Users on digital participation in Uganda

Social media is really good to directly speak to our audience

Maya Aquitel is a community reporter with Step FM in Mbale in Uganda’s Eastern Region. She has been working there for two years.

Before the community reporting project started, people lacked news, especially local news. There was no information on their community available at all. But community reporters really helped change the situation by gathering information and getting it to the people. For example, hygiene and sanitary issues are important. The same is true for nutrition. For my StepFM stories, I use my smartphone and WhatsApp to gather information and post them directly on social media. The smartphone and social media are really good ways to directly speak to our audience. At the beginning I had to get used to working with a smartphone, but I got training and learned and adapted. Sometimes I have problems affording Internet data bundles. If I don’t have any data on my phone, I miss out on information.

The #speakup barometer is a DW Akademie project that examines the connection between digital participation, freedom of expression and access to information. Learn more at www.dw.com/barometer

Date 13.11.2018
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Date 13.11.2018
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Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/389d7

DWA DW Akademie speakup barometer Uganda

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