The Isinya Maarifa centre hosted Ms. Terra Weikal from UNICEF Uganda accompanied by Anthony Mugo-Programmes Manager ALIN. The visit sought to find out how a Maarifa (Knowledge) Centre operates and how the centre impacts the community. The focal group members and other users of the Maarifa Centre were at hand to provide the information she needed.

The users of the centre, mostly youth, shared with Ms. Teri how the centre has been of great benefit to the community since its inception. Some of the services that the centre provides include a shared ICT resource for internet connectivity, E-government services, local content generation and dissemination on best agricultural practices, market information and environmental management, free computer training among others. The users concurred that easy access to information has made a huge impact in improving livelihoods in the area.

Ms.Terra was also interested in getting a solid understanding of what the focal group is and why it exists. She learnt that the focal group is composed of ALIN members who are from the same community. They meet regularly to know each other and to generate and share local development information and experiences. They also plan and execute joint activities such as income generation and environmental conservation projects. She thought the focal group concept was good since it enabled the community members to own the project and come up with their own initiatives.

The focal group also shared some of the challenges they were facing such as lack of adequate resources such as computers, centre space, books on livestock for the whole community. Language barrier was also a problem since the illiteracy levels were high and the main language used in documents is English. Cultural traditions were also a hindrance in getting the women to come to the centre. However the focal group agreed that these challenges were surmountable.

Ms. Terra said her visit was very fruitful and she would take home everything she learnt with the hope of replicating the initiative in Uganda.