Girls can click away to bigger things

Amidst the ongoing struggle for women empowerment, Bakesha’s research has contributed to the awareness of ICT opportunities for women in Uganda. In addition to being a researcher, Bakesha is the head of the GRACE Africa Secretariat.

Bakesha attended All Saints Walukuba Church School from Primary One to Three, and Walukuba West Primary School for Primary Four to Seven. She then went to St. James Secondary School for O’ Level and Entebbe Secondary School for Advanced Level. She holds a Masters Degree in Women and Gender Studies which she attained in 2000, after her first Bachelor’s of Arts in Social Sciences (1995) on government sponsorship.

“Qualifying for university education on government sponsorship is one thing I’ll always cherish. The circumstances in my family were hostile to girls’ education that is why I regard this a special achievement,” she says.

In addition, her contribution to the GRACE project has been tremendously appreciated. The GRACE project consists of researchers from 12 African countries; in the East: Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, in the South: South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, in the West: Nigeria, Cameroon, and Senegal, and in the North: Egypt and Morocco and 14 research teams.

“The idea of GRACE was conceived in 2004 after women with a passion for ICT and empowerment met in Johannesburg and decided to form a research network to interrogate issues affecting women in the current ICT revolution,” she reveals. The actual research was done during 2005-2008 with Uganda represented by two research teams.
The project is fully funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and focuses on building context specific body of knowledge on how African women access and use ICTs. This in turn is expected to influence policies and interventions to address the barriers currently faced by women.

According to Bakesha’s research on ICTs as agents of change, the CD-ROM entitled Rural Women of Africa: Ideas of Earning Money, was used as a tool to provide business related information to grassroots women entrepreneurs.

“I found out that although the CD-ROM addressed most of the issues of access since the women attended the free classes, it was the translation of the information acquired into tangible business ideas that proved to be a challenge. I realised that ICT as tools might not have a problem, but it is the environment in which they’re operating.” Bakesha adds.

Her research led to another issue of gender inequality.
“I realised that our world is largely sexist and gendered. Since ICT don’t operate in a vacuum, the structure in which they operate determines whether they contribute to women’s empowerment or disempowerment.”

She discovered that the status quo was getting challenged; whenever women tried to apply the knowledge acquired, they faced opposition from their husbands who felt threatened by their new status.
“Some women would get the information, apply it and realise tangible results while others were threatened by their husbands and their businesses became stagnant,” says Bakesha.

Today, whoever contributes to improving the welfare of women is her role model. As one of the women activists in the country, Bakesha strongly discourages bride price because it has made women lose value. “Some people think if they’re not bought, they don’t have value.”

In its second phase, the GRACE project has expanded to include countries from the Middle East and Northern Africa (Mena).
The countries include Sudan, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Tunisia. “We would like to know how women in Arab countries are engaging with ICT and how this relates to their empowerment,” Bakesha concludes.

For a woman who has been able to make it against the odds, it looks like Bakesha will continue succeeding in what she is doing.