The Plan

Even as I watched them use the computers for a limited time last year, they were able to consistently move shortcuts and folders/files from one folder to the other breaking the entire setup. I had scanned about 10 computers in various scenarios using AVG 7.5 and averaged 200 threats, mostly trojans/viruses. Most PCs that were functioning were doing so in suboptimal states. A good example was the PC used for admin at Yirgacheffee. The clerk would switch it on at 9.00am and it would be ready for use after the 11.00am coffee break!!!

I decided on two things broadly.

1. Switch half the PCs over to Ubuntu
2. Reorganise all the elearning content (including new stuff) so that everything is presented through a browser and the original files lie hidden.

The reason for the second is fairly obvious. What they can't see or access, they can't break. Moreover, using a browser makes the interface uniform for all the content and therefore quicker to learn and easier to use. Moreover, it removes the need for installing proprietary windows software (some material had to be avoided, inevitably) and access to the e-library would be similar regardless of whether they were on a Windows or an Ubuntu PC. Thus, the e-library could ease their transition over to using Ubuntu.

The reasons for switching half the computers over to Ubuntu are less clear and justify a separate post.

The Objectives

We are leaving for Ethiopia for 2 weeks starting 24th of October. Several activities have been planned. My role is to 'fix' all the computers back to working order as well as to update the e-library. I will therefore be working almost exclusively in rural settings at the following health centres:

• Wondogenet
• Alaba
• Yirgacheffee

None of these health centres have high speed internet. Wondogenet has dial-up internet access thanks to its very dynamic health officer. Everything would depend on being prepared and I simply don't have the time. I have been asked to help with networking computers at the library in Hawassa Medical School. I have been told too late and I do not think my itinerary will allow me to do it this time.

The Setup

In October 2007, I setup 6 PCs (P4 1.7Ghz, 256-512MB RAM, 40GB HDD, Win2K, no internet) at three rural health facilities in Southern Ethiopia to function as e-libraries. This project was the first of its kind in Ethiopia to focus entirely on front-line health professionals working in resource poor health centres. I had had very little time last year to set them up and all of them except one had default Win2K installations. In one PC at Alaba I had installed a system utility software that limited access to most administrative tasks. All of them had their HDD partitioned into two 20GB partitions with the OS on one and e-library on the other. AVG anti-virus 7.5 and anti-spyware were installed on all of them. Openoffice, VLC and Firefox were some of the other software that were also installed. The IT skills of the users was extremely limited and technical support was non-existent. A year had passed and all I knew was that some of the computers were 'not working' with no further details provided. This could be due to anything from as simple as a broken power socket to a burnt mobo. I simply had to go there to find out.