“The Birth of Locyc Techrev Foundation”

The emergency of COVID-19 was one of the worst things to ever happen to human kind. Every single aspect of humanity was affected both directly & indirectly. Business shut down, schools closed indefinitely, lives were lost as the numbers of infections started to rise. With all this, the world had no hope of recovery to a level where people gave up on life.

As a young person growing in the 3^rd world country, my dreams were lost and all sense of direction was meaningless. At that time, I was pursuing my Bachelors Degree in Information Technology & Computing at Kyambogo University, Uganda. All seemed so well not until the countrywide lockdown was announced by the President of Uganda. This was the time my eyes opened and I started to think out loud of how useful I can be during the lockdown with the knowledge and skills acquired during my study. By then I hadn’t yet graduated from the University and I was midway my studies but had acquired a lot of hands-on skills & knowledge through the University, workshops and industrial trainings.

As the lockdown started to intensify with lots of strict regulations and guidelines. Most companies, organizations (governmental & non-governmental) and other sectors of the economy were forced to shutdown with immediate effect. At this crucial moment, going digital was the only escape route for people to continue communicating and working remotely. This was met with a lot of challenges such as high data costs, inappropriate gadgets to suit the technology in use, inability of some employees to use the digital medium. A few employers organized online trainings for the employees on how to use the digital system that was being introduced. It was at this point when the ICT sector started to realize rapid growth because everyone was resorting to using digital platforms to continue with their employment life. Of course, not every sector was able to use the digital space but at least 80% of the economy embraced technology. Given the continuous patterns of challenges arising from embracing the digital space which included high illiteracy levels of using technology, cyber threats, poorly developed Tech infrastructures, high costs of data & tech equipments. This was my turning point as a person in Tech.

I looked at how the community is suffering to cop up with the digital trend amidst the COVID-19 crisis. An idea came through my mind and that was to become a digital ambassador in the community. Looking at my background which is Northern Uganda, I discovered the region was lacking and needed an everlasting solution and that would be no other way except me taking up the mantle. This is where I hatched a programme called TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION (TECH REV). This programme was my personal initiative as a person in tech so that the community I live in is not left behind as the world was advancing fast in tech. Tech Rev as a programme came into existence in the year 2020. I stood the odds and started “door to door” digital campaign with the aim of giving I.T technical assistance to those in need especially the ones facing challenges with using the applications on their phones and softwares on their computers. Even my social media accounts were turned into tech tips resource center where by I would post essential information about tech so that people can acquire the basic knowledge (Tech tips) at no cost given the hard times everyone was passing through. As time went by, many people started appreciating my efforts in ensuring people embrace technology during the tough times.

Tech Rev as a programme started to expand and benefit other surrounding communities and the northern region at large. Of course, it was not easy for me to carry on the programme without having a source of funding given the fact that I was still in campus. One of my biggest challenge was funding, the economy was going through a regression but technology was also advancing rapidly and people needed the knowledge too. Things were really so tight for me but I was able to get some aid through my my wonderful parents Mr. Justin Ojara Kidega & Mrs. Caroline Kidega who stood with me side to side and kept sacrificing the little they had to ensure that the programme moves on well without interference. Time for school came and I had to report back to finish studies, this was because the government had managed the COVID-19 crisis and easing of the lockdown had started with opening of a few sectors in phases. As a youth, I felt challenged because I had established a good network with the various people in different communities with many being so loyal to the tech content I was creating but of course studies had to come first so that I could continue producing good educative content for the people. I reported back to campus and continued with creating more tech content on my social media accounts and for tech rev so that there is consistency. My friends kept sharing their thoughts with me and more ideas started to trigger in with purpose of improving the programme. It was at this point that I decided to reorganize myself and register an I.T Firm that would be a bridge between the community and technology. My focus was to have a centralized point where people can get tech assistance and services at subsidized costs.

With hard work, I was able to register LOCYC TECHREV FOUNDATION (LTR foundation). The I.T firm was successfully registered with all the necessary authorities and awarded the essential documentation & credentials permitting it to operate at full scale. Happiness was at its peak looking at how far I had come, I didn’t mind what I had acquired (material items) but my happiness was the good impact of the programme on the people. I can confidently say majority of the people who came into or crossed path with the programme benefitted positively. LTR foundation is a fully registered I.T firm located in Gulu City Northern Uganda offering a wide range of I.T services which include website development & design, graphics design, computer repair & maintence, cyber security, digital marketing, network installation, ICT consultancy & trainings. All these services cover the emerging needs of the digital space. In operations we have encountered a few ups and downs but all have been successfully managed.

In the continuous efforts to digitalize the community and reduce technology divide, I came up with more programmes that include “School Digitalization Campaign, Youth Digitalization Campaign, Cyber Security Awareness Campaign, Online Safe Communication, Online Marketing Campaign” and a few others that have contributed a lot to the digital growth of the region. The I.T firm has been able to carry out many other projects in the community working with partner organizations & companies; Uganda Aids Commission, Nile Media Group, Zeep Construction, Postbank, Sports Outreach Ministries, Uganda Chamber of Commerce to mention but a few. We have built a very strong team of experts in various fields of I.T whereby everyone is specialized in an area of professionalism which makes work easy and efficient prioritizing top notch service delivery.

 I want to take this opportunity to invite all other stake holders, well wishers to come & we join hands in building a digitally oriented community because together we can do it. I strongly encourage everyone to make use of services which in turn is being used to support community projects. As earlier said, our major challenges are acquisition of I.T equipments and mode of transport however we are doing our best to manages such challenges. Let’s all work together, support one another, build trusts & brands that will benefit the people and surely, we shall live to see the world a better place to live. For as long as God grants me more days on earth, I will continue to ensure we develop and grow digitally to cop up with the fast-emerging technology.

In a special way I thank everyone who has supported and is still supporting us in various ways, May God richly bless and reward you all.

LOCYC TECHREV FOUNDATION is here to stay and will be here to stay as your digital growth partner through the technology revolution.

LOC JERRY KIDEGA

CEO/FOUNDER

LOCYC TECHREV FOUNDATION