[liberationtech] Hackers for Charity: Uganda Documentary Crowdfunding

[Moritz Bartl]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1456247168/hackers-in-uganda-a-documentary

This documentary will tell a story about a developing African community,
its people, and one technologically-minded charitable organization’s
attempts to provide humanitarian services in the most unlikely of
places: Uganda, one of Africa’s most disadvantaged nations.

In 2009, a group of computer hackers and benevolent technologists known
as Hackers For Charity (HFC) set up a tuition-free computer school and
internet café in Jinja, Uganda. In a country where thousands live with
HIV and only 67% have access to clean drinking water, HFC offers classes
and internet-enabled computer access, teaching local Ugandans the
computer skills that allow them to find work and apply for medical and
social benefits on the web that they otherwise may never have known
existed. HFC embodies the spirit an Information Age Robin Hood, using
technology to bring education and services to those most in need.

HFC's work extends beyond their computer education; they also act as an
organizational champion for other local charities who need technological
assistance, providing equipment, software, training, and maintenance
free of charge. In an exceedingly complex global technological system
that is sometimes staggered by governmental interference, slow-moving
bureaucracy, and corruption, HFC helps humanitarian organizations find
ways to provide aid and services.

This documentary will raise implicit questions about the role and
implications of international humanitarian aid in the non-Western world.
HFC seems to afford real, tangible benefits to those who are willing to
take advantage of the charity's computer training classes. We are
interested in how HFC works together with the Jinja community. This
documentary will articulate an intriguing facet of twenty-first century
humanitarian aid, juxtaposing the charity's Western technological
sensibilities and the day-to-day struggles of a region in need.

The film will feature a cross section of the Jinja community, including
HFC staff members, students in the computer classes, and local residents
living and working around the area. We will focus on one or two
students, following them both in and outside the classroom, enriching
our story with aspects of their home and social life. We will also focus
on one HFC staff member or teacher who works closely with the African
students. Concentrating on both students and teachers will help us
closely examine the complexities of the relationship between Western
charity and its intended beneficiaries. Additionally, we intend to
include the perspectives of other working Jinja locals who are not
necessarily associated with HFC or its operations to add further depth
and diversity to our story. This ethnographic consideration will provide
an essential cultural context for the documentary.

While HFC is highly respected by their peers in the hacker community,
the organization and their humanitarian activities are not widely known.
To date, there has not been a documentary featuring HFC or their
operations in Uganda. This documentary will call attention to a
seldom-explored part of the world and the people who call it home. It is
our goal not only to examine a unique operation of humanitarianism, but
also to generate discussion about the scope and implications of global
technological charity. This documentary will examine the role of
technology in contemporary Western humanitarianism and Hackers For
Charity’s contributions in the 21st century.

-- 
Moritz Bartl
https://www.torservers.net/