Use of the new media has reached new dimensions. A cyber organisation known as Busoga Yaiffe was formerly established in June 2007. It operates in all the five continents, and its registered address, is in Jinja, a city in Uganda.
Its main objective is to mobilize local, national and international resources and capabilities for the cultural and socio-economic development of Busoga. However other objectives include:
· Re-develop the soga culture and language through any activity that promotes the interests and well being of the Soga people and traditions.
· Provide a platform for networking and sharing information, knowledge and skills, potentially useful for re-branding projects and renewal of collective identification with our deep rooted culture.
· Develop and implement strategic projects to address the chronic socio-economic stagnation as well as the root causes of and remedies for poverty, disease and ignorance.
· To uphold the right of individuals to freedom of association and participation in any Basoga activities without regard to any sectarian tendency as defined by the International human rights of the day.
Membership is open to all Basoga people in the world who are actively engaged or interested in promoting the objectives of the organization. Basoga are an ethnic group found in Uganda.
This organization started as a yahoo group of Diaspora Ugandans who felt at home penning a few lines in their own language to other Ugandans in the rest of the world. When the membership grew to over 300, there was a general suggestion to formalize the organization and involve it in development activities in Uganda.
All the activities of the organization have been organized virtually. The name of the group and the constitution were identified, proposed and adopted over the cyber net. This was done democratically using Yahoo Group’s Poll dynamics. An executive committee was also voted in office using the same means. The chair is in Germany, treasurer in Uganda, and secretary in the US. Regional chapters were also identified. What is interesting is that most members have never met apart from looking at the profiles and photos posted on the site.
The organization has come up with a 5 year strategic plan for the development of its region in Uganda. It has partnered with various other civil society organisation in its quest to raise money for its development activities in the region.
From the contributions of its members, a launch of the organization was made in Uganda. Development promotions and talk shows were also aired on radio. A memorandum of understanding was signed with the department of meteorology which donated thousands of solar powered batteries to Busoga Yaiffe to give to peasant farmers to listen to weather forecasts in order to improve their farming methods. An FM station was also provided with the package.
Meanwhile, members in the Diaspora have contributed funds for the uplifting of the education standards especially for the girl child. A number of members from the US and Middle East have taken into their guardianship young girls who dropped out of school for lack of fees yet they are brilliant. They provide all their school requirements.
A commission of inquiry was set up by the organization to establish the causes of the declining academic standards in the region in order to find solutions for them.
Health wise, the Diaspora Ugandans collect new and used hospital equipment from their host countries in the west and send it home to equip the hospitals and health centres. Medicines are also provided.
The new media here has been used to augment mobilization of people and resources for development without physically moving from one place to the other.
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