project is being implemented as part of a national telecentre initiative coordinated by COSTECH (Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology), which is the national advisory organ of the government on all the matters of science and technology for development.

Services

The telecentre is providing computer training, IT consultancy and advisory, Internet service, secretarial service, meetings and conference facility, local content development, web printing and radio broadcast (due in one month’s time). An upturn in income generation is expected, when the ordered digital printer copier with production unit and UNESCO supported equipment is delivered. Other facilities for acquisition include standby generator, air conditioning and motor vehicle.

Problems

Lack of resources, because all the services of the CMC have been stretched to the maximum, the staffs are always behind in rendering some of the services demanded by the community.