After discussing strategies and deployment last night with two of Julian's friends, Julian and I are continuing to come to terms with the difficulties that will come with integration. The necessary progression is acceptance by the community, possession by the community and ownership by the community, such that those individuals or groups with whom we are working recognize that this technology is helpful at some level, take moderate responsibility for it, and ultimately realize that it has potential to either (a) provide a valuable service to a largely un-electrified community (i.e.: provide a common source of electricty), (b) provide an opportunity for profit (i.e.: via charging phones), or (c) provide a valuable source to the individual or group themselves (i.e.: the node's lighting and charging capabilities is something the family/organization utilizes). By determining this technology to have value is the only way in which true ownership, meaning accountability for its security as well as responsibility for its usage, can be adopted and the technology can begin to seem sustainable.
With this sort of adoption of the technology, we can fear less for barriers like security from vandals and thieves and maintenance (as long as this ownership is accompanied by technological information and infrastructure for replacements). Individuals owning the technology will see the value in taking it upon themselves to provide these for the node.
However, obviously by virtue of this technology not existing in this community yet, we know there are barriers to this adoption and acceptance. Solar power does exist in Uganda yet it doesn't provide for the electric needs of Lwemodde to the extent we intend these nodes to. There must be reasons for this failure to exist, whether those are economic, social or other, unexpected reasons. It is fair to say though that up to this moment, no individual in Lwemodde has found the investment of time, money and effort in solar power to be worth that investment, and as a result, electricity hasn't been integrated into society the way in which we hope to do so. It remains to be seen whether the mere momentum of bringing nodes to the community is enough to convey the realization that this technology can be a valuable addition, or whether considerably more effort must be expended ensuring its tenure in the community. As of now, it seems as though the latter will be the case and we will have our hands full in the upcoming weeks.
With this sort of adoption of the technology, we can fear less for barriers like security from vandals and thieves and maintenance (as long as this ownership is accompanied by technological information and infrastructure for replacements). Individuals owning the technology will see the value in taking it upon themselves to provide these for the node.
However, obviously by virtue of this technology not existing in this community yet, we know there are barriers to this adoption and acceptance. Solar power does exist in Uganda yet it doesn't provide for the electric needs of Lwemodde to the extent we intend these nodes to. There must be reasons for this failure to exist, whether those are economic, social or other, unexpected reasons. It is fair to say though that up to this moment, no individual in Lwemodde has found the investment of time, money and effort in solar power to be worth that investment, and as a result, electricity hasn't been integrated into society the way in which we hope to do so. It remains to be seen whether the mere momentum of bringing nodes to the community is enough to convey the realization that this technology can be a valuable addition, or whether considerably more effort must be expended ensuring its tenure in the community. As of now, it seems as though the latter will be the case and we will have our hands full in the upcoming weeks.
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