NEW YORK / DIGITAL DRUM

UNICEF's Digital Drum, which features computers made out of metal oil drums and powered by solar panels, travels outside of Uganda to be showcased at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum in New York City. The Drum allows young Ugandans access information in the country's rural regions. UNICEF

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:57
• Production Date: 14 October 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES; EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY; SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
• Geographic Subject: UGANDA
• MAMS Id: U111014g

Description

STORY: NEW YORK / DIGITAL DRUM
TRT: 1:57
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 15 MAY 2011, KAMWOKYA, KAMPALA, UGANDA

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, traditional thatch huts in rural communities to people sitting under the hut
2. Med shot, people walking and cycling in the village
3. Close shot, children in a classroom writing on slates with chalk
4. Close shot, children smiling
5. Wide shot, ‘Digital drum’ being installed, zoom into the
6. Pan left, children standing to ‘Digital drum’
7. Med shot, drum being installed
8. Med shot, UNICEF T4D (Technology for development) team creating drums in a warehouse.
9. Close shot, Seth Hurr, UNICEF T4D (Technology for Development) Digital Drum Project Coordinator, Kampala, Uganda
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Seth Hurr, UNICEF T4D Digital Drum Project Coordinator, Kampala, Uganda:
“The objective is to put them in places that are as rural as possible, areas where people don’t have access to really any information, a lot of these villages and towns don’t have full time teachers so they have schools but students don’t really have access to anything in the way of information.”
11. Med shot, solar panels being installed, men carrying the panel
12. Med shot, ‘Digital drum’ being installed and attached to a wall
13. Med shot, child using ‘Digital drum’
14. Close shot, computer screen
15. SOUNDIBTE (ENGLISH) Sharad Sapra, UNICEF Representative in Uganda:
“The innovative technologies like these actually help create a digital bridge between those who have access to internet and those who don’t, in a low cost sturdy fashion.”
16. Wide shot, community using ‘Digital drum’
17. Various shots, children using ‘Digital drum’

Storyline

In a country like Uganda where the majority of the population lives in rural communities, access to information is a serious challenge.

Without the adequate tools, Ugandan youth can miss out on vital resources on health, education, and other issues that affect their lives.

UNICEF has developed an innovative way to increase this access: It’s called the ‘the rugged solar powered computer.’

These computers are made out of simple, locally available materials such as metal oil drums. This both reduces production cost and ensures durability.

Seth Herr of UNICEF’s Technology for Development department is coordinating the project.

SOUNDBITE (English) Seth Hurr, UNICEF T4D Digital Drum Project Coordinator, Kampala, Uganda:
“The objective is to put them in places that are as rural as possible, areas where people don’t have access to really any information, a lot of these villages and towns don’t have full time teachers so they have schools but students don’t really have access to anything in the way of information.”

Powered by solar panels, the digital drums, as they are called, serve as information access points with preloaded content. The rugged design protects the computers from the natural elements and ensures a sustainable and a reliable service for those who use it.

SOUNDIBTE (ENGLISH) Sharad Sapra, UNICEF Representative in Uganda:
“The innovative technologies like these actually help create a digital bridge between those who have access to internet and those who don’t, in a low cost sturdy fashion.”

With simple solutions like the digital drum, young people will soon have access to information on a global scale that can improve their lives for the better.