Accessplus is working to improve access and use of the Internet and ICTs along the Uganda – South Sudan border communities to enable access to information for informed  decisions making to meet the needs of the border communities and access to services that would normally not be available physically but rather available online. 

Through its activities, AccessPlus is promoting the use of ICTs for purposes of trade, communication, information sharing and promoting peace, cohesion and development among Border communities and enabling access to communities that are generally difficult to reach.

1. Karamoja Sector (Kaabong-Torit Border)
2. Lamwo – Magwi Boder
3. West Nile – Kajokeji and Morobo Border
4. Amuru-Nimule Border

1. Establishment of community Networks along border communities along Uganda and South Sudan.
2. Training on use of Information and communication technologies.
3. Facilitate access to information and accountability among border communities.
4. Promote cross border trade through use of ICTs
5. Promote education in border communities

AccessPlus, in partnership with Meshpoint and Lokung Technical School in Lamwo Town Council, are proud to announce a new grant from the Internet Society and Internet Society Foundation, to implement a community-owned, community-managed internet connectivity project -Kupe Network, in Lamwo Town Council, Lamwo District – a border district between Northern Uganda and South Sudan.

“Kupe”, is a word in the local Acholi language which means “connect with another person/people”.  The project ‘Kupe Network’ will deliver affordable internet access, digital skills training, and digital rights & security literacy to the host and refugee communities in the region.  Our connection points will include a Technical School, a Health Center, the Refugee Reception Center and a Local Trading Center!

The Internet is for everyone, and so everyone must benefit from it – the refugees, the women & girls, the PWDs, those in the borderlands and everyone else!

We are not working on this project in isolation. We are working together with the local government – Lamwo District Local Government, to bring this transformation in the community!

This partnership marks another huge step in AccessPlus’s mission to “Bridging Digital Divide to Build Peaceful Futures”.

Our theme for theme for the next one year will be: Connectivity: The Fourth Need, to highlight the need for the Internet to reach everyone.

This project was supported by the Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation

About The Project

The project equipped 26 young mothers and girls from 26 households in Lamwo Town Council with digital skills and knowledge, to address the increasing gap in responsible use of digital tools in the region.

The project:

• Equipped women and girls with digital skills, to protect their online identity and personal data, identify & avoid threats such as phishing or mobile money fraud
• Created awareness about the impact of online disinformation and misinformation, and how to avoid spreading such information
• Trained women on how to carry out mobile money transactions securely and independently by protecting their PINs and avoiding fake messages, links or calls meant to steal their money

This project was supported by Defend Defenders

The overall goal of the project was to promote women’s access and use of ICT in order to build resilience and coping mechanisms to COVID-19 in the fishing and farming community of Oyimai and Katine Parishes in Soroti District. The project will assess the impact of COVID-19 on women livelihood, create awareness and build capacity of women, youth and local government leaders on use of community networks.

The Local Networks (LocNet) initiative, led by APC in partnership with Rhizomatica, is supporting 15 projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, selected through its 2021 Community Network Grant Programme. The project “Building Women’s Resilience to Improve Adaptation to COVID-19 Using Community Networks (Uganda)“, led by AccessPlus and Tango Consult, is one of the initiatives selected.

AccessPlus provided 10 smartphones to the individual women of the Gwokke-keni community in Patongo. The availability of the phones has made 8 of the 10 women who received the new phones to own phones for the first time, acquired sim cards,  registered for mobile money, and are now able to access the internet. Some of the beneficiaries were students who were excited to get online to understand how people search the internet for educational materials.

Considering the fact that every household has an average of 7 members, the 10 phones given to the 10 families translate to an average of 70 people who are directly and indirectly benefiting from the mobile phones.

We have however, not stopped our efforts to acquire smartphones to support rural women. We welcome donations in the form of smartphones, or cash to purchase them. If interested, you can reach us on admin@accesspluss.org for further guidance.