| مستخلص: |
Community informatics (CI) refers to the deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in communities to meet community needs, simplify day-to-day tasks, and close digital divides, among other benefits. In practice, CI is focused on the use of information and ICTs in community development efforts to enable and empower community processes to achieve community social, economic, cultural and political goals. Conversely, community development involves encouraging democratic participation, fostering sustainable growth, advocating for human rights, increasing economic opportunities, and supporting equality and social justice by organising, educating, and empowering individuals within their local communities. This paper established the contribution of CI to the development of rural communities with reference to Kaliro district as a case study area. Kaliro district is one among the many communities in rural Uganda where the standard of living and degree of affordable connectivity present unique challenges and opportunities for community informatics. The district presents significant milestones towards integrating ICT initiatives to foster growth and development. Using participative case study design as part of a mixed-methods research approach, responses from 173 CI users and 33 district workers were collected via a questionnaire survey and interviews, followed by analysis and the representation of the quantitative results in tables, while the qualitative results were discussed in themes. The study found that CI plays a pivotal role in advancing the development of rural communities across the social, economic, cultural, and political spheres. On the social front, CI initiatives were instrumental in forging stronger community bonds and networks, facilitating rapid dissemination of information, and encouraging the exchange of knowledge. Economically, they boosted commerce and entrepreneurial ventures, heightened economic comprehension, increased the efficiency and effectiveness of service provision, minimised costs associated with operations, spurred job creation, enhanced income opportunities, and led to the inception of new CI projects beneficial for local businesses. Culturally, these initiatives not only showcased local traditions beyond geographical boundaries but also augmented cultural consciousness, tourism, and nurtured the freedom for cultural expression within Kaliro district. Politically, CI supported government initiatives, advanced human rights advocacy, disseminated governmental information broadly, simplified tracking political progressions and contributed to the political steadiness in the district. Study findings showed that communities leverage CI and its infrastructure to keep up with information about government programs, health, environment, education, personal development, economic living, empowerment, and democracy, among others in a sense that triggers development. However, there is a general literature gap on the theoretical contributions to CI despite its established practical applications demonstrated in the findings of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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