Approval Application for Kenyan Group (ubuntu-ke)

Key Details

• Date - 10th October 2007

• Team Contact - Ronald Odero <ronald@soft-genesis.net>

• Membership - 27 on mailing list and 15 on launchpad (and counting...)

• Mailing List - ubuntu-ke on lists.ubuntu.com

• IRC - #ubuntu-ke on Freenode

Roadmap

This is a list of things we are currently working on or plan on doing in the near future.

• Localization - The Ubuntu-ke Team is spearheading the translation of Ubuntu and all it's flavours to Kiswahili. Most of the team members are members of the translation team. https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-l10n-sw. Our goal is to translate over 100,000 strings before the end of this year.We also intend to customize some artwork.

• Ubuntu Awareness - Create awareness about Ubuntu and make it a household name. Many people in Kenya do not use Ubuntu and free software in general not because they do not want to, they just do not know about it.

• LUG integration - Team up with other LUGs to promote Free Software and Linux and the free exchange of ideas and information.

• Support - We plan to provide support to non-profit organizations for free such as schools, enthusiasts, etc.

• Distributing Ubuntu CDs - Making available Ubuntu CDs and DVDs to interested individuals so as to reduce load on the Shipit System and to also spread Ubuntu to more people faster. We plan to setup a mirror for the Ubuntu Repositories as soon as we are able to acquire the resources to do so and also to build a Freedom Toaster and set in up in one of the major malls/universities in Nairobi.

• Ubuntu in Education - We are promoting Edubuntu in schools, colleges and universities in Kenya as a simple to use, cost effective tool in education.

• Website - The team is currently setting up a team website and blog.

Experience

• Ubuntu Localisation - Team members form a large part of the Ubuntu Swahili Translators Team and have been actively involved in translating Ubuntu to Kiswahili. The team is working hand in hand with the Kilinux Project http://www.kilinux.udsm.ac.tz/.

• Organized the first Software Freedom Day celebrations in Kenya - Working together with the Linux Proffessional Association of Kenya (LPAK), we held the first SFD event and symposium. LPA Kenya and softwarefreedomday.org

• Most outstanding exhibitor during the SFD2007 event - Our stand recieved an overwhelming number of visitors making the team the most outstanding exhibitor during the event. The team burned CDs and DVDs and handed out stickers. SFD 2007.

• Ubuntu Awareness - Various team members have given talks about Ubuntu in seminars and symposiums held in high schools, universities and other fora. One member of the team gave a talk on Ubuntu at the Software Freedom Day symposium opened by Dr Bitange Ndemo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communication. His talk was very well recieved.

• CD Distribution - We have burned and distributed over 300 CDs as a team this year and distributed many more iso images for people to burn.

• Forum - The team as consistently provided community support by responding to queries on our forum http://ke.ubuntuforums.org.

• IRC Channel - Our IRC channel is up and running. Logs of our meetings can be found at http://logs.ubuntu-eu.org/free/