Back to Index

Kenya: Knowledge is power
Ungunja Community Resource Centre
January 2007

http://www.ugunja.org/projects_clrc.php

Community Learning Resource Centres (CLRC) are facilitied, initiated and managed by their communities. They aim to increase access to learning opportunities and facilitate activities which increase self-reliance.

A CLRC is expected to catalyze community mobilization for the purpose of learning and earning.

In 2004 UCRC partnered with Rambula Community Library and the Department of Adult Education to facilitate the creation of 16 CLRCs across Siaya district.

Before establishing the CLRCs, community members across Siaya district identified a common problem. Many had little access to information. Some factors affecting accessibility were high costs, lack of published material, non-local language and institutional control over information.

CLRCs are managed by committees composed of at least 13 community members least a quarter of whom are youth, a third women and the rest men.

Each committee strives to reach out to people with disabilities, farmers, community health workers, provincial administration and religious leaders. The role of the committee is to mobilise the community to learn and share information.

Walking into a typical CLRC one finds a library desk with books in the shelves, next to a classroom with benches well arranged for learners. There is also an agricultural resource person to share farming ideas, and a health worker with information on common diseases.

The activities carried out at the CLRCs include library management, adult education classes, sustainable agriculture, demonstration gardens and community meetings. Community members consult with relevant partners to conduct the activities.

Objectives

• Promote information management, resource sharing, information use and servicing among communities
• Build the capacity of stakeholders in information management through needs-based training workshops
• To establish an information management system which will improve access to information about sustainable development for members
• To keep members regularly informed of the newly written materials in their field of interest

Ongoing activities

Throughout 2004 and 2005 UCRC and its partners have worked with the learning centres on many activities such as:

• Community need assessment through surveys
• Awareness meetings in the communities
• Trainings of community resource persons to manage the CLRCs
• Assembly and packaging of information
• Organize community exchange visits to learn and share information
• Development of publications such as newsletters
• Exhibitions to strengthen the CLRC's activities
• Documentation and dissemination of information

Impacts

• The CLRCs' activities in the district have had positive impacts on the livelihoods of community members. The promotion of adult learning has demystified the perception that learning is only for the elites. This has enhanced community participation in problem analysis and planning.
• Mr. Philemon, a 66 year-old community resource person from one of the resource centres, is excited about the increase of community ownership and participation. He said, "if you are here to help me then I am sorry, but if you are here because your liberation is bound with mine then lets join hands and move."
• Community members from CLRCs identified that they needed training in sustainable agriculture and information management systems to raise their profiles.
• UCRC conducted a six-month training for two resource persons from each of the 16 CLRCs. The resource persons then became the trainers of trainees at their CLRCs to disseminate the same skills. An exhibition and graduation was organized at the end of the six-month training for farmers to learn and share technologies.
• Training workshop on participatory information management systems was conducted for resource persons from the CLRCs to help the communities identify, appreciate and utilize available resources.

Current activities

• Information gathering and repackaging for production of a newsletter
• Training of community resource persons to plan and manage activities at the CLRCs
• Establishment of Technology Learning Centres within in six CLRCs

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP