Otzbert Kasokola, Macha Works Unit Director LinkNet signed funding agreement with Catholic Relief Services for participation of LinkNet in the Integrated Support for ART and PMTCT program in Lusaka today. This agreement empowers Macha Works, LinkNet to build further capacity to implement and monitor ICT and SmartCare systems in different types of health facilities. Also the endeavor to deploy and connect ICT in rural Nurses Training Schools will be facilitated.

Today Fred Mweetwa, Macha Works, and Otzbert Kasokola, LinkNet participated at the workshop on the role out of telecenters. The workshop in Lusaka consisted of managers of telecenters throughout Zambia and was officially opened by Ministry of Transport and Communications  director Mr Soko. LinkNet's presentation, done live from the Internet, touched the hearts of people present. Participants were keenly interested in incorporation of all stakeholders. It was mentioned that the Macha Works model deserves attention as it provides for a holistic model in sustainable development.

Macha Works presents at Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation meeting on 'Investing in ICTs in Emerging Markets', 9-10 December 2009 in London, UK. This meeting centers on practical ways of identifying and examining the opportunities and potential in various segments of the ICT sector in Africa, the Caribbean, Middle-East and Asia. The Macha Works model is presented as practical case on how ICTs drives sustainable progress in a rural economy.

The Macha Works model and the LinkNet network at Macha featured in presentations at AfriComm 2009, the first International ICST Conference on e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Development Countries, 4/5 December 2009 in Maputo, Mozambique. A paper by Jonathan Backens and Gregory Mweemba was accepted for presentation (see attachment). Also a Google Earth representation of the many wireless nodes network at Macha was featured. In the running up to the conference, representatives from Global Research Alliance partners Frauenhofer from Germany and VTT from Finland visited Macha Works in Zambia to review rural ICT implementations 'in practice'.

In follow up of the partnership of CAZ and LinkNet, Mr. Kango Mbewe of Communiciations Authority of Zambia (CAZ) performed an on site visit at LinkNet Macha to assess progress LinkNet Resource Containers for Kalene, Chilonga and Minga. He was shown around by Elton Munguya, Team Leader Network Operations Center and Otzbert Kasokolo, Unit Director LinkNet.

Macha Works' Michael Mweembe and Calpin Meemba work with sixteen volunteers of International Technical Electric and Construction, more commonly known as I-TEC, putting in kilometers of underground electricity distribution cabling at Ubuntu Campus in Macha. This work, which preparation to several years, involves hundreds of local staff, digging trenches and putting cables.

In its aim to relentlessly endeavor with local talent to produce viable engineering solutions for communications in rural areas, LinkNet partnered in an initiative consisting of 18 institutes, companies and universities from Europe and Africa. The cooperation boasts entities, SMEs, and research Institutes, with experts in many different fields and countries. The aim of the cooperation is 'Connecting The Unconnected' by developing technologies that provide “low cost, energy efficient and reliable” access to global communications and services for rural, emerging, and developing areas. First tangible result of the cooperation is production of comprehensive and innovative public-private partnership research proposals to the European Union, in which LinkNet provides the living lab environment.

Collaboration has started between LinkNet and Nurses Training Schools to introduce e-learning, to alleviate pressing human resource shortages and grow school capabilities and quality of education. At Macha, cooperation with the Nurses Training School started with inventorying needs of teaching staff, and computer literacy among students. Introduction of computers coupled with internet connectivity is going to provide new tools and lead towards greater efficiency for the Nurses Training School teachers and students.

Over 50 primary and secondary school teachers, over 30% of all teachers from all 12 primary schools at the rural Macha Zone signed up for LinkNet Information Technology Academy (LITA) classes in computer literacy. Curriculum is based upon International Computer Drivers License accreditation. Each teacher has committed over 4 hours of training a day for 4 months. The first thirty teachers attend LITA ICT education daily, in the new LITA building at Ubuntu Campus.